Mexico advertising rules in 2026
Mexico replaced its private-sector data protection law in 2025. A decree published on 20 March 2025 enacted a new Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties, in force from 21 March 2025, as part of a package that dissolved the INAI, the former independent regulator, and moved its functions into the federal executive. For advertisers, privacy notices, consent records and contracts with agencies and platforms should be checked against the new text. On the opportunity side, Mercado Ads gives sellers search and display placements on Mercado Libre.
Executive findings
- 1
A decree published on 20 March 2025 enacted a new Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties, in force from 21 March 2025.
Secondary source. Scope: Mexico; White & Case alert, as of . [1]
- 2
The reform followed the dissolution of the INAI, with transparency and data protection functions moved to bodies within the executive branch.
Secondary source. Scope: Mexico; White & Case alert, as of . [1]
- 3
Mercado Ads lets sellers advertise their listings across Mercado Libre.
Documented: official source. Scope: Latin America including Mexico; Mercado Libre developer documentation, as of . [2]
- 4
Google Ads offline conversion imports let advertisers attribute sales recorded outside the platform.
Documented: official source. Scope: Global; Google Ads Help, as of . [3]
Method and limitations
- Question
- What changed in advertising rules and platform options in Mexico during 2025 and 2026, and what should an advertiser do about it?
- Written for
- Marketing leads and founders planning paid media in Mexico.
- Decision at stake
- Which compliance steps to complete before launch, and which channels deserve a test budget this year.
- Sources
- A White & Case alert on the 2025 decree, Mercado Libre developer documentation for Mercado Ads, and Google’s documentation on offline conversion imports.
- Period
- Official and professional sources as published on 18 October 2026.
- Markets
- Mexico, national rules and the platform policies that apply there
- Definitions
- Privacy notice (aviso de privacidad): the statement a company must give people about how it will use their personal data.
- Limitations
- This briefing is not legal or tax advice. Confirm obligations with qualified local counsel before acting.
- Rules and platform terms change; each source shows the date we read it.
A new data protection law and a new regulator
Secondary source
The 2025 package rewrote the transparency and data protection laws at the same time as it abolished the INAI and its state counterparts. Supervision of private-sector data protection now sits with the federal executive rather than an independent body. Companies should not assume that guidance issued under the old law still reflects how the new authority reads the rules.
What to check in a marketing stack
FOCUSADS view
Customer-match audiences, retargeting lists and offline conversion imports all use personal data. The privacy notice shown when the data was collected should cover advertising use, and the company should be able to show the consent or other basis it relies on. Contracts with agencies and platforms should describe their role in processing.
Opportunities this year
Documented: official source
Mercado Ads places sellers’ listings in its search results and pages. With Google and Meta alongside, e-commerce brands can cover discovery, search and marketplace purchase in one plan. FOCUSADS plans for Mexico compare channels on margin after marketplace fees and keep audience data use tied to a documented basis.
How this connects to our method: How market rules enter the plan
References
- Mexico enacts new data protection regime, White & Case, accessed
- What is Mercado Ads?, Mercado Libre Developers (Global Selling), accessed
- About offline conversion imports, Google Ads Help, accessed