MEXICO
REGULATION OF THE FOREIGN INVESTMENT LAW AND OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

Published September 8, 1998

Compiled October 1998

By Foreign Tax Law, Inc.

PO Box 2189

Ormond Beach, Florida 32175-2189 USA

Tel. (904) 253-5785

Fax (904) 257-3003

E-mail: ftlp@foreignlaw.com

Web site: http://www.foreignlaw.com

DISCLAIMER: Though every effect has been made to present the legal texts and information accurately, due to the nature and scope of the material, we cannot be liable for errors, omissions or other problems in the texts. The material offered herein is not a substitute for competent legal assistance by a licensed attorney of the jurisdiction in question.

REGULATION OF THE FOREIGN INVESTMENT LAW

TITLE ONE. GENERAL PROVISIONS

TITLE TWO. ACQUISITION OF REAL ESTATE, EXPLOITATION OF MINES AND WATERS AND TRUSTS

Chapter I. The Acquisition of Real Estate

Chapter II. Trusts on Real Estate in the Restricted Zone

TITLE THREE. COMPANIES

TITLE FOUR. INVESTMENTS OF FOREIGN LEGAL PERSONS

TITLE FIVE. NEUTRAL INVESTMENT

Chapter I. Neutral Investment Represented by Instruments Issued by Fiduciary Institutions

Chapter II. Neutral Investment Represented by a Special Series of Stocks

Chapter III. Neutral Investment Made by International Financial Companies for Development

TITLE SIX. THE NATIONAL COMMISSION OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

TITLE SEVEN. NATIONAL REGISTER OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

Chapter I. Organization and Functioning and Registrations in General

Chapter II. Registration of Foreign Individuals and Legal Persons and Mexican Companies

Chapter III. Registration of Trusts

Chapter IV. Provisions Common to the Register

TITLE EIGHT. COMPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS

TRANSITORY PROVISIONS

First Transitory Provision.

Second Transitory Provision.

Third Transitory Provision.

Fourth Transitory Provision.

Fifth Transitory Provision.

Sixth Transitory Provision.

TITLE ONE. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1.

For the purposes of this Regulation, in addition to that which is established in article 2 of the Foreign Investment Law, the following definitions shall be understood:

            I. Reserved activities: activities considered in articles 5 and 6 of the Law;

            II. Specifically regulated activities: those subject to maximum limits of foreign investment participation in the terms of the Law and the applicable legislation;

            III. Law: the Foreign Investment Law;

            IV. Foreign capital majority: participation of foreign investment at more than 49% of the capital stock of a company;

            V. Participation of foreign investment in the capital stock: the percentage of foreign investment in the capital stock of a company, calculated in relation to the total stocks or shares that are not considered as neutral investment, including stocks or shares subject to a trust (fideicomiso);

            VI. General Resolutions: criteria for the application of the legal and regulatory provisions on foreign investment that the Commission shall issue, and

            VII. Companies: civil, mercantile or any other type of legal persons formed pursuant to Mexican legislation.

Article 2.

For purposes of that which is established in the First Title of the Law, the following shall be effective:

            I. The following shall be excluded:

                        a) From item I of article 5, activities relative to transportation, warehousing and distribution of gas other than liquid petroleum, in terms of that which is provided in the Law Regulating Constitutional Article 27 in the Field of Petroleum;

                        b) From item III of article 5, activities mentioned below, in the terms of that which is provided in the Law on the Public Service of Electricity:

                                    1. Generation of electricity for self-supply, co-generation or small production;

                                    2. Generation of electricity carried out by independent producers for sale to the Federal Electricity Commission;

                                    3. Generation of electricity for its export, derived from co-generation, independent production and small production;

                                    4. Import of electricity by individuals or legal persons, intended exclusively for self-supply for their own use, and

                                    5. Generation of electricity intended for use in emergencies originating from interruptions of the public service of electricity.

