Moving to La Paz is easier to do then most might think. Many come here to vacation long term and deside to stay full time or buy a vacation house to reside in part of the year. Some come here with the purpose of retiring and making La Paz a full time, year around place to live. And yet others just happen to be passing thru on their adventure down Baja and realize that La Paz is just a great pace to live.

How ever you happened to find La paz moving here and buying a residence (property or already build house on property) you will be doing so by Fideocomiso (Bank trust) if you are not a citizen of Mexico. This is a 50 year trust in which a Mexican bank holds the title to yur property in trust for you. The property is yours in the same way as it would be in your home country and you can do basically anything with it ( with some limitations on Business purposes) but you can landsc ape it, build on it, improve it or just let it sit and do nothing if you wish. the point is it is your property and is there for your pleasure. the bank just simply holds the title in trust for 50 years and at the end of that 50 years you can for a small fee extend it for another 50 years... you can also have beneficiaries who can inherit the property when you pass. Again working like any other property you might own in your home country for most.

Finding a reputable Realtor / Real Estate company may be your biggest challange. While all are licensed, you should do your due dilligence to find the one your are most comfortable with. They can help you find the right area, type of property and get you thru the closing process with ease. Closing times and waiting for your closing can be a bit longer then in the U.S. or Canada and many takebetween 4 to 16 weeks to close.


If you are planning on staying in Mexico for longer then 6 months a year or continously you will need to immigrate to Mexico and at first become a Temporary Mexican resident and get a Green card. If you know you are planning to do this before coming to Baja, You can start the process at your locale Mexican embassy near you and get the paper work done and your passport stamped so when you get to La Paz (no more then 30 days after your passport is stamped) you can go straight to the local immigrations in La Paz and get your Green card. this card is good for 1 yr and must be renewed each year for 4 years at which time you can become a Permanent Mexican Resident and even get a Mexican Passport and be a duel citizen.

There are other programs for those who did not start the process prior to coming to Baja and you will need to find an attorney to help you thru that process as it takes them to see if you are in the "registry" which takes about 6 months after you cross the border, which means you will need ot get your Tourist Visa renewed and pay a little extra for the Attorney to walk you thru the process and do the paper work for you. So if you know you are probably going to stay in Baja more then 6 months a year it is best to start the process early and go to your local Mexican Embassy to get the ball rolling.