Mexico vs United States

Companies (commonly a Sociedad Anónima or the simpler SAS) are formed before a notary and registered in the Public Registry of Commerce; a tax ID (RFC) from SAT is required. The online SAS route suits small businesses.

There is no federal company registry in the U.S. — you form a company (usually an LLC or C-corporation) at the state level, most often in your home state or Delaware. Formation is fast and online in most states; you then obtain a federal EIN from the IRS for tax and banking.

Mexican banking is modern with strong digital payments (SPEI, CoDi). Foreigners usually open an account with a passport, a temporary or permanent resident card and proof of address; a 2026 rule allows a basic, limited account with just a CURP and official ID. The CNBV and Banxico regulate banks.

To open a U.S. business bank account you generally need an EIN, your formation documents, ownership / beneficial-owner information, and ID for the signers. Banks run KYC (identity) and anti-money-laundering checks. Requirements vary by bank, business structure and owner residency. Non-residents can often open an account, but some banks require a U.S. address, a U.S. phone number, or an in-person visit. Personal accounts follow similar identity checks but use personal ID and a Social Security Number (SSN) or ITIN.

Mexico is broadly open to foreign investment under the Foreign Investment Law, with national treatment for most sectors and a few reserved or capped activities (energy, some transport and media). There are no exchange controls, so profits repatriate freely; incentives include IMMEX/maquiladora programs and USMCA-driven nearshoring advantages.

The U.S. welcomes foreign direct investment — starting a company, expanding, acquiring a business, or building manufacturing/R&D/logistics operations. There is no single federal approval office: SelectUSA promotes investment at the federal level, most incentives are offered by state and local agencies, and some deals are reviewed by CFIUS for national security. Public-company filings are free on SEC EDGAR, and FDI statistics are published by the BEA.

Mexico's taxes are administered by the SAT: income tax (ISR), VAT (IVA) and payroll-related taxes. Tax residents are taxed on worldwide income, and electronic invoicing (CFDI) is mandatory.

The U.S. taxes federal income (IRS) plus state and often local taxes; rates vary by state and some have no income tax. U.S. citizens and residents are taxed on worldwide income — the U.S. is unusual in taxing citizens who live abroad. Businesses file federal and state returns.

Foreigners generally need a Temporary Resident visa with work authorisation to work in Mexico, usually employer-sponsored; the National Migration Institute (INM) administers immigration. A job offer and permit precede local work.

Most people work in the U.S. on an employer-sponsored nonimmigrant visa such as the H-1B (specialty occupation, capped and lottery-based), L-1 (intra-company transfer) or O-1 (extraordinary ability). Almost all routes require a U.S. employer to petition for you with USCIS; there is no general 'work visa' you can apply for on your own.

Mexico's temporary resident student visa is for those whose main purpose is study at institutions belonging to the national education system, normally for stays longer than 180 days. Evidence paths include study documents, international-mobility instruments, and financial solvency or scholarship/financing proof. The hard deadline: you must process the temporary resident student card within 30 calendar days of entering Mexico. Work authorisation needs INM review.

Full-time study in the United States generally needs an F-1 student visa (M-1 for vocational study). An SEVP-certified school admits you and issues a Form I-20; you then pay the SEVIS I-901 fee, complete the DS-160 and attend a visa interview at a US embassy or consulate. You must show funds for tuition and living costs and ties to your home country.

Tourist and short business entry to Mexico depends on nationality and purpose. Where a visa is required, the SRE visitor visa without permission for paid activities covers stays of up to 180 days for tourism, business, studies or research — but only where the activity is not remunerated. Visa-exempt travellers still face entry checks and should carry evidence of purpose, funds and onward travel.

Short visits to the United States use the B-1/B-2 visitor visa, unless you qualify for the Visa Waiver Program — nationals of participating countries travel for up to 90 days with an approved ESTA instead. B-visa applicants complete Form DS-160 and attend an interview at a US embassy or consulate. Visitor status never permits employment.

Mexico grants permanent resident (residente permanente) status directly in some cases — close family of Mexicans, retirees with sufficient income, or via a points system — or after 4 years as a temporary resident. It lets you live and work without a permit; naturalization generally follows after 5 years (2 for spouses/some Latin American and Iberian nationals).

U.S. permanent residence (a green card) comes through family, employment, investment (EB-5), the diversity lottery or humanitarian routes. Employment green cards (EB-1/2/3) usually require an employer and labor certification, and priority-date backlogs can be long.

In Mexico you can naturalize after 5 years of legal residence, reduced to 2 years for spouses of Mexicans, parents of a Mexican-born child, or nationals of Latin American and Iberian countries. You take exams on Spanish, Mexican history and culture (with age exemptions). Mexico permits dual nationality. Applications go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE).

U.S. citizenship by naturalization generally requires five years as a green-card holder (three if married to a U.S. citizen), continuous residence, good moral character, and passing English and civics tests. Those born in the U.S. are citizens by birth.

Mexican employment under the Federal Labor Law sets a national minimum wage (higher in the northern border zone), a 48-hour week, an annual Christmas bonus (aguinaldo), and at least 12 days' vacation after a year (since the 2023 reform). Workers share in profits (PTU); IMSS covers social security, and dismissal without cause triggers substantial severance.

US employment is generally 'at-will' — either side can end it — but federal law (the FLSA via the Department of Labor) sets minimum wage and overtime, and the EEOC enforces anti-discrimination rules. There is no federal statutory paid annual leave; states add their own protections, so your state matters.