                        c) From item X of article 8, in the terms of that which is provided in the Law Regulating Constitutional Article 27 in the Field of Petroleum, the construction, operation and ownership of ducts, installations and equipment, relative to the transport and distribution of natural gas;

            II. In item II of article 5, the following form basic petrochemicals, in the terms of the provisions of the Law Regulating Constitutional Article 27 in the Petroleum Branch:

                        a) Ethane;

                        b) Propane;

                        c) Butane;

                        d) Pentane;

                        e) Hexane;

                        f) Heptane;

                        g) Raw material for lampblack;

                        h) Napthas, and

                        i) Methane when derived from hydrogen carbide, obtained from wells located in national territory and used as a raw material in petrochemical industrial processes, and

            III. Series "T" stocks to which article 7, item III, letter r) refers shall represent exclusively the capital contributed for agricultural livestock or forestry lands, or for the acquisition thereof, in the terms of the provisions of the Agrarian Law.

Article 3.

The system of participation to which article 9 of the Law refers shall be applied to:

            I. The acquisition of stocks or shares of companies already formed, and

            II. Companies that do not carry on reserved activities or activities subject to specific regulation. In the case of companies that carry on such activities, the rule shall be as provided in the Law.

 

In any of these cases, the total value of the assets shall be the value up-dated for inflation that they hold, pursuant to the principles of generally accepted accounting practices, on the date of filing of the corresponding application. The Commission shall determine the amount to which the cited article 9 of the Law refers, by means of a General Resolution.

Article 4.

Public notaries before whom legal acts are formalized, for those for which permits are required to which articles 11, 15 and 16 of the Law refer, must require the corresponding permit prior to authorizing the respective instrument or, in the case of an implied affirmative having been produced by means of a General Resolution, the voucher to which article 17 of the Federal Law of Administrative Procedure makes reference.

 

Public notaries before whom the acquisition of real estate is formalized to which article 10A of the Law refers, must demand the corresponding permit prior to the authorization of the respective instrument.

 

When the permit is not available because of being subject to the cases to which the second paragraph of article 10A of the Law makes reference, public notaries must require that a foreigner give evidence of filing the writ to which article 8 of this Regulation refers before the Minister of Foreign Relations and record in the corresponding instrument that the implied affirmative has been produced in the terms of said disposition, prior to the authorization of the public instrument,.

 

In the case of the situation provided in the last paragraph of article 10A of the Law, public notaries must require, prior to authorization of the public instrument, that a foreigner assures that the convention to which item I of article 27 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States makes reference has been filed, as well as to assure that the general agreements dealt with cover the situation, and so record it in the instrument.

TITLE TWO. ACQUISITION OF REAL ESTATE, EXPLOITATION OF MINES AND WATERS AND TRUSTS

Chapter I. The Acquisition of Real Estate

Article 5.

For purposes of that which is established in the Second Title of the Law, real estate for residential purposes is that which intended exclusively for housing for the use of the owner or third parties.

 

The following, inter alia, shall be considered as real estate intended for the carrying on of non-residential activities:

            I. That which is intended for time sharing;

            II. That which is intended for any industrial, commercial or tourist activity and is simultaneously utilized for residential purposes;

            III. That which is acquired by credit institutions, financial intermediaries and auxiliary credit organizations for the recovery of debts in their favor derived from transactions proper to their objective;

            IV. That which is utilized by legal persons for the fulfillment of their business purpose, consisting of the disposal, urbanization, construction, division and other activities included in the development of real estate projects, until the moment of their marketing or sale to third parties, and

            V. In general, real estate intended for commercial, industrial, agricultural, livestock raising, fishing, forestry and for the rendering of services.

Article 6.

In case of doubt on whether a real estate property is located outside or within the restricted zone, the Minister of Foreign Relations shall resolve the question after consulting the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics.

Article 7.

For purposes of the provisions in articles 10, item I and 16, last paragraph of the Law, the notice that the interested parties must give to the Minister of Foreign Relations shall contain:

            I. The location and description of the real property;

            II. A clear and precise description of the uses to which the real property in question shall be intended, and

            III. A simple copy annexed of the public instrument on which the formalization of the acquisition is recorded.

Article 8.

