Phone, internet and utilities in Mexico: setting up a household

Setting up a household in Mexico takes three things in the first weeks: a Mexican mobile number, electricity in your name or your landlord's, and home internet. Each has a rule that catches newcomers. Mobile lines must now be linked to an identified owner, electricity has a tariff that removes the government subsidy if your use runs high, and internet contracts often carry a minimum term. Here is how each works for a US citizen.

A Mexican mobile number

Most residents keep their US number for banking codes and add a Mexican line for daily life. Mexican banks, delivery apps, landlords and clinics expect a local number, and WhatsApp on a Mexican number is the default way businesses communicate.

### Line registration is mandatory

Mexico's telecom regulator, the Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT), published guidelines in the official gazette that require every mobile line to be linked to an identified owner. Under those guidelines:

• Every SIM or eSIM sold can only call emergency and citizen service numbers, reach the carrier's customer service and receive emergency alerts until it is linked to an owner.
• Foreign nationals identify themselves with a passport or a temporary CURP for foreigners. For a foreign owner, the carrier records only the name, country of origin, passport number or temporary CURP, the phone number and the result of the identity check.
• Linking can be done in person at a carrier's service center, or remotely through the carrier's online platform, which asks for a photo of your ID and a liveness check. Remote linking allows up to three attempts.
• Carriers cannot charge for linking, unlinking or checking which lines are linked to you, and access to the linking platform must be free regardless of your balance.
• A private individual can link up to ten lines.
• Lines that are not linked by the deadline are disabled and can then only call emergency and citizen service numbers, until the owner completes the linking.

The guidelines also say the regulator will define how lines using international roaming are to be handled after the 2026 World Cup, so a US phone on roaming is a separate case from a Mexican SIM.

If you have your temporary CURP or your resident card, see Your first weeks in Mexico: the registrations to do after landing for how to get your CURP. Until then, your passport is enough.

### Prepaid or contract

Prepaid lines are the simplest start: buy a SIM or eSIM, link it with your passport, and top up at convenience stores or in the carrier's app. A postpaid plan usually needs proof of address and sometimes a Mexican bank account, so many people move to a plan after a few months.

Electricity: contracting with CFE

The state utility, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), supplies residential power across the country. Mexico's energy procedures portal lists the requirements for a new household contract or a change of account holder:

• a copy of a valid official photo ID,
• a tax status certificate only if you need an electronic invoice,
• a phone number and email,
• the full service address, including the cross streets,
• payment of a security deposit,
• signature of the supply contract.

The portal states that the procedure itself has no fee, apart from the deposit, and that CFE attends requests within 2 days in urban areas and 5 days in rural areas. Its telephone number is 071. For a change of account holder, you must have no outstanding debt on the existing service and show a right to the property, which can be a deed, a notarized purchase contract, a property tax receipt, a certified or simple lease, or a proof of address from the local authority.

Renters usually leave the account in the owner's name and pay the bimonthly or monthly bill themselves. Check before you sign a lease that the account is current, since an unpaid balance can lead to a disconnection.

### Watch the DAC tariff

CFE's household tariffs are subsidized, but only up to a limit. CFE explains that if your average monthly use over a rolling year, the last 365 days billed, exceeds the limit for your locality, your account is reclassified to the high-consumption domestic tariff, called DAC, which has no government subsidy and makes your bill rise steeply.

The limits CFE publishes by tariff zone:

• Tariff 1: 250 kWh per month
• Tariff 1A: 300 kWh per month
• Tariff 1B: 400 kWh per month
• Tariff 1C: 850 kWh per month
• Tariff 1D: 1,000 kWh per month
• Tariff 1E: 2,000 kWh per month
• Tariff 1F: 2,500 kWh per month

Hotter regions get the higher limits. In a Tariff 1 city, running air conditioning or electric water heating all year can push an American household over 250 kWh. Read past bills before renting, and ask whether the home has gas water heating.

Internet

Fixed broadband comes from cable and fiber providers, and many apartments are already wired. Installation is often quick in big cities and slower in small towns.

Mexico's consumer protection agency, Profeco, publishes rules on cancelling telecom contracts that matter if you sign a fixed-term plan:

• On a prepaid service, you can cancel by telling the provider by any means, return equipment if the contract requires it, and receive a cancellation number with no extra charge.
• On a fixed-term contract, the provider checks for debts. Profeco says contractual penalties on the remaining months cannot exceed 20 percent of the total left to pay. If you bought equipment in installments, you pay the balance or return it, as the contract states.
• There is no early cancellation penalty if the provider fails to comply, does not install the service on time, or changes the contract without your consent. Providers must give 30 days' notice of any change.

Profeco recommends reading the registered adhesion contract before you sign, and lists its complaint channels: the Concilianet online system and the Consumer Telephone at 55 5568 8722 or 800 468 8722.

Protect your electronics

Voltage swings and brief outages happen in many parts of Mexico, especially during the rainy season. A voltage regulator or a small uninterruptible power supply protects a laptop, router and monitor, and lets you keep working through a short cut. If you shop for one, look for a unit rated for 120 V and the wattage of what you will plug in, such as a voltage regulator with surge protection.

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Water and gas

Water is billed by the municipal or state water utility, and in many homes it is stored in a rooftop tank or an underground cistern. Gas comes in delivered cylinders or a stationary tank filled by truck in most homes, and by pipeline in some neighborhoods. Ask the landlord which system the home uses and who pays each bill before you move in.

Common questions

Can I get a Mexican phone line with only a US passport? Yes. The CRT guidelines let foreign nationals link a mobile line with a passport or a temporary CURP for foreigners. Linking is free and can be done at a carrier store or online.

What happens if I do not link my Mexican SIM? An unlinked line can only call emergency and citizen service numbers, reach the carrier and receive emergency alerts. Service is enabled once the line is linked to an identified owner.

Why did my CFE bill jump? If your average monthly use over the last 365 days exceeds your locality's limit, such as 250 kWh under Tariff 1, CFE reclassifies the account to the DAC tariff, which has no subsidy.

Is there a fee to open a CFE electricity account? The energy procedures portal says the contract procedure has no fee, but you pay a security deposit. CFE attends requests in 2 days in urban areas and 5 days in rural areas.