Cancelling an event in Mexico costs more than the price of the tickets. The Federal Consumer Protection Law requires a refund of everything collected, service fees included, plus a bonus of at least 20% when the cancellation is attributable to the organiser. And if the event was in Mexico City, local law adds a 48-hour clock.
This guide brings together what's required under federal law, Mexico City's events law, and a municipal regulation, with the text of each article. It's written for organisers: promoters, venues, halls and production companies.
What must you refund if you cancel an event in Mexico?
All the money collected, plus 20% more. Article 92 Bis of the Federal Consumer Protection Law (Ley Federal de Protección al Consumidor, LFPC) states that «los consumidores tendrán derecho a la bonificación o compensación cuando la prestación de un servicio sea deficiente, no se preste o proporcione por causas imputables al proveedor» (consumers shall be entitled to a bonus or compensation when the provision of a service is deficient, or is not provided, for reasons attributable to the provider). Article 92 Ter quantifies that bonus: «no podrá ser menor al veinte por ciento del precio pagado» (it may not be less than twenty percent of the price paid).
Profeco has clarified what counts towards this base amount. In its statement of 3 October 2024 on cancelled concerts, it points to a full refund of the amount paid per ticket, service fees included, plus an additional minimum compensation of 20% of the price paid. It repeated this on 7 November 2024 regarding the cancellation of Inna's concert, the Cactus Festival in Saltillo and Music Sessions in Reynosa: a refund of the full value of the tickets plus service fees, and «un monto no menor al 20 % del precio pagado» (an amount no less than 20% of the price paid).
Let's run the numbers. A ticket priced at 1,200 pesos with a 150-peso service fee refunds 1,350 pesos plus a 270-peso bonus: 1,620 pesos for a ticket that billed 1,350. That's 120% of what was collected. If the service fee went to the ticketing platform rather than to you, the money still has to come out: the obligation lies with the provider towards the consumer, and how promoter and platform split it is a matter for the contract between them.
A note on the source. The consolidated text published by Profeco itself on its legal portal is closed off at the reform published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (Diario Oficial de la Federación) on 9 April 2012. The articles cited here are the ones Profeco itself invokes in its 2024 and 2025 statements, so they remain in force; before drafting a sales policy, it's worth checking the specific article against the text currently in effect.
When is the 20% compensation due, and when isn't it?
The hinge is a phrase from article 92 Bis: «por causas imputables al proveedor» (for reasons attributable to the provider). Profeco uses the same phrase. In its statement of 21 April 2025 on the concerts cancelled at Arena Guadalajara — Carlos Rivera, Intocable and Katy Perry, due to unfinished building works — it calls for a full refund by the same payment method and «compensación no menor al 20 % del precio pagado» (compensation of no less than 20% of the price paid) when the cancellation is attributable to the promoter or the ticketing platform.
The refund and the compensation are two separate obligations. The refund arises from not having provided the service that was paid for. The compensation arises from attributability. This distinction is our own reading of the text, not a statement from Profeco: when the cause lies outside the organiser's control — an order from the authorities, a weather event — the refund is still owed, while the compensation becomes open to argument, to be settled through conciliation before Profeco or before a judge, not in your terms and conditions.
Nothing stops you offering more. In its statement of 5 October 2024, which cites articles 7 and 42 alongside 92 Bis and 92 Ter, Profeco records the case of the cancelled Therion concert, where the company offered 30% compensation. The 20% is a legal floor, not a commercial ceiling. Raising it has a practical advantage: it closes off complaints before they reach a Profeco office.
What deadline do you have to issue refunds?
