- The amparo lawsuit itself is free (article 17 of the Constitution): you pay the lawyer's fees.
- Indirect amparo, market fees: roughly MX$15,000 to MX$80,000.
- Criminal amparo (arrest warrant, binding over for trial): roughly MX$20,000 to MX$60,000.
- Three fee structures: flat fee, hourly or a percentage of the amount. The third is usually the worst for you.
- Extra costs: security for the tax interest, expert reports, certified copies.
- GesMexa: MX$9,900 VAT included, flat fee, nationwide, filed within 72 hours.
Why nobody publishes the price
Ask ten firms what an amparo costs and nine will say "it depends on the case". That is half true. Some cases need experts, complex evidence and years of litigation. But the vast majority of amparos filed by a small business or an individual — a fine, blocked invoicing, a refusal, an unanswered petition — are standardisable. And what is standardisable can be priced in advance.
The other reason is less comfortable: quoting in the consultation lets the number adjust to the client and how urgently they arrive. A taxpayer with frozen accounts can be charged three times what someone with a simple question pays.
Real market ranges in 2026
| Type of case | Typical fees (MXN) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Simple indirect amparo (fine, refusal, omission) | 15,000 – 35,000 | Small firm or independent lawyer |
| Tax indirect amparo (assessment, blocked seals, 69-B) | 30,000 – 80,000 | Suspension often billed separately |
| Criminal indirect amparo (arrest warrant, binding over, pre-trial detention) | 20,000 – 60,000 | More if urgent; suspension is requested the same day |
| Direct amparo against a judgment | 40,000 – 120,000 | Depends on the size of the file |
| Corporate amparo or amparo against a law | 100,000 and up | Often hourly or percentage-based |
| GesMexa — indirect amparo | 9,900 flat | VAT included, full first instance |
These are market estimates, not official tariffs: professional fees in Mexico are unregulated and vary by city, firm and urgency.
What does a criminal amparo cost?
A criminal indirect amparo costs, in market fees, roughly MX$20,000 to MX$60,000. The lawsuit is free; the price depends on the act challenged, the urgency and the stage of the case. A highly experienced criminal lawyer or a high-profile case can sit well above that range.
- Suspension is the urgent part. Against an arrest warrant, provisional suspension can stop it being executed while the amparo is decided; it is usually ruled on within one to three days of admission. Any bond the judge sets is paid separately and does not go to the lawyer.
- Not everything has a 15-day deadline. Attacks on personal liberty outside proceedings can be challenged at any time, and a prison sentence within up to eight years. See the amparo guide.
- If you cannot pay, there is free defence. Federal and state public defenders act at no cost. A cheap, badly built amparo costs more than a free one done well.
The criminal amparos we take. Only common, non-violent offences: fraud, breach of trust, property damage, minor injuries, tax offences, traffic matters or property disputes that ended in a complaint. We do not take homicide, kidnapping, organised crime, drug trafficking, sexual offences or high-profile cases; for those you need a specialist criminal lawyer and we will tell you so at the first contact. For the cases we do take, we review the file, tell you whether amparo applies and give you a written flat quote before charging anything.
The three fee structures
1. Flat fee
One closed price for the whole case. The most predictable for the client and the one we recommend insisting on. The catch is in the small print: check that "the whole case" includes the suspension, interim filings, the hearing and follow-up to judgment.
2. Hourly
Typical of corporate firms, at roughly MX$1,500 to MX$6,000 an hour depending on seniority. Transparent on paper and very expensive in practice, because the client never knows how many hours it will take.
3. Percentage of the matter (contingency)
A percentage of what is recovered or no longer payable, usually 10% to 30%. It sounds attractive because you pay less up front, but if the assessment was two million pesos, 20% is four hundred thousand for work that could have been quoted flat.
"Which filings, hearings or incidents are charged outside this quote?" If the answer is not clear and in writing, it is not a quote: it is a down payment.
Costs that are not fees (but you still pay)
- Security for the tax interest. If the act is a collection, suspension in tax matters only takes effect if you secure the tax interest. A bond costs an annual percentage of the amount; a deposit ties up the cash. This is by far the largest cost of a tax amparo, and it does not go to the lawyer.
- Expert reports — accounting, technical or valuation — when the case needs them.
- Certified copies and documents that must be requested from the authority.
- Review appeal before a Collegiate Court if the first-instance judgment goes against you: almost always quoted as a new matter.
Case review, claim, suspension, filing within 72 hours and follow-up to judgment. No charges per filing or per hearing. Handled in English.
Get a quoteHow we charge, and why we can
We charge MX$9,900 VAT included for the complete indirect amparo, the same price in Tijuana as in Mérida, with no travel costs. We can do it for three concrete reasons:
- Electronic filing. Since online amparo was consolidated, lawyers no longer lose days in transit and queues. That time used to be a large part of the cost.
- Our own legal templates. The cases we handle repeat. The structure of the claim and the admissibility review are systematised; the lawyer spends time on the grounds of violation, which is where cases are won.
- Volume. We work with a subscription client base, so no single case has to pay the office rent.
And one thing we do not do: charge for an amparo that will not succeed procedurally. The viability opinion comes before the invoice. If your case is better resolved through an administrative appeal, a conclusive agreement before PRODECON (the taxpayer ombudsman) or an annulment action, we tell you.
Signs of an inflated quote
- Pressure to sign the same day "because the deadline is running", without telling you exactly when it expires.
- A guarantee that you will win. Nobody can give one.
- The price rises when you mention the amount at stake, not the complexity.
- No written quote with a detailed scope.
- "The suspension" charged as an extra, when it is part of the same claim.
To understand exactly what you are buying, read the amparo guide first: deadlines, types, suspension and the October 2025 reform.