The CFDI, explained without accounting
When a Mexican company pays for a service and wants to deduct it from taxes, it needs a digital tax receipt — the CFDI — issued by an authorized provider and stamped with the tax authority (SAT). It isn't a PDF invoice: it's an XML file with tax validity.
The commercial consequence is direct. If you can't issue a CFDI, your customer can't deduct the expense, which in practice makes your service about 30% more expensive for them. In formal companies, that turns a product decision into a finance objection.
Your options as a foreign company
- Invoice from abroad. Legal and common, especially on large contracts. The customer handles the withholding process and usually requires approval from their tax department.
- Register as a digital-services provider. Applies to platforms selling to users in Mexico; it involves withholding and reporting obligations.
- Invoice through a local partner. The partner issues the CFDI and settles with you. It's the fastest path to start without incorporating an entity.
- Incorporate a Mexican entity. Full control, but with the administrative load and timelines we already covered.
How Mexican companies actually pay
| Method | Typical use | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| SPEI transfer | The B2B standard | Instant and low-cost; requires reconciliation |
| Credit card | SMB and small subscriptions | Less widespread as a corporate card than in the U.S. |
| Direct debit | Recurring contracts | Requires customer authorization and a local entity |
| Cash (reference) | SMB and consumer | Irrelevant for high-ticket B2B |
If your checkout only accepts international cards, you're optimizing for the least frequent case in the formal market.
A detail that costs contractsCorporate payment terms of 30 to 90 days are the norm. A subscription model that assumes automatic monthly charging clashes with accounts-payable processes designed for something else. Annual contracts with a single invoice are usually easier to collect than twelve monthly charges.
Price, VAT, and exchange rate
Three decisions worth making before publishing prices:
- VAT. 16% is added to the price. Define and communicate whether your list is with or without VAT; discovering it during negotiation erodes trust.
- Currency. Charging in pesos removes the customer's exchange-rate risk and eases internal approval. Charging in dollars protects your margin. For multi-year contracts, an explicit adjustment clause is wise.
- Withholdings. Depending on the type of service and the vehicle, there may be income-tax or VAT withholding. It's a one-hour conversation with a local accountant that avoids months of friction.
The minimum checklist before the first sale
- How you'll issue a valid tax receipt (or who issues it for you).
- How you receive SPEI and who reconciles the payments.
- A price defined in local currency, with VAT explicit.
- Payment terms realistic for a Mexican accounts-payable team.
- A contract in Spanish your customer can hand to legal without translating it.
Why it matters more than it seems
None of these points is glamorous and none shows up in a demo. But in our experience supporting market entries, invoicing and collections friction kills more late-stage opportunities than direct competition. The customer already chose you; the operation is what wouldn't let it close.