It depends on where the event takes place, and the federal answer is less clear-cut than it looks. The LFPC sets no explicit refund deadline for services. Article 93 gives the provider fifteen days to satisfy «la reclamación a que se refiere el artículo 92» (the claim referred to in article 92), but its wording talks about goods received and about two months «siguientes a la fecha en que se haya recibido el producto» (following the date on which the product was received): applying that directly to a concert ticket is an interpretation, not a literal reading. That's why Profeco, in its statements on concerts, refers to the periods published by the provider in its own terms and conditions, and requires it to disclose its customer service channels and the dates on which it will issue refunds.
| Deadline | What it covers | Legislation |
|---|---|---|
| 48 hours | Refunding the ticket price for suspension or cancellation attributable to the organiser | Art. 12, section XIII, Law on the Holding of Public Events (Mexico City) |
| 3 working days | Notifying the public and the borough authority of programme changes | Art. 12, section V, Law on the Holding of Public Events (Mexico City) |
| 15 days | Satisfying the claim under article 92, worded in terms of goods | Art. 93, LFPC |
| 1 year | Limitation period for the rights and obligations under the law | Art. 14, LFPC |
| 15 minutes | Maximum delay to the start of the show due to force majeure | Art. 38, Monterrey Public Events Regulation |
The one-year limit isn't theoretical: Profeco applied it in November 2024 when it told those affected by those three cancellations that they had a year from the cancellation to file their complaint. Translated into your operations: a cancellation doesn't close on your books the following month.
There's a reform in the pipeline. The Chamber of Deputies' Economy Committee approved, by 24 votes to 11, a draft bill that would require a full refund within 30 days and allow Profeco to fine hoarding and unauthorised resale, according to Rolling Stone en Español on 16 June 2023. It is not yet in force. Until it's published in the Official Gazette (DOF), the enforceable deadline is the one you publish — and that one, Profeco does enforce.
Can you force the buyer to accept the new date?
No. When an event is rescheduled, Profeco states in its statement of 3 October 2024 that the consumer chooses: use the same ticket on the new date, or request a full refund. The basis is article 42 of the LFPC: «El proveedor está obligado a entregar el bien o suministrar el servicio de acuerdo con los términos y condiciones ofrecidos o implícitos en la publicidad o información desplegados, salvo convenio en contrario o consentimiento escrito del consumidor» (the provider is obliged to deliver the good or supply the service in accordance with the terms and conditions offered or implied in the advertising or information displayed, unless otherwise agreed or with the consumer's written consent). A new date is not the date offered, and an agreement to the contrary requires the buyer's consent, not a notice on your website.
Article 7 closes the loop on the information side: the provider is obliged to «informar y respetar los precios, tarifas, garantías, cantidades, calidades, medidas, intereses, cargos, términos, plazos, fechas, modalidades, reservaciones y demás condiciones» (disclose and honour the prices, rates, guarantees, quantities, qualities, measurements, interest, charges, terms, deadlines, dates, arrangements, bookings and other conditions) under which it offered the service. Dates are named on that list.
A line-up change works the same way. If you announced three artists and the headliner drops out, the service is no longer the one advertised. In Mexico City, section V of article 12 also requires programme changes to be notified «a la Alcaldía y al público con un mínimo de tres días hábiles de anticipación (…) por los mismos medios que hayan utilizado para su notificación y difusión» (to the borough authority and the public at least three working days in advance (…) through the same channels used for their notification and promotion). Announcing it only through an Instagram story when you sold through email and paid ads doesn't meet that "same channels" requirement. In Monterrey, article 41 of its regulation goes further: once the programme is authorised, only the municipal authority can approve changes to it.
What does your city's events law require?
Events regulation is local and varies by state and municipality, so there's no single Mexican rule: there's federal consumer law plus whatever applies in your city. Here are two examples, with the full text.
