Before you start

An unlocked, band-compatible handset
Passport, or resident card once issued
A CURP — residents get one automatically, and non-residents can pull a temporary one from RENAPO
A Mexican payment method for postpaid plans

Step-by-step

1
Buy prepaid on arrival
Telcel Amigo has the broadest coverage in the country and is the safe default if you will travel around the state — Cholula, Atlixco, Cuetzalan, the Sierra Norte. Bait, on the Altan network, and weex are cheaper but thin outside the metro area, and Puebla state has a great deal of outside-the-metro-area. SIMs are sold at OXXO, Walmart, carrier stores and the bus terminals.
In personWho: YouUnder 30 minutesMXN 50–150 for the SIM
2
Register the line to your CURP and ID
Link the number to your CURP and a passport, INE or resident card through the carrier's portal or app. It is free, takes minutes, and is now the difference between a working line and a dead one. One person may hold up to ten lines under a single CURP. Postpaid contracts were registered when you signed them; it is prepaid that needs doing.
OnlineWho: Every prepaid line holderSame dayFree
3
Keep the number alive with recharges
Prepaid packages expire, typically after 30 days, and an unrecharged number can eventually be recycled. Dial *133# to check balance, data and expiry without using data. Losing a number that receives your bank's one-time codes is a slow, avoidable disaster.
Mobile appWho: YouAround MXN 200 for a 30-day bundle
4
Ask what the heritage rules allow before you order fibre in the Centro
The historic centre is a protected World Heritage zone, and visible cabling, external boxes, satellite dishes and rooftop equipment on protected façades are restricted. Installers can and do work within this, but the answer to 'can I have fibre here' is sometimes 'yes, through a route that takes three weeks and needs the owner's agreement'. Ask the landlord and the provider before you sign a lease you intend to work from.
OnlineWho: YouOne to three weeks, longer in the protected zone
5
Expect thick walls to defeat a single router
Colonial houses in the Centro have stone and adobe walls, internal patios and later subdivisions into flats, and a single router in the front room will not reach the back. Budget for mesh nodes rather than assuming a bigger plan solves it, and ask where the ONT can physically be sited before you commit.
In personWho: Remote workersA pair of mesh nodes is a few thousand pesos and cheaper than moving
6
Switch to postpaid once you have a bank account
Postpaid plans cost less per gigabyte but require a credit check, a Mexican address and usually a local card or direct debit. Number portability lets you keep your number; never cancel the old plan before the transfer completes.
OnlineWho: You≈MXN 200–600 a month

Documents you’ll need

Passport or resident card
CURP, definitive or temporary
Mexican bank card or account for postpaid billing
Proof of address for fixed-line installation
The owner's written agreement for any external installation in the protected zone

Things most newcomers don’t know

The registry that came back is CURP-based, not biometric — and it will suspend your line.

The Supreme Court struck down PANAUT, which would have collected fingerprints and iris scans, and many arrivals still believe Mexican prepaid is anonymous. Linking a line to a CURP became compulsory on 9 January 2026, and unregistered prepaid numbers are being suspended on a rolling calendar running from 15 August to 31 December 2026 by the last digit. No biometrics are taken, but a suspended SIM stops receiving your bank codes.

Source: CRT — registro de líneas móviles

You do not need residency to register a line — a temporary CURP is enough.

People on a tourist entry assume the registration rule locks them out of a Mexican number entirely. RENAPO issues a temporary CURP to foreigners against a passport, free and online, and that satisfies the requirement. It is a five-minute fix that saves paying roaming for the weeks between arriving and holding a resident card.

Source: RENAPO / gob.mx

In the Centro Histórico, the building's protected status is a connectivity constraint nobody mentions at the viewing.

Heritage protection restricts what can be attached to a façade or a roof in the World Heritage zone, and that reaches external cabling, boxes and dishes. Providers work around it, but the workaround needs the owner's cooperation and takes time. A beautiful colonial flat that turns out to need a three-week negotiated installation is a bad surprise for someone who has to be on calls from Monday.

Source: community-reported

Bait is genuinely cheap but rides a different network from Telcel.

Walmart's MVNO runs on Altan's shared wholesale network rather than Telcel's towers, which is why it costs a fraction as much. Inside the metro area the difference is modest. Drive to Cuetzalan, into the Sierra Norte or up towards the volcanoes and it becomes obvious. If your phone is your only connection and your work depends on it, the extra pesos buy the coverage you will actually miss.

Source: IFT/CRT cobertura data

Common mistakes to avoid

Never registering the line to a CURP and losing the number and your two-factor codes.
Assuming a tourist cannot register a line — a free temporary CURP solves it.
Signing a Centro Histórico lease without checking what internet can physically and legally be installed.
Assuming one router will cover a colonial house with stone walls and a patio.
Choosing an MVNO on price and then discovering the coverage in the Sierra Norte.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.