Company registration in Mexico
                     

Company registration in 
Mexico
-By Himani Srivastava

1. Register your company’s name:
First things first. In order to register the name of your company, 
you will have to obtain authorization from the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores). You should 
receive it in no more than 2 working days.

2. Apply for a tax registration number:
This is relatively simple, all you have to do is 
consult a public notary assigned by the 
government. You will be asked to sign the 
incorporation deed before receiving your tax 
registration. This should take you a maximum of 2 
days.
3. Register your incorporation deed:
Register your incorporation deed with the Public 
Register of Commerce. You will need to wait 17 
days to receive your confirmation. 

4. Register for your tax ID number:
You will receive your tax ID number by simply registering with 
the Ministry of Finance and Credit (Secretaría de Hacienda y 
Credito Público). This will take you 1 to 3 days.
5. Register for Social Security:
You now have to register your company with the Mexican Social 
Security (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social). You will have to 
open individual retirement savings accounts for every one of your 
future employees. This should normally take you 2 to 5 days.
6. Register your company’s account:
The next step is indeed to register for payroll tax 
with the local tax administration which is the 
Secretaría de Finanzas del Gobierno del Distrito 
Federal). This is if you are setting your company in 
Mexico City. It will take you 1 day.

7.  Register with the National Business Information 
Registry:
Before the last step! Register with the SIEM (Sistema de 
Informacíon Empresarial Mexicano) which is the institution 
comprised of a complete registry of all the existing companies 
in Mexico. The cost to register depends on the number of 
employees you are willing to employ.  
8. Declare your company with the National Institute of 
Statistics:
In order for your future business achievements to be included in 
national statistics, you have to register with the National Institute 
of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía)
Now that you know how to set your business off in Mexico, you 
will need to apply for the correct visa in order to have the right to 
exercise your profession.
How to Apply for a Work Visa in Mexico:
The truth is that there are two types of visas for foreigners willing 
to work or start a business in Mexico.  The visas include:
The temporary residency visa with permission to work:
This visa is the most common for foreigners who want to live in 
Mexico. It gives you the right to work, study and open a business 
in Mexico. The temporary visa permits you to open a Mexican 
Bank account in your name, an essential necessity if you’re 
planning on doing business.
This visa has a validity period of one year and can be renewed. It 
is ideal for those who want to live and work in Mexico temporarily.

The permanent residency visa:
The permanent residency visa is very similar to the temporary visa, the only difference 
being that after the fourth renewal of the temporary visa, you can apply for permanent 
residency. So this visa is particularly suited for foreigners who are expecting to live in 
Mexico for four years or more, or, in other words, for people who are determined to 
settle down permanently in Mexico. With the permanent residency visa, one can work, 
study and run their business freely for an unlimited period of time. 
It is important to note that any permanent resident holder will not be allowed to be out 
of Mexico for more than 18 months over 5 years. The residency will be withdrawn in 
such case.
The process of applying for permanent residency will take between 1 to 6 months to 
be processed after submission of documents. Our advice would be for you to leave as 
much time as possible to apply, as many applications are rejected because of missing 
documents or other slips of the sort.
Documents needed for visa applications:
● Official immigration application form filled out and signed.
● Original passport and copy.
● Original immigration card. This is the card that you filled out on the plane and 
presented when you passed through customs. This is officially called the FMM 
form. Make sure you keep this safe as you will be fined if you lose it.
● Original and copy of proof of residency. This can be any utility 
bill where you reside, which can be provided by your landlord.
● Seven passport-style photos of 2.5 x 3 cm. Four should be 
headshots and three right-sided profile shots without glasses, 
jewellery or makeup, with a white background.
● As an independent professional or business investor, you 
should have a written letter in Spanish, addressed to the INM. 
This letter will request the issuance of the temporary 
residency visa and will state the purpose of your stay and the 
activities you will conduct.
Once you have gathered all the paperwork and turned it in, they 
will give you a document with a username and password so you 
can follow the application process online. If you are applying for 
your visa in Mexico City, you will have to go to the National 
Institute of Immigration, located in Polanco (Distrito federal). If 
you are elsewhere in Mexico, please click here to access the full 
list of migration offices in Mexico.

General tips to facilitate your visa application process in 
Mexico:
● Call the office in advance in order to be sure you will come 
prepared.
● Try and visit the office at an off-peak time as immigration 
offices are often very busy. The best tip we can offer is to 
head there early in the morning.
● Bring copies of all your documents as the office may not 
have a photocopier for public use.
Thank You