· Miko Borys · life in mexico · 3 min read

How to Renew Your Business Operating License (Licencia de Funcionamiento) in Puerto Vallarta

This is the process for the annual renewal for a municipal business operating license (Licencia de Funcionamiento) in Puerto Vallarta. The process is done at the municipal administrative building (referred to as la UMA).

Location: UMA Office

Quick facts

  • Time required: Under 1 hour at la UMA (not counting the time to gather documents).
  • Cost (estimate for 2026): Around $4,000 MXN, depending on:
    • your registered business activities (giros)
    • your signage (anuncios)
    • the size of your commercial space
  • Real example (ángulo cowork): $4,133 MXN total (including $3,188 MXN for annual waste services / recolección de basura).
  • Payment methods: Cash or card (efectivo o tarjeta).

Documents to bring (checklist)

Bring original + copy where noted.

  • Your previous year’s license (Licencia de Funcionamiento) — original + copy

    • It should show all registered business lines (giros) and signage (anuncios).
    • If you don’t have the original, you can request a certified copy (copia certificada) at the treasury office window (Tesorería) for only $26 MXN if you have a copy of the original license.

  • Current year property tax receipt (predial) — copy

    • If you rent, your landlord should pay this.

  • If you rent: rental contract (contrato de arrendamiento) — plus IDs of the landlord(s) (INE/pasaporte, copies)

  • ID of the business owner or legal representative (identificación del propietario o representante) — copy

  • Photo of the front of the business (foto de la fachada)

    • Sometimes they only ask for this if the façade/signage changed, but requirements can vary based on which staff you talk to.

Stamps you must obtain at la UMA

These are stamps/seals placed onto your existing license before you can get the new one:

  • Judges’ seal: sello de jueces
  • Enforcement seal: sello de apremios (often referred to as apremios)

Step-by-step (at la UMA)

Business operating licenses are handled on the 2nd floor at multiple offices/windows.

Reference photo (2nd floor): the “sello de jueces” office is near the stairs—it’s in the hallway on the left side of the photo. The padrón de licencias desks are one of the 8 service windows shown in the same photo.

  1. Get the “judges” stamp (sello de jueces)

    • Bring your original license.
    • Go to the office near the stairs (the hallway on the left in the photo above).
    • This step is typically to confirm there are no outstanding penalties/fines (multas) or issues tied to the location.

  2. Get the enforcement stamp (apremios)

    • Bring your original license.
    • Bring a copy of the predial receipt (predial)—they may ask for it here.

  3. Submit your full packet at the license windows (padrón de licencias)

    • Bring all documents, including the freshly stamped original license.
    • Submit everything at one of the 8 service windows shown in the photo above.
    • Staff will review your paperwork and issue a payment slip/order (often called an orden de pago).

  4. Pay at the Treasury office (Tesorería)

    • Take the orden de pago to Tesorería and pay (cash or card).

Tesorería entrance: enter through the glass doors shown on the right side of the photo above.

  • You should receive:
    • an official payment receipt (recibo oficial de pago), and
    • your renewed license (Licencia de Funcionamiento).

Tips

  • There are 2 print/copy shops on the ground floor where you can make last-minute copies (copias).
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