Terra firma is Latin for solid ground — and that's our job. We're a Mexican law firm helping people from all over the world buy property, start businesses and settle in Mexico without the costly mistakes foreigners make every day.
Why you need independent counsel
Most foreigners who lose money here didn't do anything reckless — they simply trusted the wrong assumptions. These are the five that cost them the most:
Legal Spanish is a language of its own — even fluent speakers get lost in it. You wouldn't sign a document you can't read at home; don't do it here. We review, negotiate and explain every document in plain English before you're bound by it.
Permits, registries, banks, tax IDs, utility contracts — Mexican paperwork moves at its own pace, and one missing stamp can freeze a deal for months. We know which office, which window and which order. You don't have to.
Foreigners are a favorite target for paperwork that looks legal but isn't: "notarized" letters with no legal effect, sellers who don't own what they're selling, prices too good to be true. We verify everything at the source — the public registries — not the seller's folder.
A Mexican notario is a highly qualified legal professional entrusted by the State with fe pública — the authority to authenticate and give full legal force to documents. Impressive credentials, but here's the catch: they don't represent you. Neither does the real estate agent. Without your own lawyers, nobody at that table works for you.
Nearly half of Mexico's territory is communal agrarian land that cannot legally be sold to you — no matter what the seller, or their paperwork, says. It's common in exactly the beach towns and countryside foreigners fall in love with. Agrarian law is our specialty; this trap is why most clients find us.
"One conversation with a lawyer now is cheaper than one mistake later. Every client who calls us too late says the same thing: I wish I'd asked first."
— Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney, Terra Firma
Services
Whether you're retiring near Lake Chapala, buying in Nuevo Vallarta or La Paz, or moving your company to Guadalajara — you'll know the cost before we start.
A focused video call in your time zone with a licensed Mexican attorney. Tell us your situation and get straight answers, a clear picture of your options, and an honest opinion — including "you don't need a lawyer for this" when that's the truth. No charge, no obligation. Limited slots each week.
Book your free consultationWe verify the property at the source — never the seller's folder. Includes: title search and ownership history in the Public Registry, seller identity verification, ejido/agrarian status check, liens, mortgages and encumbrances, property tax and utility debts, and zoning basics. You receive a written risk report in plain English with a clear recommendation: proceed, renegotiate, or walk away.
Request a quotePurchase agreements, promissory contracts, leases, construction and service agreements. Includes: clause-by-clause explanation in English, redlines with the changes we recommend, the negotiation points that protect you, and a call to walk you through it — so you sign knowing exactly what you're signing.
Request a quoteThe full legal setup to operate in Mexico, explained in English at every step. Includes: entity selection (S.A. vs S. de R.L. — it matters more than you think), bylaws drafting, notario coordination, tax ID (RFC) registration, foreign investment registry filing, and guidance on bank accounts and your first hires. You focus on the business; we build its legal skeleton.
Request a quoteTemporary and permanent residency, work authorization, and family applications — including the paperwork sequence most foreigners get backwards (some steps must start at a consulate before you enter Mexico). We map your specific route, prepare the file, and track it with immigration authorities until the card is in your hand.
Request a quoteIf you own anything in Mexico — a home, a fideicomiso, company shares, a bank account — your foreign will may not be enough, and cross-border probate can take your heirs years. We design a Mexican will that works alongside your estate plan back home, coordinate the notario signing, and review your fideicomiso beneficiary designations while we're at it.
Request a quoteEnglish ↔ Spanish translation of contracts, deeds, corporate, court and immigration documents by court-authorized expert translators (peritos traductores) — with official validity before Mexican courts, immigration, banks and registries. Priced per page, quoted before we start, delivered on a date we commit to in writing.
Request a quoteHow it works
Pick a time that works in your time zone. 20 minutes, no charge, no phone tag.
We talk through your situation in English. You get straight answers, not legal fog.
If you need more than answers, you'll get a flat-fee quote upfront — in writing, in plain English. No retainers, no hourly surprises.
Free guides
Plain-English legal guides, written by our attorneys. Pick your situation — we'll email it to you free.
About the firm
Terra Firma was founded by Gabriel Mendoza G. on an unusual specialty for a Mexican firm: agrarian law — the communal land regime that governs nearly half of Mexico and sinks more foreign property deals than anything else. Around that core, our practice covers real estate, contracts, corporate law and immigration support. The name is our promise: before you build anything in Mexico, we make sure you're standing on solid ground.
Our base covers the places where foreigners actually settle: Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco; León, Guanajuato; and La Paz, Baja California Sur — an hour from Lake Chapala's international community, on both coasts, and in the industrial heart of the Bajío. Our clients come from the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Latin America. What they have in common: they're not Mexican, and they need someone here who is.
Our promise is simple: we tell you what the law actually says — especially when it's not what you want to hear. That's what independent counsel is for.
FAQ
Yes — with rules. Outside the "restricted zone" (within 100 km of borders and 50 km of coastline), foreigners can own directly. Inside it, you own through a bank trust called a fideicomiso, which gives you full rights to use, rent, sell and inherit. What you can never safely buy is unregularized ejido land — which is exactly why due diligence matters.
Ejido is communal agrarian land created after the Mexican Revolution. It's governed by a separate legal system, it can't be sold to foreigners, and "deals" involving it usually can't be registered — meaning you can pay and still own nothing. It's common in exactly the beach and countryside areas foreigners love. This is my specialty, and the reason many of my clients found me.
Yes — in most industries a Mexican company can be 100% foreign-owned, and foreigners can freely hold shares. The exceptions come from the Foreign Investment Law: a short list of strategic activities is reserved to the Mexican State or to Mexican nationals, and a few sectors cap foreign participation at certain percentages. Your company's bylaws must also include a specific clause on foreign ownership, and the investment gets registered with the National Foreign Investment Registry. In practice: for the typical business a foreigner wants to open — services, tech, manufacturing, restaurants, real estate ventures — the answer is simply yes, structured correctly.
Of course. Mexican law doesn't care about your passport — the rules for a German, Japanese or Colombian buyer are the same as for an American one. Consultations are in English, by video, and I work with clients in any time zone.
No — and that's the point. The notario holds fe pública: they authenticate and formalize the transaction so it's legally valid, but they don't advocate for your interests. We're your independent attorneys: we work only for you, before you ever reach the notario's desk.
Our base is in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco; León, Guanajuato; and La Paz, Baja California Sur — which also puts us on the ground where international buyers concentrate: Lake Chapala and Ajijic, the Riviera Nayarit and Nuevo Vallarta, and the Baja. Beyond those, property research, contract review and company formation can be handled anywhere in Mexico, with trusted local counsel where needed.
Your first 20-minute consultation is free. After that, every service is a flat fee quoted upfront — paid securely online in USD by card. No retainers for standard services, no hourly billing surprises.
Your first consultation is free — 20 minutes, your time zone, plain English. Ask anything: property, business, visas, contracts. You'll leave knowing exactly where you stand.
Book Your Free 20-Minute ConsultationFree · No obligation · Flat-fee quote upfront if you need more
Prefer to talk first? +1 (786) 796-6996 — US line, English spoken