Under the Law on the Holding of Public Events in Mexico City (Ley para la Celebración de Espectáculos Públicos en la Ciudad de México), published in 1997 and last amended in the Official Gazette of 2 March 2021, section XIII of article 12 requires the organiser to «devolver dentro de un plazo de 48 horas y contra la simple entrega del boleto o contraseña respectiva, el importe de las entradas» (refund the ticket price within 48 hours, simply against the return of the relevant ticket or token) where this applies «ante la suspensión o cancelación de un Espectáculo público por causas imputables al Titular» (in the event of the suspension or cancellation of a public event for reasons attributable to the organiser). Section X requires it to present the event «en los términos y condiciones ofrecidos en la publicidad» (on the terms and conditions offered in the advertising), and section XXII, to respect the authorised capacity. Under the same law, an event counts as mass-scale once it exceeds 2,500 spectators (article 13, section VI), and above 10,000 the borough authority must notify the Civil Protection and Comprehensive Risk Management Secretariat (article 8, section VII); that's where the Special Civil Protection Programme required under section XVII comes in.
In Monterrey, the municipal Public Events Regulation handles suspension on a sliding scale. Article 43: «La celebración de un espectáculo autorizado, sólo puede suspenderse por causa de fuerza mayor o por carencia absoluta de espectadores, si no se ha iniciado el espectáculo, se reintegrará el valor de los boletos, una vez iniciado y se haya cubierto la tercera parte del programa, se reintegrará el cincuenta por ciento. Transcurrido la mitad del espectáculo se dará por presentada la función» (an authorised event may only be suspended for force majeure or a complete lack of spectators; if the event has not started, the ticket price will be refunded in full; once started, if a third of the programme has been covered, fifty percent will be refunded. Once past the halfway point of the event, the show is deemed to have been performed). Article 62 opens another door for attendees: they can demand a refund «cuando éste no reúna los requisitos ofrecidos en la publicidad del evento» (when the event does not meet the requirements offered in its advertising).
| Legislation | Scenario | Organiser's obligation |
|---|---|---|
| LFPC, arts. 92 Bis & 92 Ter | Service not provided for reasons attributable to the provider | Refund what was paid and add a minimum 20% compensation |
| Mexico City, art. 12, section XIII | Suspension or cancellation attributable to the organiser | Refund the amount within 48 hours against the returned ticket |
| Mexico City, art. 12, section V | Changes to the programme | Notify at least 3 working days in advance through the same promotional channels |
| Monterrey, art. 43 | Suspension due to force majeure or a complete lack of audience | 100% if the event hadn't started; 50% if a third of the programme was covered |
| Monterrey, art. 62 | The event doesn't meet what was advertised | Refund the ticket price to anyone who requests it |
Two practical rules emerge from this comparison. First: local law adds deadlines and scenarios that federal law doesn't set, so complying with the LFPC alone isn't enough. Second: Monterrey's scale is tiered, while Mexico City's isn't; if you produce events in several cities, your cancellation policy can't be a single copy-pasted sentence.
Which clauses in your terms and conditions won't protect you?
The ones that try to override the law. Article 90 of the LFPC states that «no serán válidas y se tendrán por no puestas» (they shall be invalid and deemed not included) the clauses in adhesion contracts that, among other scenarios, «permitan al proveedor modificar unilateralmente el contenido del contrato, o sustraerse unilateralmente de sus obligaciones» (allow the provider to unilaterally modify the content of the contract, or unilaterally escape its obligations), that «liberen al proveedor de su responsabilidad civil» (release the provider from civil liability), or that «obliguen al consumidor a renunciar a la protección de esta ley» (force the consumer to waive the protection of this law). The classic "no changes or refunds" clause falls apart entirely in the face of a cancellation.
There are three further articles worth checking before you open ticket sales:
- Article 7 Bis. Requires sellers to «exhibir de forma notoria y visible el monto total a pagar» (display the total amount payable prominently and visibly), which «deberá incluir impuestos, comisiones, intereses, seguros y cualquier otro costo, cargo, gasto o erogación adicional» (must include taxes, commissions, interest, insurance and any other additional cost, charge, expense or outlay). A service fee hidden until the last step of checkout is a problem that resurfaces at refund time, because it forms part of the refund base.
