Last updated: 10 October 2026
Buying a local SIM card used to be the cheap, easy way to get online in Mexico. In 2026 it comes with paperwork: every new Mexican mobile line has to be registered to the person using it, with ID, and lines that miss their deadline are being suspended. Here is what that means for a visitor, how Telcel's tourist eSIM works, and when a travel eSIM bought at home is simpler.
The registration rule in short
- Since 9 January 2026, new Mexican lines must be linked to their user. Mexicans register with their CURP; a tourist, who has no CURP, registers with a passport.
- Existing prepaid lines have staggered deadlines from 15 August to 31 December 2026, set by the last digit of the number. The regulator, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT), has carriers suspend a line within 72 hours of its deadline if it is not registered. A suspended line can still call emergency numbers.
- It applies to Mexican lines: a SIM card or eSIM from a Mexican carrier such as Telcel, AT&T Mexico or Movistar. Your home line and a travel eSIM bought abroad are foreign lines roaming on Mexican networks, and the rule has nothing for you to register for them.
If you buy a Mexican SIM card on arrival, expect to show your passport and complete the registration before the line works normally. Keep the line registered in your own name.
Telcel's tourist eSIM
Telcel, Mexico's largest network, sells an eSIM for visitors. As its own page described it in October 2026:
- Three plans: Tourist International eSIM 20 and 30, which work in Mexico, the United States and Canada, and Tourist International eSIM 30 LATAM, which adds a list of Latin American countries. Prices are in pesos, tax included, on Telcel's site.
- You buy it online and receive the install link or QR code by email.
- You install it after you arrive, on Wi-Fi, within a year of buying it. The plan's days start at installation.
- You must register it before you can use it, at Telcel's line registration portal, with your passport and a camera identity check. You get three attempts.
- The line lasts 90 days from activation unless you buy another plan, unused data is lost when a plan ends, and refunds are possible only within 10 days of purchase and in limited cases.
- Some plans slow to 512 kbps after a fair-use threshold.
It is a real Mexican line, with a Mexican number, which is its main advantage.
Local SIM, Telcel eSIM or travel eSIM?
| Mexican SIM card | Telcel tourist eSIM | Travel eSIM bought at home | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set up | After landing, in a shop | After landing, on Wi-Fi | At home, before you fly |
| Registration with passport | Yes | Yes, with an identity check | No |
| Mexican phone number | Yes | Yes | No, data only |
| Your usual SIM | Swapped out | Stays in the phone | Stays in the phone |
| Online the moment you land | No | No | Yes |
Choose a Mexican line if you need a local number: a long stay, a Mexican bank or delivery app, or a business that will only text a Mexican number. For maps, rides, messaging and calls over WhatsApp on a holiday or a business trip, a travel eSIM does the job with nothing to register, and it is already working when you walk out of arrivals at Cancún or Mexico City.
Before you fly
- Check your phone takes an eSIM and is unlocked: the 30-second check.
- Check whether your home plan already includes Mexico: will my phone work in Mexico?
- Install a travel eSIM at home on Wi-Fi (iPhone, Android) and turn on data roaming for it when you land.
FAQ
Do tourists have to register a SIM card in Mexico?
Yes, for a Mexican SIM card or eSIM. Since 9 January 2026 a new Mexican line must be linked to its user, and a tourist does it with a passport. A travel eSIM from a provider abroad is not a Mexican line, so there is nothing to register.
Can I buy a Telcel eSIM before I travel?
You can buy it before you travel, but Telcel says to install it once you arrive, on Wi-Fi, and to register it with your passport before using it.
Will my Mexican SIM be cut off?
A registered line is not affected. An unregistered prepaid line is suspended within 72 hours of the deadline set by the last digit of its number, between 15 August and 31 December 2026.
Does a travel eSIM give me a Mexican number?
No. A travel eSIM is data only. Your usual number stays on your home SIM, and WhatsApp, iMessage and FaceTime work over the eSIM's data.
Facts checked on 10 October 2026 against Telcel's tourist eSIM page and reporting on the CRT's registration calendar.