In the terms of the provisions in article 10A of the Law, in order that foreign individuals and legal persons may accede to the ownership of real estate located outside of the restricted zone, or obtain concessions for the exploitation of waters in national territory, they must:

            I. Agree upon in writing before the Minister of Foreign Relations that which is provided in item I of Constitutional article 27, in relation to the concessions or real estate in question, stipulating in the latter case, the form and percentage of acquisition;

            II. Confirm the legal capacity of the applicant. Individuals, if applicable, must confirm their legal standing in the country and the immigration position that permits them to carry out the legal act in question in the terms of the law regarding the matter. In the case of legal persons, their legal existence must be confirmed by means of the presentation of the documents provided in item I of article 21 of this Regulation or by means of the presentation of a copy of the authorization to which article 17 of the Law refers.

            The documents mentioned in the preceding paragraph must be legalized before a Mexican Consul or, when applicable, annotated in accordance with the Decree to Promulgate the Convention by which the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents is Repealed. The documents that are presented in a language other than Spanish must be accompanied by their translation made by an expert translator;

            III. Attach, if applicable, an annex that shall contain the surface measurements and boundaries of the property, and

            IV. Pay, if applicable, the duties established in the Federal Duties Law.

In order to conclude the agreement to which item I of article 27 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States refers, through a legal representative, the latter must be granted a special power of attorney, expressly determining in one of its clauses the agreement and the waiver to which said constitutional provision refers, or a general power of attorney for acts of ownership that satisfies the requirements established by the applicable legislation.

 

Concessions for the exploration and exploitation of mines shall be governed by that which is provided in the legislation on the matter and its regulation.

Chapter II. Trusts on Real Estate in the Restricted Zone

Article 9.

Applications that credit institutions file through their trust delegate in order to obtain the permit to which article 11 of the Law refers, must contain:

            I. Name and nationality of the trustors;

            II. Name of the credit institution that shall function as the fiduciary;

            III. Name and nationality of the trustee and, if applicable, of the trustees in second place and the deputy trustees;

            IV. Duration of the trust;

            V. Use of the real estate;

            VI. Description, location and surface area of the real estate subject to the trust, and

            VII. Distance of the real estate in respect to the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone.

 

The application must be accompanied by an annex that shall contain the measures and boundaries of the real estate.

Article 10.

In the case of foreign individuals or legal persons, the Minister of Foreign Relations shall grant the permits to which article 11 of the Law makes reference, when the petition complies with that which is provided in the preceding article and when the real estate subject to the trust is intended for:

            I. Industrial parks and divisions;

            II. Hotels and motels;

            III. Industrial ships;

            IV. Commercial centers;

            V. Research centers;

            VI. Tourist developments, provided that they do not contain real estate intended for residential purposes;

            VII. Marine tourism;

            VIII. Wharves and commercial and industrial installations established therein, and

            IX. Establishments engaged in the production, transformation, packing, conservation, transport or warehousing of agricultural, silviculture, forestry and fishing products.

Article 11.

Trust contracts that are constituted under the permits provided in article 11 of the Law must be subjected to the following conditions:

            I. That the respective public instrument establishes that the foreign trustees should agree to be considered as Mexicans in respect to their rights as trustees and that they should not invoke the protection of their governments in that matter, under the penalty of losing said rights to the profit of the Nation, in case of doing so;

            II. That during the entire duration of the trust the fiduciary institution shall keep the ownership of the real estate in trust without conceding the real rights to the trustees;

            III. That the fiduciary institution shall file a report on authorized trusts in case of fiduciary substitution with the Minister of Foreign Relations, no later than during April of each year, as well as a report on the designation of substituted trustees or assignment of trustee rights in favor of foreign individuals or legal persons, or of Mexican companies with a clause admitting foreigners, in the case of real estate acquired for residential purposes;

            IV. That the trustees shall be obligated to report to the fiduciary institution on the fulfillment of the purposes of the trust, and that the latter shall be obligated to report to the Minister of Foreign Relations on the particular, when required thereby, provided that reasons exist that might suppose non-compliance with the conditions under which the permit was granted;

            In case of non-compliance or violation of any of the conditions established in the corresponding permit, the fiduciary institution shall have a period of 60 working days to remedy or correct them, as from the date of notification by the Minister of Foreign Relations of said irregularities; otherwise, one should proceed in the terms of item VII of this article;

            V. That the fiduciary institution shall obtain a permit provided by the Minister of Foreign Relations in the case of increase of the substance and change of the purposes of the trust;

            VI. That the fiduciary institution shall be bound to notify the dissolution of the trust to the Minister of Foreign Relations, within the 40 working days following its date of extinction, and

            VII. That the parties in the contract shall be bound to extinguish the trust upon petition of the Minister of Foreign Relations, within a period of 180 days from the date of notification of the requirement, in case of non-compliance or violation of any of the conditions established in the corresponding permit.

