Commercial Deposit Agreement Mexico (Contrato de Depósito Mercantil)

A Commercial Deposit Agreement Mexico (Contrato de Depósito Mercantil) is a commercial contract governed by the Código de Comercio (CCom) Articles 332 through 341 by which one party (the depositante or depositor) delivers goods, documents, securities, or funds to another party (the depositario or custodian) for safekeeping (custodia) in exchange for a fee (retribución), with the depositario obligated to keep the deposited items safe and return them upon demand or at an agreed time. The commercial deposit differs from the civil deposit (depósito civil) of the Código Civil Federal Articles 2516 through 2547 in that the CCom deposit involves merchants (comerciantes) acting in their commercial capacity and the deposit is connected to a commercial purpose.

The Código de Comercio Article 332 classifies the depósito mercantil as a commercial deposit when: the depositary (depositario) is a merchant (comerciante); the things deposited are commercial goods (efectos comerciales); or the deposit is made as a consequence of a commercial transaction (operación mercantil). Article 333 CCom establishes that the commercial deposit is presumed to be onerous (oneroso) — unlike the civil deposit which is presumed gratuitous — meaning the depositante owes a fee (retribución) to the depositario for the custodial service unless the parties expressly agree to a gratuitous deposit. Article 334 CCom requires the depositario to preserve the deposited goods with the diligence of a good merchant (diligencia de un buen comerciante) — a higher standard of care than the 'good head of family' standard applicable to civil deposits.

The Ley General de Títulos y Operaciones de Crédito (LGTOC) establishes additional rules for specific types of commercial deposits — particularly the depósito bancario (bank deposit) governed by Articles 267 through 275 LGTOC, the depósito en almacenes generales de depósito (AGD warehouse deposit) with certificados de depósito and bonos de prenda, and the depósito de títulos (securities custody deposit) governed by Articles 276 through 279 LGTOC. These specialised deposit types involve financial institutions (instituciones financieras) regulated by the CNBV (Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores) and the Banco de México (Banxico), and are subject to requirements beyond the general CCom Articles 332–341 framework.

Mexican commercial deposit law distinguishes between a depósito regular (regular deposit) where the depositario is obligated to return the exact same item (cosa específica) deposited — appropriate for unique goods, machinery, vehicles, documents, artworks, or securities; and a depósito irregular (irregular deposit) where the depositario receives fungible goods (bienes fungibles such as money, grain, or standard commodities) and is only obligated to return an equivalent quantity of the same type and quality — the depositario becomes the owner of the deposited goods and may commingle them with its own. The Contrato de Depósito Mercantil template here covers the depósito regular of identified commercial goods, not the depósito irregular or bank deposit modalities.

Article 336 CCom establishes the depositario's primary obligations in the commercial deposit: to preserve the deposited goods in the state in which they were delivered (conservar la cosa depositada en el estado en que la recibió); to return the thing deposited with all its accessories (restituir la cosa depositada con todos sus accesorios); to refrain from using the deposited goods for its own purposes without the depositante's consent; and to maintain the secrecy (reserva) of the deposit when so required. Article 338 CCom grants the depositario a right of retention (derecho de retención) over the deposited goods until the depositante pays all fees and expenses owed — a commercial lien on the deposited goods that is similar in function to an artisan's lien under common law.

For documentary deposits (depósito de documentos) — including commercial contracts, negotiable instruments (títulos de crédito), corporate records (libros corporativos), certificates of title, and intellectual property registrations — the depositario's obligations under CCom Article 336 include maintaining physical security of the documents, preventing unauthorised access, and providing access to the depositante upon request. The Contrato de Depósito Mercantil for documentary custody should specify the confidentiality obligations applicable to the documents held in custody, which interact with the Ley Federal de Protección a la Propiedad Industrial (LFPPI) for trade secret documents and the LFPDPPP for documents containing personal data.

A Commercial Deposit Agreement Mexico is required whenever a merchant or business delivers goods, documents, equipment, inventory, or other commercial assets to a third-party custodian for safekeeping on a commercial basis, and needs to establish formal legal obligations for the custodian's care, liability, and return obligations under the Código de Comercio.

The agreement is needed by manufacturers, distributors, and traders depositing finished goods or raw materials at third-party commercial custody facilities — warehouses, bonded storage, or specialised climate-controlled repositories — where the primary purpose is safekeeping and security rather than distribution logistics. The Contrato de Depósito Mercantil formalises the custodial relationship distinct from a full warehousing logistics contract.

A formal deposit agreement is required when a company deposits valuable commercial documents — executed contracts, original title deeds (escrituras notariales), share certificates (títulos de acciones), negotiable instruments, intellectual property registrations, and corporate books (libros corporativos) — with a specialised document custody firm (custodia de documentos) or notarial office (notaría) for secure archiving. The CCom deposit framework requires the custodian's obligations are clearly defined for this type of valuable documentary deposit.

