The government of Mexico is now requiring that all Mexican telephone numbers are registered. This means that whether you use a SIM card or purchase a Mexican telephone that you will need to register that phone with appropriate identification. I was given a Telcel Mexican phone and so I went to activate it and get it registered. In order to get the number and activate it, you need to take appropriate identification. In my case that meant my Mexican Permanent Resident Card and Canadian passport.

Taking a number at the Telcel office on the highway toward the airport just north of San Jose del Cabo, I waiting for my number to be displaced on the screen. When I went to the counter, I provided the employee my Telcel and she completed the paperwork. As the phone was a pay-as-you-go phone, I then added $300 mx to the phone. I was informed that the phone should be activated the next day.

After a week the phone was still not activated. As a result, a month later, I went with a local friend back to Telcel where I was told that it was activated but that for foreign residents it could take up to two weeks for the activation to occur. So, if you are getting a Mexican SIM car while on a two-week vacation, do not expect it to work during your visit.