 

The permits to which article 11 of the Law refers shall not exempt anyone from compliance with the plans and programs of urban development and ecological ordinances of the locality in which the real estate is located, nor the criteria of sustainment of the environmental policy.

Article 12.

For the purposes of article 13 of the Law, the interested parties, through the fiduciary institutions, must apply for the extension of the duration of trusts before the Minister of Foreign Relations, within the 90 working days prior to the extinction of the contract. The extension shall be granted provided that the conditions to which the preceding article refers continue and have been fulfilled.

TITLE THREE. COMPANIES

Article 13.

The permit for the formation of companies to which article 15 of the Law refers shall be granted only when the firm name or company name it tries to utilize is not reserved by another company.

 

If words or vocabulary whose use is specifically regulated by other laws are included in the trade or firm name requested, the Minister of Foreign Relations shall make the use of the permits conditional upon obtaining the authorizations that said legal provisions establish.

Article 14.

When the exclusion of foreigners clause has not been agreed upon in the articles of association, an express agreement or covenant must be concluded that shall be an integral part of the articles of association, by which present or future foreign members of the company shall be obligated before the Minister of Foreign Relations to be considered as nationals in respect of:

            I. The stocks, shares or rights that they acquire from said companies;

            II. The property, rights, concessions, shares or interest of which those companies are holders, and

            III. The rights and obligations that they derive from contracts in which the companies themselves are parties.

 

The stipulated agreement or covenant must include the waiver to invoke the protection of their governments, under penalty, otherwise, of losing the rights and property that they had acquired to the profit of the Nation.

Article 15.

The Minister of Foreign Relations shall grant the permit for the change of trade or firm name to which article 16 of the Law refers provided that, in addition to complying with the provisions in article 13 of this Regulation, the intention of the legal person to effect the requested change is confirmed.

Article 16.

Permits for the formation of companies or modification of a trade or firm name or, if applicable, the proofs corresponding to that which is referred to in article 17 of the Federal Law of Administrative Procedure, that are not taken by the interested parties within the 20 working days after their issue, shall remain without effects.

Article 17.

Within the 90 working days following the date on which the Minister of Foreign Relations granted the permits for the formation of companies or modification of the trade or firm name, the interested parties must have the instrument corresponding to the formation or to the statutory reforms of the company in question authorized before a public notary.

 

After the aforementioned term elapses without the corresponding public instrument having been authorized, the permit shall be without effect.

Article 18.

Within the six months following the issue of the permits for the formation of companies or change of trade or firm name to which articles 15 and the first paragraph of 16 of the Law refers, the interested party must give notice of the use thereof to the Minister of Foreign Relations.

 

In the case of the permit for the formation of companies, the notice must specify the inclusion of the foreigners exclusion clause in the corresponding instrument or, if applicable, of the agreement provided in article 14 of this Regulation.

 

In the case of liquidation, merger or spin-off of companies, notice must be given to the Minister of Foreign Relations within the month following that in which the act had been carried out.

 

The interested parties may choose to file the notices through the Minister of Finance and Public Credit, when pursuant to the fiscal provisions notices must be filed with the Federal Taxpayers Register relative to the formation, change of trade or firm name, liquidation, merger or spin-off of companies. The Minister of Finance and Public Credit must deliver the information contained therein to the Minister of Foreign Relations within the three months following their presentation.

 

Editor’s Note: The preceding paragraph shall become effective six months following the publication of this Regulation in the Diario Oficial. The publication date was September 8, 1998. All other provisions of this Regulation shall be effective 20 working days after its publication.

Article 19.

The Minister of Foreign Relations shall reserve to companies the exclusive use of their trade or firm names pursuant to the permits that it grants, except when the interested party does not comply with the provisions in the first paragraph of the preceding article or when the corresponding company is wound up.

