Moving to Mexico: Your Legal Checklist for the First 90 Days (CURP, RFC, Bank, Lease).

You land in Mexico City with two suitcases, a visa in your passport and a mental list of everything still missing: where to live, how to pay rent, how to open an account, how not to get lost in procedures whose names you do not even know. By day three, two different places have asked for your CURP, and you do not have one.

Moving to another country is largely a problem of sequence. None of the steps is hard; they depend on each other. Without an immigration document there is no CURP. Without a CURP there is sometimes no RFC. Without proof of address there is sometimes no bank account. And if the first step slips, everything slips.

This guide proposes an order for your first 90 days, separating what matters legally from what is merely practical. It also tells you where people usually trip.

First of all: your immigration status

Everything else rests on this. There are two common scenarios:

• You entered on a resident visa (obtained at a Mexican consulate). That visa is the first step, not the last: you must exchange it for a resident card at the INM (Instituto Nacional de Migración, Mexico’s National Migration Institute). The exchange must be started within 30 calendar days of your entry into Mexico. The clock starts on your entry date, not when you settle in.
• You entered as a tourist and want to stay. That is a different story with different rules, and it is worth understanding before you take steps. We explain it in living in Mexico on a tourist permit.

If you are in the first group, visa exchange: your first 30 days is required reading, and the visa exchange service covers it in full.

The suggested order

Timelines are approximate and depend on your case, your INM office and your city; use them as a guide to sequence, not as a calendar.

CURP: the number everyone asks for

The Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP, Unique Population Registry Code) is an 18-character code that identifies people in Mexico. For foreign residents it is issued based on your immigration document. The CURP for foreign nationals is processed with a valid immigration document before the population registry authority, and requirements may vary by office or channel.

You will need it for the RFC, social security, your children’s school, some contracts and government procedures. If someone asks for it and you do not have it, that is your signal to get it.

RFC: your registration with the tax authority

The Registro Federal de Contribuyentes (RFC, Federal Taxpayer Registry) is assigned by the Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT, Mexico’s tax authority). It is the functional equivalent, for tax purposes, of a taxpayer ID number. You will need it if you:

• work in Mexico or earn income here,
• invoice for your services,
• are hired by a Mexican company,
• buy or rent certain things that require it.

To register for the RFC as a foreign resident, you are usually asked for a valid immigration document, a CURP and proof of address, and the rules are set by tax regulations. Having an RFC does not automatically mean you owe tax in Mexico: that depends on your situation. If you receive income from abroad or from Mexico, a separate conversation with an accountant is wise. For employment topics, see working with temporary residency.

Banking: what they ask for and what helps

Opening a bank account is one of the most baffling parts. Each bank sets its own requirements, and they change. The usual list:

• Valid immigration ID (the card or, in some cases, visa and passport).
• Recent proof of address.
• CURP or RFC, depending on the bank.
• Sometimes an initial deposit.

Practical tips: ask which documents they accept before you go, try more than one branch if you hear no, and consider a peso (MXN) account even if you keep accounts abroad. Keep in mind that if you plan to prove financial solvency with bank statements, the source and history of the account matter. The guide on financial solvency covers it.

Renting: the lease worth reading

Renting in Mexico has its own customs. Some things worth knowing:

• Deposit. One or two months of deposit plus the first month in advance is common.
• Co-signer (fiador). Many landlords ask for a guarantor who owns property in Mexico, which is hard for a newcomer. Alternatives exist, such as legal surety policies, rental insurance or a larger deposit, depending on the landlord.
• Proof of address. Your lease and your electricity or water bills serve other procedures; ask for utilities in your name where possible.
• Notice to INM. If you change address while holding valid residency, that is a fact that must be reported. The guide on notifying INM explains how.

A typical situation: someone arrives on a resident visa, signs a six-month lease on an apartment in Condesa without asking for utilities in their name, and when opening a bank account and presenting an address, has no proof of their own. They lose weeks over a detail that could have been fixed at signing.

Health, transport and daily life

Not everything is legal, but your first list should include:

• Health insurance. Check whether your international policy covers Mexico and whether the hospitals you care about accept it.
• SIM card or phone line. Some carriers ask for ID to sign a plan.
• Driver’s license. Each state has its own rules for foreign licenses.
• Children’s school. If you have minors, see the guide on children and residency.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the exchange until after you settle in. The clock runs from entry, not from when you get comfortable.
• Signing a lease without thinking about proof of address. Almost every procedure asks for it.
• Thinking CURP or RFC are solved in a day. They depend on your immigration document.
• Opening a bank account before you have documents and hearing no. Prepare first.
• Registering for an RFC without understanding what it implies. Talk to an accountant before receiving income.
• Accepting help from someone who promises to “do it all quickly.” Check that the person can represent you and that every document is yours.
• Not keeping copies. A tidy digital file saves weeks.

A personal file that saves you

From day one, build a folder, digital and physical, with: passport, visa, resident card, exchange receipt, CURP, RFC certificate, lease, proofs of address and bank statements. Each procedure will ask for a different mix, and having everything together avoids running around.

What now?

If you are about to move, or have been in Mexico only a few weeks and do not know where to start, a short conversation can save weeks of trial and error. In a 60-minute video consultation (USD 50, credited toward your case if you decide to hire us) we review your immigration situation, the deadline that is running and the order that suits you. No promises of results: just clarity. You can book your consultation here. If what you need is temporary residency, we can also guide you from the start.