In a bid to encourage Mexican citizens to draw up wills, the federal government has proclaimed September “Mes de Testamento” and public notaries are lowering their fees throughout the month.
Statistics show that only ten percent of the Mexican population has made wills.
Most notaries are charging a cut-rate fee of 2,150 pesos to draw up a basic will during September. Normally, notaries charge between 10,000 and 17,000 pesos for the procedure.
Mexico’s civil courts are chock-full of cases of citizens who died intestate. Many of these cases can take years to resolve, given the slow nature of the civil court system.
Foreign residents who own property or have other assets in Mexico are strongly recommended to draw up a Mexican will. However, the deal may not apply to foreigners, who should check with a notary to see if they can obtain the discount.