Article 20.

The notice of amendment of a foreigners exclusion clause for that of admission to which the second paragraph of article 16 of the Law refers, must be accompanied by a copy of the public instrument containing the statutory reform and which shall include the agreement to which article 14 of this Regulation refers. The company in question must manifest in said notice whether it owns real estate in the restricted zone and the purposes to which such property is intended.

TITLE FOUR. INVESTMENTS OF FOREIGN LEGAL PERSONS

Article 21.

In order to obtain the authorization to be established in national territory and to habitually perform acts of trade to which article 17 of the Law refers, foreign legal persons must file a written application, in an original and two simple copies, in which the general identification data of the applicant are stipulated, as well as the description of the economic activity that it is trying to develop in the country.

 

This application must be accompanied by the following, in an original and simple copy:

            I. Deed, act, certificate or any other instrument of formation, as well as the by-laws by which the legal person is governed;

            II. Power of attorney of the legal representative granted before a public notary, and

            III. Proof of payment of duties provided in the Federal Duties Law.

When it is necessary that the applicant obtain a favorable resolution of the Commission in order to participate in a certain activity, said resolution must be obtained previously and annexed to the application.

 

The documents stipulated in item I and, if applicable, II, shall be returned to the interested party, after they are compared with their simple copies, and they must be legalized before a Mexican consul or, when applicable, annotated in accordance with the Decree to Promulgate the Convention by which the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents is Repealed.

 

Documents presented in a language other than Spanish must be accompanied by their translation made by an expert translator.

TITLE FIVE. NEUTRAL INVESTMENT

Chapter I. Neutral Investment Represented by Instruments Issued by Fiduciary Institutions

Article 22.

For the purposes of that which is provided in article 19 of the Law, authorization shall be required from the Minister for the formation or amendment of any class of neutral investment trust, as well as for the transfer of stocks thereto, regardless of the activity that the company that is trying to place its shares in trust is engaged in. In order to obtain this authorization, fiduciary institutions, in the first case, and companies that are founders of trusts, in the second, must file the following, in an original and simple copy:

            I. A written application in which the general identification data of the fiduciary institution shall be specified, as well as, if applicable, the economic activity and shareholding structure of the company that is trying to transfer its stocks to the patrimony of the trust;

            II. The project of the trust contract or, if applicable, of the amendments that are trying to be carried out to a previously authorized trust, and

            III. Proof of payment of the fees provided in the Federal Duties Law.

Chapter II. Neutral Investment Represented by a Special Series of Stocks

Article 23.

For the purposes of that which is provided in article 20 of the Law, companies already formed or for being formed, regardless of the activity that they will carry on, must obtain prior authorization from the Minister to issue a special series of stocks with the nature of a neutral investment. In order to obtain said authorization, companies must file the following, in an original and simple copy:

            I. A written application in which the general identification data, corporate data and the economic activity that the applicant company shall carry on are specified, and

            II. Proof of payment of the duties provided in the Federal Duties Law.

Chapter III. Neutral Investment Made by International Financial Companies for Development

Article 24.

International financial companies for development shall be considered as those foreign legal persons whose primary purpose consists in encouraging economic and social development of developing countries, through contribution of temporary venture capital, granting of preferential financing or technical aid of various kinds.

Article 25.

International financial companies for development that try to make a neutral investment in Mexican companies, in the terms of article 22 of the Law, must be recognized by the Commission, for which they must present:

            I. A questionnaire duly requisitioned in an original and one simple copy, which shall contain the general identification and corporate data of the applicant;

            II. A deed, act, certificate or any other instrument of formation, as well as by-laws by which the international financial company for development is governed;

            III. Financial statements of the international financial company for development corresponding to the last fiscal year, if the company has been constituted for more than one year, and

            IV. Financial statements projected for three years, if the international financial company for development has been constituted for one year or less.

 

The documents that they provide from abroad must be legalized before a Mexican consul or, when applicable, annotated in accordance with the Decree Promulgating the Convention by which the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents is Repealed.

 

Documents that are presented in a language other than Spanish must be accompanies with their translation made by an expert translator.

 

Said companies must obtain a favorable resolution from the Commission to participate in the capital of Mexican companies that carry on reserved activities or activities with a specific regulation.

