The first two days in Monterrey, in priority order: what has to happen, what should, and what can wait. Tick things off as you go.
For Monterrey
How long you are staying
Must do
On a residence visa, make sure the officer recorded the entry for canje, not as a tourist, and keep the record. The 30-day clock for INM starts now.
Telcel has the widest coverage; AT&T is the main alternative. Since 2026 every line has to be registered to a CURP or a passport, and the shop does it when you buy.
Order garrafones (20-litre bottles) from a delivery service or buy a filter. Locals do not drink tap water either.
Fill in the online form and pay the card fee, then book your local INM office. Do it in the first week; slots in the big cities go quickly.
Before signing, ask to see the previous tenant's summer CFE bill, not an average. Cooling is the biggest running cost here.
Should do
The national emergency number for police, ambulance and fire. Ask your building administrator which private hospital is nearest.
Markets, taxis, street food and tips run on cash. Cash machines inside banks or shopping centres are safer than street ones, and decline the machine's own exchange rate.
The corner shop chain takes payments for utility bills, phone top-ups, online orders and some transfers. You will use it.
San Pedro, Guadalupe, San Nicolรกs and Santa Catarina are separate town halls. It decides where municipal formalities are handled.
Banks, SAT and phone companies want a recent utility bill in your name. Agree with the landlord which bill moves into your name.
Ask whether the building has water storage and a working pump, and what happened to supply in the 2022 drought.
Nice to do
A rechargeable MIA or Me Muevo card, or the Urbani app, pays the metro and the TransMetro buses at a flat fare.
Agua y Drenaje de Monterrey answers on 073, around the clock, for leaks, cuts and supply questions.
Most embassies run a registration or alert service for nationals abroad, useful in an earthquake or a hurricane.
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