UBO Disclosure Notice Mexico (Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador)

A UBO Disclosure Notice Mexico (Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador) is a formal written declaration required from legal entities (personas morales) and legal arrangements (fideicomisos, mandatos, and similar structures) in Mexico, identifying the natural persons who ultimately own, control, or benefit from the entity, in compliance with Artículo 32-B Ter of the Código Fiscal de la Federación (CFF), as reformed by the Decreto publicado en el Diario Oficial de la Federación on 12 November 2021 and effective 1 January 2022.

The Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador is Mexico's legislative response to international anti-money-laundering (AML) standards established by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF/GAFI), of which Mexico is a member, and specifically implements Recommendation 24 (Transparency and beneficial ownership of legal persons) and Recommendation 25 (Transparency and beneficial ownership of legal arrangements) into domestic law through the CFF framework administered by the Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT).

Under Artículo 32-B Ter CFF, a beneficiario controlador is defined as any natural person who, directly or indirectly, individually or jointly: (a) holds or controls 25% or more of the equity interests, voting rights, or economic rights in the legal entity or arrangement; (b) exercises effective control over the entity through means other than ownership, including through contractual arrangements, voting agreements, power of attorney, board representation, or family relationships; or (c) derives direct or indirect economic benefit from the entity's activities, regardless of formal ownership percentage. Where no natural person meets the 25% threshold, the beneficiario controlador defaults to the highest-ranking officer (administrador único, director general, or equivalent) of the entity.

The obligation to obtain, maintain, and report beneficial ownership information applies to all personas morales constituted under Mexican law, including Sociedades Anónimas de Capital Variable (SA de CV), Sociedades de Responsabilidad Limitada (S de RL de CV), Sociedades por Acciones Simplificadas (SAS), Asociaciones Civiles (AC), Sociedades Civiles (SC), and all other corporate forms registered in the Registro Público de Comercio. Fideicomisos administered by Mexican financial institutions under the Ley General de Títulos y Operaciones de Crédito (LGTOC) are also subject to the obligation through their fiduciary institutions.

The SAT issued Reglas Misceláneas Fiscales (RMF) complementing Artículo 32-B Ter, specifically Rule 2.8.1.20 of the Resolución Miscelánea Fiscal 2022 and subsequent years, which establish the technical specifications for maintaining beneficial ownership records in the entity's registered office and, when required, the procedure for transmitting the information to the SAT through the Portal del SAT (sat.gob.mx). The Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF) of the Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público (SHCP) coordinates with the SAT in anti-money-laundering enforcement and may request beneficial ownership disclosures in the context of Ley Federal para la Prevención e Identificación de Operaciones con Recursos de Procedencia Ilícita (LFPIORPI) — the so-called Ley Antilavado — published in the DOF on 17 October 2012.

The Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador must be filed or updated within 15 business days of any event causing a change in beneficial ownership, including transfer of shares, capital restructuring, dissolution, merger, or change of control. Entities must maintain a register of beneficiarios controladores as part of their corporate books (libros sociales) and make it available to the SAT upon formal request within the timeframe specified in the notification.

An Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador Mexico is required whenever a legal entity or legal arrangement in Mexico experiences any of the triggering events prescribed by Artículo 32-B Ter CFF and the complementary Reglas Misceláneas Fiscales issued by the SAT.

The initial disclosure obligation arises at the moment of constitution: all personas morales created on or after 1 January 2022 must identify their beneficiarios controladores at the time of registration in the Registro Público de Comercio and maintain that information current in their corporate records. Entities constituted before 1 January 2022 were required to conduct a retrospective beneficial ownership analysis and establish their register by 1 January 2023 under the transition provisions of Rule 2.8.1.20 RMF.

A new Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador is required within 15 business days whenever: (a) shares or participaciones sociales representing 25% or more of the capital are transferred, pledged, or otherwise encumbered to a new natural person or corporate chain ultimately traceable to a new natural person; (b) a new shareholder, partner, or economic beneficiary exceeds the 25% threshold through acquisition, capital increases, or redemption of other shareholders' interests; (c) changes to voting agreements, trust arrangements, or power of attorney alter the identity of the person exercising effective control; (d) the designated administrador único, director general, or equivalent highest officer changes, where that officer serves as the default beneficiario controlador; or (e) a foreign shareholder undergoes a restructuring that changes the natural person ultimately behind the corporate chain.