 

In order to obtain the favorable resolution, it shall be necessary that the provisions in article 29 of this Regulation should be fulfilled for each specific project.

TITLE SIX. THE NATIONAL COMMISSION OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

Article 26.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission shall be the public servant who appoints the President thereof, who for the exercise of his duties shall have the help of a Technical Secretary, a public servant appointed by him.

 

For the purposes of article 25 of the Law the public servants who are members of the Committee of Representatives must be Deputy Ministers or their equivalent, assigned to the Ministries that shall be members of the Commission and whose competence shall be related to the matters in question. The appointment of the members making up the Committee of Representatives must be notified to the President of the Commission by the heads of the Ministries that make it up within the 30 working days following the date of such appointment.

Article 27.

Matters submitted for consideration by the Commission shall be resolved in a session of the members thereof, or through the written opinion of each of the members or of the Committee of Representatives. In this latter case, each one of its members shall have five working days, from the day on which they were presented the matters, to issue the corresponding vote. Once the period stipulated elapses without the members of the Commission or of the Committee of Representatives drawing up objections or issuing and communicating the corresponding vote, it shall be considered that they have issued a favorable vote on the matters that had been submitted for their consideration and resolution.

 

The Technical Secretary of the Commission must remit a written report on the resolutions of the matters submitted for consideration of the Commission or of the Committee of Representatives to each one of the members thereof, within the seven working days following the date on which the corresponding resolutions were issued.

Article 28.

Meetings of the heads of the Commission may be convened by the President of said interministerial agency or, if applicable, by its Executive Secretary. The notice of meeting shall be made in writing, must contain the agenda and be addressed to each member of the Commission no less than eight working days in advance of the meeting date.

 

In order for the Commission to form a quorum, at least one half of the members must be present. If the meeting could not be held on the day established, a second meeting notice shall be made in which that circumstance shall be stipulated. In the meeting held upon the second notice the matters indicated in the agenda shall be resolved, no matter how many of the members are present.

 

In order that the Committee of Representatives should be considered as having held a meeting at least one half of the representatives must be present and decide by a majority of votes of those present. If the meeting could not be held on the day established, a second notice of meeting shall be made stipulating that circumstance therein. In the meeting held upon second notice the matters indicated in the agenda shall be resolved, regardless of the number of representatives present.

 

The members of the Committee of Representatives may appoint a Director General or equivalent as a deputy to assist at the meetings of said agency.

 

Once the meeting of members of the Commission or of the Committee of Representatives has been held, the minutes of the meeting must be remitted to each one of the members of said agencies, within the seven working days following the date of said meeting.

Article 29.

For the purposes of the Commission resolving the applications submitted to its consideration, the applicants must present the following before the Executive Secretary of the Commission:

            I. A written application, in an original and one simple copy, in which the principal characteristics of the project are described, as well as the general identification data of the applicant;

            II. A questionnaire, in an original and one simple copy, which must contain the mention of the type of project to be carried out by the applicant and the date verifying the benefits of the project for the economy of the country;

            III. If the applicant is an individual, an up to date curriculum or biographical resume of the foreign investor;

            IV. If the applicant is a foreign legal person, an annual report or description of the activities of the last fiscal year;

            V. If the company is already established, the articles of incorporation and audited financial statements corresponding to the last fiscal year;

            VI. In the case of establishment of a branch in the Mexican Republic, the articles of incorporation and by-laws of the foreign legal person, and

            VII. proof of payment of the duties provided in the Federal Duties Law, in an original and simple copy.

 

In the case of foreign companies, the articles of incorporation to which item VI above refers must be legalized before a Mexican consul or, when applicable, annotated in accordance with the Decree to Promulgate the Convention by which the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents is Repealed.

 

Documents that are presented in a language other than Spanish must be accompanied with their translation made by an expert translator.

TITLE SEVEN. NATIONAL REGISTER OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

Chapter I. Organization and Functioning and Registrations in General

Article 30.

The Register shall be subordinate to the Minister and shall be under the direction of the Executive Secretary of the Commission.

Article 31.

