Page at a glance
What you need to know before reading further.
A quick look at who this page is for, what it covers, and which official sources back it up.
Best for
Residents who want the order of operations before diving into each agency page.
What it helps you do
Translate a messy first-three-month period into a simple phased checklist.
Core questions answered
- What should happen in days 1–14, 15–30, 31–60, and 61–90?
- Which dependencies matter most across CURP, SAT, banking, and IMSS?
- When does the printable PDF kit become the better option for tracking every step?
Official bodies in play
SATINMIMSSRENAPO
Related guides
Keep the research chain moving.
These pages cover closely related topics and are good next reads from here.
Best next steps
The most useful pages to read next based on where you are in the process.
CURP for Foreign Residents
A practical guide to how CURP works for foreign residents and why early verification matters.
RFC for Foreigners in Mexico
A practical guide to one of the most important administrative tasks after getting your resident card.
IMSS Seguro de Salud para la Familia
A practical guide to the voluntary IMSS family-insurance route, with current premium tables, exclusions, and enrollment timing.
The First 90 Days Admin Setup Kit
The admin setup PDF that sequences CURP, RFC, e.firma, CSF, banking, and IMSS into a clear dependency map.
Continue in Taxes, CURP & RFC
More pages in the same section that go deeper on related questions.
Taxes, CURP & RFC
The identity and tax-setup hub for foreign residents, built around CURP, RFC, e.firma, CSF, banking, and SAT support channels.
e.firma Guide for New Residents
A practical e.firma guide covering the appointment, biometric capture, and USB expectations that most applicants underestimate.
Constancia de Situación Fiscal (CSF)
A practical guide to the CSF paths, decision tree, and use cases after RFC and e.firma are set up.
Banking Setup in Mexico for New Residents
A practical guide to opening a Mexican bank account, with branch expectations, document requirements, and bank-by-bank differences.
Planning systems and printable versions
Printable guides and structured pathways that tie this topic into your wider move plan.
The Mexico Expat Bundle
The combined offer of all three PDF guides — residency, admin setup, and logistics — at a bundle price.
Mexico Move Pathways
Programmatic move pathways that connect residency, admin setup, healthcare, housing, logistics, and city choice for common relocation scenarios.
First 90 Days in Mexico: CURP, RFC, Banking, NSS, and IMSS Setup
A first-90-days pathway connecting resident-card follow-through, CURP, RFC, e.firma, banking, NSS, and IMSS decisions.
Moving to Mexico as a Remote Worker: Residency, RFC, Banking, and City Fit
A remote-worker pathway connecting legal stay, RFC questions, banking setup, location choice, and first-90-days admin priorities.
The order
This is the sequence the admin setup guide is built around.
Resident card first. Then CURP. Then RFC. Then the tools and services that depend on those pieces being stable. Once you accept that this is a chain, the whole 90-day period starts looking less random.
| Phase | What to prioritize | Why this phase exists |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1–14 | Confirm resident-card data, verify CURP generation and spelling, and begin assembling strong proof of address. | This is the identity-foundation phase. If your data is wrong here, later agencies inherit the problem. |
| Days 15–30 | Book or attend SAT for RFC if needed, especially if work, invoicing, or formal admin is coming quickly. Obtain NSS once CURP and email are ready. | This is the “first real unlock” phase. You move from general residency into tax and health-system access. |
| Days 31–60 | Handle e.firma, generate CSF using the right path, and start preparing for bank onboarding with a complete packet. | This phase makes later admin smoother instead of more repetitive. |
| Days 61–90 | Complete bank onboarding, choose the IMSS path that fits, and clean up any trailing document gaps. | This is where the setup starts feeling more like a life than a sequence of appointments. |
What belongs in each phase
Think priorities, not perfection.
Days 1–14
- Confirm resident-card data is correct.
- Check whether CURP exists and validate it.
- Compare CURP against passport and resident-card spelling.
- Start building a clean address-proof packet.
Days 15–30
- Book SAT appointment if RFC is urgent for your situation.
- Prioritize RFC especially if you will invoice, formalize tax identity, or need banking to move quickly.
- Get NSS once CURP and email are ready if IMSS planning matters soon.
Days 31–60
- Attend the e.firma appointment with USB and originals.
- Use the right CSF path: online self-service first if credentials are ready, then SAT ID or Office Virtual if not.
- Prepare the bank packet with branch confirmation, not just website confidence.
Days 61–90
- Finish bank onboarding if the packet is ready.
- Choose between IMSS family insurance, the independent-worker route, or a hybrid strategy.
- Clean up any lingering identity or document mismatches before they follow you further into daily life.
Failure modes
These are the mistakes most likely to make the 90 days feel longer than 90 days.
They’re not dramatic. They’re just expensive in the currency of repeat appointments and low-grade stress.
Watch for these
- Treating CURP as optional instead of foundational.
- Going to SAT with weak proof of address.
- Missing the 10-day window after an incomplete RFC submission.
- Booking e.firma without the required originals or USB.
- Assuming bank websites use current immigration language in a fully reliable way.
- Assuming IMSS family coverage starts immediately after enrollment.
Use these next
Open the exact page that matches the phase you’re in.
Best companion pages
CURP for Foreign Residents
For the first identity domino and how to handle lookup, validation, and correction.
RFC for Foreigners
For the in-person SAT step and what the packet really needs to include.
IMSS Family Insurance
For the voluntary family coverage route, timing, and premium context.
Your First 30 Days in Mexico
For the bridge between residency arrival tasks and the broader admin sequence.
e.firma Guide
For the SAT digital signature step that unlocks CSF and smoother self-service workflows.
Constancia de Situacion Fiscal
For generating your CSF once RFC and e.firma credentials are ready.
Banking Setup
For the bank onboarding packet and branch-confirmation mindset.
SAT Appointment Guide
For booking and preparing for your RFC or e.firma appointment at the SAT office.
Sources and research basis
What this checklist is built on
This page is based on the official source register items that support the 90-day sequence.
Federal administrative registration guidelines
Used for the four-phase 90-day model and the dependency chain from CURP through IMSS.
Expat community verification and field testing
Used for the expanded SAT support logic, CURP tools, IMSS mechanics, and stronger operational framing.
SAT, RENAPO, and IMSS official procedures
These sources cover CURP, SAT, CSF, NSS, IMSS, appointments, support paths, and the execution details behind the sequence.