- Article 10. Prohibits «prestar servicios adicionales a los originalmente contratados que no hubieren sido solicitados o aceptados expresamente, por escrito o por vía electrónica, por el consumidor» (providing additional services beyond those originally contracted that have not been expressly requested or accepted, in writing or electronically, by the consumer). Insurance or purchase-protection add-ons pre-ticked by default run straight into this.
- Article 15. «Cuando el cobro se haga mediante cargo directo a una cuenta de crédito, débito o similar del consumidor, el cargo no podrá efectuarse sino hasta la entrega del bien, o la prestación del servicio, excepto cuando exista consentimiento expreso del consumidor para que éstas se realicen posteriormente» (where payment is taken by direct charge to a consumer's credit, debit or similar account, the charge may only be made once the goods are delivered or the service is provided, except where the consumer has expressly consented to it being taken later). Advance ticket sales rely entirely on that exception: express consent to charge months before the event has to be recorded at the point of purchase, not assumed.
One detail almost nobody remembers: article 56, in the chapter on doorstep, remote and indirect sales, gives consumers five working days to withdraw their consent, but adds that «tratándose de servicios, lo anterior no será aplicable si la fecha de prestación del servicio se encuentra a diez días hábiles o menos de la fecha de la orden de compra» (in the case of services, the above shall not apply if the service is due to be provided ten working days or less from the date of the purchase order). Mexico has no general right of withdrawal equivalent to the European one, and that's a fundamental difference from the refund policy applied in Spain.
And where does Futura Tickets fit in?
When an event is cancelled, the clock is set by how fast you can notify every buyer and process refunds through the same payment method. That depends on holding the data and the transaction history yourself, not on a report a third party sends you. With Futura Tickets, the attendee database belongs 100% to the organiser: emails and phone numbers are handed over in full. Service terms are on the pricing page.
Checklist before you open ticket sales
Write your cancellation and rescheduling policy with specific deadlines. Profeco refers back to whatever periods you publish. "We'll let you know" isn't a deadline, and it's the first thing that will be held against you.
Separate the refund from the compensation in your text. Refund of the amount paid with service fees on one side; 20% compensation of the price paid on the other, tied to causes attributable to the organiser.
Check the local deadline for your city. If you produce events in Mexico City, your refund process has to fit within 48 hours of the refund becoming due. If you produce in Monterrey, the scale in article 43 changes the calculation for a suspension partway through a show.
Display the total amount from the first step. That's article 7 Bis, and it also narrows the room for argument when it's time to refund.
Record express consent for advance charging. That's the exception under article 15, and it's proven through the purchase record.
Keep records for a year. That's the limitation period under article 14: amounts, fees, payment method and the date of every refund.
Prepare the notice of changes through the same promotional channels. If you sold through ads, email and social media, notify through all three. In Mexico City, with three working days' notice.
Check your clauses against article 90. If any of them release you from liability or require a waiver of the law, they're void, and they leave you with no defence either.
Everything else is a matter of tax and permit calendars: which taxes and licences apply before you start selling is covered in the guide to taxes and permits for selling tickets in Mexico, and the invoicing side in the guide to invoicing tickets with CFDI.
Sources
- Federal Consumer Protection Law, consolidated text published by Profeco (articles 7, 7 Bis, 10, 14, 15, 42, 56, 90, 92, 92 Bis, 92 Ter and 93)
- Profeco backs consumers over concert cancellations, 3 October 2024
- Faced with an event cancellation or rescheduling, Profeco backs consumers, 5 October 2024
- Profeco backs people affected by the cancellation of various events, 7 November 2024
- Profeco will oversee the refund of ticket amounts for concerts cancelled at Arena Guadalajara, 21 April 2025
- Law on the Holding of Public Events in Mexico City, last amended 2 March 2021 (PAOT)
- Law on the Holding of Public Events, copy from Mexico City's Congress
- Public Events Regulation for the Municipality of Monterrey, Nuevo León
- Profeco Legal Deputy Attorney's Office, legal framework