For the purposes of the registrations, renewals of registration, cancellations of registration, notices, reports and annotations provided by this Regulation, the Register shall be divided into three sections, in which shall be recorded, as might correspond, the persons, the companies and the trusts to which article 32 of the Law makes reference and whose denomination shall be:

            I. First Section: Foreign Individuals and Legal Persons;

            II. Second Section: Companies, and

            III. Third Section: Trusts.

Article 32.

The Minister may not furnish the information contained in the Register files to third parties on the subjects recorded en particular.

 

Only those who authentically confirm their legal capacity or that they have a power of attorney of the registered subjects, of those who are obligated to be registered or to register in the Register may consult the files in the Register in respect of each file that they wish to consult.

 

Consultation of the files shall be made on the premises of the Register pursuant to the hours established by the Minister.

Article 33.

Applications, notices and reports presented to the Register in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation, must:

            I. Be drawn up using the approved formats, and

            II. Be accompanied by verifying documentation, which shall be laid out in the formats to which the preceding item refers.

 

Documents that are presented in a language other than Spanish must be accompanied with their translation made by an expert translator.

Article 34.

The formats in which applications, notices and reports addressed to the Register are drawn up must be presented in the Spanish language, in true form, complete and duly requisitioned in an original and a simple copy, before the corresponding offices for reception of documents of the Minister, the simple copy of which will be returned to the interested party with an indication of the number and date of presentation, as well as the stamp of the Minister. Likewise, on the simple copy that will be delivered to the private party, shall be indicated whether the application, notice or report was presented with or without obvious errors or omissions.

 

If the formats to which the preceding paragraph makes reference are presented by mail, private messenger or telecopy, the simple copy mentioned in said paragraph shall be delivered by mail.

 

Once the original format to which the first paragraph of this article makes reference is received, and as a result of a detailed analysis of that format, it is detected that it does not contain all of the data and corresponding documents or if any notification to the Register has been omitted, the private party shall be required to correct the omissions or breaches within the five working days following the notification of the corresponding requirement. If the requirement is not fulfilled in the period mentioned, the authority shall reject the original format and the matter dealt with shall be understood as not processed. If the Minister does not make the requirement within the 20 working days following the presentation of the original format, it shall be understood that the latter was duly approved.

Article 35.

The simple copy of the format to which the first paragraph of the preceding article refers, shall be considered as a voucher of registration, renewal of a registration voucher, cancellation of registration or conformation of a note, as the case may be, provided that it has the stamp of the Minister, the number and date of filing and indicates that the writ was presented without obvious errors or omissions.

 

The simple copy mentioned in the preceding paragraph shall be valid as a proof of the procedure in question, provided and when:

            I. The procedure was conducted in the terms of article 36 of this Regulation, and

            II. The corresponding original format has not been rejected as a result of non-fulfillment of the requirements.

Article 36.

Registrations, renewals of registration vouchers, cancellations of registration, notices, reports and annotations in the Register shall proceed provided that:

            I. The dispositions provided in the Law and in this Regulation are observed and, if applicable, the corresponding authorizations or permits are obtained;

            II. The filing of the notices or reports with the Register provided in this Regulation was not omitted;

            III. They were presented in the formats to which item I of article 33 of this Regulation refers, completed and duly formalized, as well as with the documentation verifying that, if applicable, the applications and notices which must be notified to the Register are supported;

            IV. The payment of the duties provided in the Federal Duties Law was previously made, and

            V. The payment of the penalty determined in accordance with article 38 was previously made, if applicable.

Chapter II. Registration of Foreign Individuals and Legal Persons and Mexican Companies

Article 37.

Foreign individuals and legal persons must present their registration application to the Register within the 40 working days following the date on which they shall begin regularly carrying on acts of trade.

Article 38.

In order to obtain their registration and keep the information presented to the Register up to date, foreign individuals, legal persons and Mexican companies must furnish:

            I. The date on which they began regularly carrying on acts of trade or the establishment of the branch or date of formation and date of ingress of the foreign investment; data for determining the nationality, origin, value and general characteristics of the investment made in the capital or company assets; data of the legal representative; name of the persons authorized to see and receive notifications, and data for determining the identity, economic activity and location of the persons subject to registration.

