Jan. 10, 2026
The Rules Keep Changing:
Every cell phone line (physical SIM or eSIM) in Mexico must ~now~** be tied to a specific person or business. The purpose is to reduce the anonymity used for crimes like extortion, fraud, and identity theft.
Specifically, as of Jan. 9, Mexico has a new 2026 rule requiring all mobile phone lines, both prepaid and postpaid, to be registered with the user’s official ID … CURP/INE for citizens and passport for foreigners … RFC’s for businesses.
Overall, phones must be registered by mid-2026, with service suspension for non-compliant lines after the mid-year deadline. Unregistered lines will be suspended, blocking calls, texts, and data (except 911). Service is only restored once registration is completed.
Image courtesy of La Jornada.*
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How to Register:
Contact your mobile operator (Telcel, AT&T, etc.) or visit their service centers.**
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Specific Details:
~ Starting January 9, 2026, new lines must be registered immediately.
~ Existing users have a grace period (around 120 days) to link their numbers to their identity, or their service will be cut, only allowing emergency calls.
~ Tourists are EXEMPT if they are using foreign SIMs/roaming.
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**Providers like Telcel, have begun describing the requirements and procedures for linking, unlinking and consulting lines. Cell phone & land-line users will be able to register remotely (with restrictions) or at branch offices across the country.
Phone service providers are also required to send an SMS to unlinked lines at least once a week, reminding them of the registration obligation.
Surviving Yucatan 
Before anyone feels smug that this only applies to Mexican cell numbers, note this little Easter Egg that appeared at the end of the decree as published in the DOF on Dec. 9th:
“NINTH. Once the international sporting event known as the 2026 FIFA World Cup has concluded, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission shall define the necessary mechanisms for linking mobile telephone lines that use international roaming services within the national territory.”
The FIFA World Cup ends July 19, 2026.
Sounds to me that all foreign cell numbers that rely on the Mexican cell networks for roaming are going to get roped into registering through a yet undetermined mechanism. Phones that work through WiFi may be beyond their reach.
OTOH, having tried and failed about 20 times over the last few days to register my Mexican cell online, the prospect of 80-100 million people registering in the next 115 days seems well neigh impossible. I expect the June 30 deadline to be extended or the program canceled, as have previous failed attempts at registration. The TelCel website produces unexpected errors, stops functioning, or my passport photo, layered with security coatings, didn’t match a simple selfie. Millions of people doing in-person registration at TelCel’s handful of service centers is an unworkable idea.
Excellent points!
Thanks, Mark!