Mexican trade clears through the customs authority (ANAM/SAT). Importers must be on the Padrón de Importadores and file a pedimento — generally through a licensed customs broker (agente aduanal). Goods are classified under the TIGIE for import duty (IGI) plus 16% VAT; USMCA/T-MEC origin can zero the duty, and many goods must meet NOM standards.

US importers and exporters clear goods through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). You file entries under an importer number, classify goods by HTS code to find the duty rate, meet any partner-agency rules (FDA, USDA…), and pay duties. Exports follow the Export Administration Regulations; binding tariff rulings and disputes go through CBP.

Mexican trademarks are registered with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). You search the register, file under Nice classes, and after publication and examination the mark registers. A Mexican trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; use is required and a declaration of use must be filed. Mexico is a Madrid Protocol member.

US trademarks are registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). You search the register for conflicts, file an application specifying goods/services classes, and respond to examination before it publishes for opposition and registers. Registration lasts 10 years and is renewable; patents go through the USPTO and copyright through the Copyright Office.

Mexico has a free public job-matching portal run by the labour ministry, the Portal del Empleo, and it is broader than a listings site: it also surfaces job fairs, training, government vacancies and some overseas-work channels. The structural point for foreign candidates is that job matching and work authorisation sit with two different authorities — the labour ministry runs the portal, but the immigration institute controls whether you may do paid work, so an offer on its own is not permission to start.

There is no single national job board for the US private sector — hiring is spread across company sites and commercial boards, so anyone looking for one official place to search will not find it. What does exist officially is split by sector: CareerOneStop, run by the Department of Labor, is the hub for job search, training and career tools, while USAJOBS covers federal-government roles. Foreign nationals generally need work authorisation in place before taking up a job, not after finding one.

Mexico expresses its statutory minimum wages as daily rates rather than monthly or hourly, which is the first thing to get right when reading a figure. There are two geographic rates: a general minimum and a higher one for the Northern Border Free Zone, so where you work changes the floor. Above both, occupation-specific professional minimum wages and collective terms can be higher. CONASAMI is the body that announces the rates, and official wage sources should be used rather than proprietary tables.

US pay is largely market-set, with the federal minimum wage as the legal floor — and that floor has been USD 7.25/hour since 2009, so in much of the country it is no longer the operative number. Many states and cities set higher minimums, and where they do, the higher rate applies. For earnings by occupation and area, use the Bureau of Labor Statistics' OEWS rather than crowd-sourced salary sites. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforces minimum wage and overtime under the FLSA.

Mexico's main scholarship for foreigners is the Mexican Government Scholarship, run by AMEXCID (the international cooperation agency under the Foreign Ministry), covering tuition and a stipend for various degree and research programs. National research funding also comes through the science council. Explore AMEXCID and university sites and apply by the annual deadline.

There is no single US government scholarship for all international students — funding is mostly institutional (university assistantships, fellowships and merit aid) plus flagship programs like the Fulbright Foreign Student Program. Start with EducationUSA advising and each university's financial-aid office, and apply early because deadlines are often a year ahead.

To study in Mexico you apply to the university, then, once admitted, apply for a student visa (temporary resident student visa) at the Mexican consulate. After arrival you exchange it (canje) at the immigration institute (INM) for a resident card. Explore the university sites and apply by the deadline.

To study in the US you apply directly to each university, and once accepted the school issues a Form I-20 that lets you get an F-1 student visa (pay the SEVIS fee, complete the DS-160 and attend a consular interview). Use EducationUSA advising to shortlist schools, and apply about a year ahead because admission and funding deadlines are early.

Foreigners can buy property in Mexico, but within the 'restricted zone' — within 100 km of a border or 50 km of the coast — residential property must be held through a bank trust (fideicomiso) or a Mexican company, not directly. Outside that zone you can buy directly (with a permit from the Foreign Affairs Ministry). Renting is easy; purchases go through a notario público and the Public Registry, with an acquisition tax (ISABI).

The United States places no restriction on foreigners renting or buying a home. Renting usually means a credit/income check and a security deposit (commonly one to two months' rent, capped by many states). Buyers use a realtor and a title/escrow company; non-resident buyers can get a mortgage but typically need a larger down payment. Annual property tax is set locally.

Mexico's public healthcare is fragmented rather than single-system: IMSS for many formal-sector workers, ISSSTE for many public-sector workers, and IMSS-Bienestar as the current federalized model for people without social security in participating states. Crucially, IMSS and ISSSTE coverage depends on employment or public-sector affiliation, not simply on residence. Seguro Popular and INSABI are not current programmes, so guidance naming them is out of date.

The US has no universal public healthcare. Most people are covered through an employer plan or buy coverage on the ACA Marketplace at HealthCare.gov, with Medicare for those 65+ and Medicaid for low-income residents under state-varying rules. Foreign nationals usually rely on employer or private insurance; lawfully-present immigrants can buy Marketplace plans but typically wait five years for Medicaid or Medicare. Care is very costly without coverage.

In Mexico a single formal job typically wires you into three separate systems at once: IMSS for social security, INFONAVIT for housing contributions, and an AFORE as your retirement-savings administrator. Keeping those distinct from private insurance is the main planning discipline, since health coverage may come through IMSS, ISSSTE, IMSS-Bienestar or a private policy depending on your status. Private medical, auto, property and liability policies are separate products — check exclusions and regulated-provider status.

US insurance has two layers that answer to different authorities. Federal social insurance — Social Security and Medicare — is funded by FICA payroll taxes and administered by the Social Security Administration. Almost everything else you buy (auto, home, life) is regulated by your state, not federally. Auto liability insurance is mandatory in almost every state, and to check an insurer is licensed you go to your state insurance department, whose directory is on the NAIC site.