            This information must be furnished at the time of filing the registration application and within the 40 working days following the date on which any change in said information is produced;

            II. Data for determining the value of the receipts and disbursements derived from:

                        a) New contributions or withdrawal of contributions, which do not affect the capital stock;

                        b) Retention of profits of the last fiscal year and disposition of accumulated profits retained, or

                        c) Loans to be paid or to be collected to: subsidiaries resident abroad; to the foreign parent company; to foreign investors resident abroad who participate as partners or shareholders, and to foreign investors resident abroad who are part of the cooperative group to which the foreign individual, legal person or Mexican company filing the report belongs.

            This information must be filed within the 20 working days following the close of each quarter. It shall be understood that the quarters to consider are the following: January to March; April to June; July to September, and October to December.

            In the case of foreign individuals and legal persons the information must be filed only insofar as it refers to their operations in national territory.

            The obligation to notify the Register of amendments to which this item refers shall only be operative when the total quarterly receipts or disbursements for the concepts mentioned are over 3,000 times the general minimum wage in force in the Federal District, and

            III. Corporate data, accounting data, financial data, employment data, production data and data relative to the economic activity of each establishment of the person subject to registration, as well as identification data and data on the person who may be consulted for clarifications. The information stipulated in this item must be filed:

                        a) Upon delivery of their registration application. In this case, the information must correspond to the date on which they are obligated to be registered;

                        b) Within the first seven months following the closing day of each fiscal year, in accordance to article 43 of this Regulation. In this case, the information must correspond to the fiscal year of the immediately preceding year, and

                        c) In case of applying for the registration after the expiration of the obligatory period, for each fiscal year elapsed since the date from which they were obligated to be registered, up to the last fiscal year concluded.

            The Minister may require the presentation of the information to which this item refers corresponding only to the last five fiscal and business years of the foreign individuals, legal persons and Mexican companies in question.

Article 39.

For the purposes of the information to which article 38 above refers, the following definitions shall be understood:

            I. Domicile:

                        a) In the case of the principal office, the place or establishment in the country in which the principal administration of the business is found; if such does not exist, the fiscal domicile;

                        b) In the case of the principal plant or establishment, the place in national territory were the economic activities are carried out fundamentally, and

            II. Establishment: the place where any economic activity is developed, there being understood as such, inter alia, those of a commercial, industrial, forestry, poultry, agricultural, livestock, fishing, silviculture or service nature.

Article 40.

Foreign individuals and legal persons and Mexican companies registered in the Register, must apply for cancellation of their registration if they cease to be in any of the situations to which items I and II of article 32 of the Law makes reference, within the 40 working days following the date on which such occurs.

Chapter III. Registration of Trusts

Article 41.

In order to obtain the registration of trusts and to maintain the information presented to the Register up to date, fiduciary institutions must furnish the date of conclusion of the trust deed; identification data and domicile of the fiduciary institution and of the delegated fiduciary; the name of the persons authorized by the fiduciary to see and receive notifications, and the data for determining the nationality, origin, value and general characteristics of the investment made in the country through the trust, as well as general data on the trust deed.

 

The information stipulated in the preceding paragraph must be furnished at the time of filing the registration application and within the 40 working days following the date on which any change to said information is produced.

Article 42.

Fiduciary institutions must apply for the cancellation of the registration of trusts if they cease to be included in the situations to which item III of article 32 of the Law makes reference, within the 40 working days following the date on which such occurs.

Chapter IV. Provisions Common to the Register

Article 43.

Foreign individuals and legal persons and Mexican companies to which items I and II of article 32 of the Law makes reference, shall be obligated to annually renew their registration voucher during the first seven months of each year, in order to sufficiently present the information to which item b) of item III of article 38 of this Regulation refers, in accordance with the following calendar which is based upon the letter with which the name, firm name or trade name of the person who presents the report begins:

            I. From A to d, during April of each year;

            II. From E to J, during May of each year;

            III. From K to P, during June of each year, and

            IV. From Q to Z, during July of each year.

If the information to which this article refers is presented before the month in which it should be presented, the date of presentation shall be the first working day of said month.

Article 44.

For the purposes of article 34 of the Law, public notaries must require persons obligated to be registered in the Regist