Financial institutions and notarios públicos acting as facilitadores (obligated subjects under LFPIORPI) may require production of the Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador as a condition of opening accounts, authorizing credit lines, executing real property deeds (escrituras), or registering corporate transactions. The Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV) requires financial intermediaries to perform customer due diligence (DDC — Debida Diligencia del Cliente) that includes verifying the beneficial owner chain under Disposiciones de Carácter General aplicables a las Instituciones de Crédito issued by the CNBV.

The Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador is also an essential document in cross-border transactions involving foreign investment governed by the Ley de Inversión Extranjera (LIE), and it is typically required by foreign counterparties in M&A due diligence, particularly from jurisdictions subject to FATF Recommendation 24 compliance verification.

A valid Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador Mexico under Artículo 32-B Ter CFF and Regla 2.8.1.20 RMF must contain the following elements to satisfy SAT recordkeeping and disclosure requirements.

Identification of the Reporting Entity: Full legal name (denominación o razón social) of the obligated persona moral or fideicomiso, RFC (Registro Federal de Contribuyentes assigned by the SAT), registered address (domicilio fiscal), date of incorporation, and the Registro Público de Comercio folio number. The RFC is the primary identifier used by the SAT to link the beneficial ownership record to the entity's tax file.

Identification of Each Beneficiario Controlador: For each natural person identified as a beneficial owner, the notice must include: full legal name (nombre completo con apellidos paterno y materno), RFC (if Mexican) or tax identification number and country of issuance (if foreign), CURP (Clave Única de Registro de Población issued by RENAPO, if applicable), date of birth (fecha de nacimiento), country of birth and nationality, residential address, official identification document type and number (INE/IFE, pasaporte, cédula de identidad), and a description of how the beneficial ownership or control is exercised — whether through direct share ownership, indirect ownership through a corporate chain, contractual arrangements, voting agreements, or functional control.

Ownership and Control Structure: A description of the legal and ownership chain linking each beneficiario controlador to the reporting entity, including all intermediate entities in the chain (personas morales interpuestas), with the percentage of shares or participaciones sociales held at each level, and identification of any fideicomisos, mandatos, or other legal arrangements through which ownership or control is exercised. Where the beneficiario controlador exercises control through means other than ownership (for example, through a board seat or contractual right), the legal basis for that control must be described.

Date and Triggering Event: The date on which the beneficial ownership information was first established or, in the case of an update, the date of the event triggering the change (for example, the date of execution of a share transfer agreement or the date of a board resolution appointing a new administrador) and the effective date of the new beneficial ownership configuration.

Declaration of Completeness and Accuracy: A sworn statement (declaración bajo protesta de decir verdad) by the legal representative (representante legal) of the entity, supported by a power of attorney (poder notarial) granted before a Notario Público, confirming that the disclosed information is complete, accurate, and current as of the date of the notice. Under Artículo 32-B Ter CFF, providing false or incomplete information constitutes a tax offence subject to fines of $1,500,000 to $2,225,980 MXN per violation under Artículo 84-M CFF.

SAT Notification Mechanics: Where the SAT or the Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF) formally requests the beneficial ownership information, the entity must transmit it through the Portal del SAT within the period specified in the request — typically five business days — using the XML schema specified in Anexo 1-A of the Resolución Miscelánea Fiscal. Physical copies of the register must be maintained at the entity's domicilio fiscal for at least five years from the date of each entry, consistent with the general record retention periods under Artículo 30 CFF.

Forms-legal.com provides this Aviso de Beneficiario Controlador Mexico template as a starting point for documenting beneficial ownership. Every beneficial ownership disclosure should be reviewed by a licensed Licenciado en Derecho with expertise in fiscal law (derecho fiscal) and anti-money-laundering compliance to confirm the correct identification of all beneficiarios controladores under the complex ownership chain analysis required by CFF art. 32-B Ter and the applicable RMF rules.