The contract is needed when artisans, manufacturers, or traders deposit finished goods with a consignment intermediary (comisionista on consignment) — the depositario holds the goods and may display or offer them for sale on behalf of the depositante, but only transfers title upon actual sale, maintaining custody under the CCom deposit obligations for unsold items.

A Contrato de Depósito Mercantil is required by companies depositing machinery, tools, vehicles, or specialised equipment at third-party maintenance facilities, service centres, or calibration laboratories where the goods are not in active use but in temporary custody for maintenance or certification purposes — the equipment owner (depositante) needs clear custodial liability coverage from the facility (depositario) for the period the goods are in its possession.

Under Código de Comercio arts. 332–341 and CCF arts. 2516–2547, merchants engaging in commercial custody arrangements should formalise the relationship in a written Contrato de Depósito Mercantil — without a written deposit agreement, the depositario's liability for loss or damage, the fee structure, the return conditions, and the depositario's right of retention for unpaid fees are governed by default statutory provisions that may not reflect commercial expectations.

A valid Commercial Deposit Agreement Mexico under the Código de Comercio Articles 332 through 341 must contain the following essential elements:

Identification of Parties: Full legal name, RFC, and domicilio of the depositor (depositante) and the custodian (depositario) — both must qualify as merchants (comerciantes) under Article 3 of the Código de Comercio for the commercial deposit regime to apply. Include corporate form, Registro Público de Comercio registration, and authorised signatories.

Description of Deposited Goods or Documents (Descripción de los Bienes o Documentos Depositados): Precise identification of all items deposited — for goods: brand, model, serial number, quantity, physical condition at delivery; for documents: title, date, parties, reference numbers, and classification (original or certified copy); for securities: type of security, issuer, series, face value, and identification numbers. An attached inventory (inventario de depósito) signed by both parties at delivery should form part of the contract.

Deposit Facility (Instalaciones de Custodia): Physical address of the custody facility where the deposited items will be kept; description of security measures (seguridad física — guards, CCTV, access controls, alarm systems); environmental controls (temperatura, humedad, protección contra incendio) appropriate to the nature of the deposited goods; and any relevant certifications (ISO 27001 for document management, NFPA fire protection standards).

Depositary's Obligations (Obligaciones del Depositario): Obligation to preserve the deposited goods in the condition received per CCom Article 336; prohibition on using the deposited goods for the depositario's own account without written consent; obligation to maintain confidentiality regarding the existence and contents of the deposit (particularly important for documentary deposits); obligation to allow the depositante's inspection of the deposited goods at reasonable notice; obligation to return the deposited items upon demand or at the agreed term; and obligation to notify the depositante immediately of any security incident (theft, fire, flood, or other event) affecting the deposited goods.

Deposit Fee and Payment Terms (Retribución y Condiciones de Pago): Agreed custody fee (cuota de custodia) per month, per unit, or per transaction; additional fees for access services, retrieval, or special handling; payment due dates; CFDI receipt issuance obligations; and the depositario's right of retention (derecho de retención) under CCom Article 338 over the deposited goods until all fees and expenses are paid in full.

Liability for Loss or Damage (Responsabilidad por Pérdida o Deterioro): The depositario's liability for loss, theft, or damage to deposited items caused by negligence or failure to maintain the agreed security and environmental conditions — specifying the standard of care (diligencia de un buen comerciante per CCom Article 334); maximum liability cap per event or per year; exclusions for force majeure (caso fortuito o fuerza mayor); and the evidence required for a damage or loss claim (acta de daños, dictamen pericial).

Insurance Requirements (Requisitos de Seguro): The depositario's obligation to maintain commercial property insurance, theft insurance, and civil liability insurance covering the deposited goods at the replacement value specified in the contract, with the depositante named as additional insured (coasegurado); the depositante's own cargo/property insurance requirements; and the procedure for filing insurance claims in the event of a covered loss.

Access and Retrieval Procedures: The depositante's rights to access and inspect the deposited goods during business hours; advance notice required for retrieval (retiro) of all or part of the deposited items; documentation required for authorised third-party pickup; and procedures for emergency access outside business hours.

Term and Return (Vigencia y Restitución): Duration of the deposit — fixed term (plazo fijo) or indefinite with either party able to terminate on notice; notice period for termination; procedure for final return of all deposited items including a final inventory reconciliation (inventario final) signed by both parties; and disposition of unclaimed items after an agreed period if the depositante does not retrieve them.

Forms-legal.com provides this Commercial Deposit Agreement Mexico template as a practical starting point. Companies depositing high-value goods, negotiable documents, or classified commercial records should have the agreement reviewed by a Licenciado en Derecho specialised in derecho mercantil to confirm compliance with CCom deposit provisions and applicable data protection requirements for documentary deposits.