IMSS for Foreigners: Voluntary Enrollment in Mexico's Public Health Insurance

IMSS (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social) is Mexico's largest public health and social security system. It runs family clinics (Unidades de Medicina Familiar, UMF), general hospitals and specialty hospitals across the country.

There are two ways a foreign resident ends up in IMSS:

• Through a job. If you work for a Mexican employer, the employer must register you in IMSS and pay contributions. See work permits for residents.
• Voluntarily. If you are retired, work remotely for a foreign employer, or live on savings, you can pay for coverage yourself. This page focuses on this route.

IMSS offers two main voluntary routes:

IMSS says foreign persons in Mexico can enroll voluntarily as independent workers, and that beneficiaries must be legally present in Mexico. In practice, you need a valid temporary or permanent residence card. Tourists cannot enroll.

The Family Health Insurance is paid once a year, in advance, per person. IMSS publishes the fees by age group. The table below shows the fees IMSS lists for new registrations and renewals from March 1, 2026:

These fees are updated every year, and the fee you pay at renewal is the one in force at that time. Check the IMSS Family Health Insurance page before you enroll or renew. Independent worker enrollment is priced differently, based on the income you declare.

Voluntary IMSS coverage is not the same as coverage through a job. Before you rely on it, know its limits:

• Health questionnaire. You declare your health status when you apply.
• Exclusions. IMSS can exclude certain serious conditions you already have when you enroll.
• Waiting periods. Some services, such as certain planned surgeries, are covered only after you have been enrolled for a set time.
• No refunds. The annual fee is not refunded if you stop using IMSS.
• Assigned clinic. You are assigned a family clinic by address. Specialist care usually requires a referral from your family doctor.
• Spanish. Most IMSS staff speak only Spanish.

Ask the IMSS office to explain the exclusions and waiting periods that apply to you, in writing if possible.

Requirements can vary a little by IMSS office. Most people need:

• A valid residence card and passport.
• Your CURP. See how to get a CURP.
• Proof of address in Mexico.
• Your IMSS social security number (NSS). You can request it online if you do not have one.
• Documents for family members you want to add, such as a marriage or birth certificate, apostilled and translated if foreign.

You start through the IMSS Digital portal or at the IMSS office (subdelegación) that serves your address. After you pay, IMSS assigns you to a family clinic.

• IMSS-Bienestar is the public system for people without social security in the states that joined it. Access and services vary by state.
• Private insurance gives faster access to private hospitals and English-speaking doctors, but premiums rise with age and new policies may not be available after a certain age. See private health insurance.
• Home-country coverage usually does not follow you. US Medicare generally does not pay for care in Mexico, and Canadian provincial plans have strict limits on time abroad. See moving from the USA and moving from Canada.

Many residents use IMSS as a low-cost safety net for serious illness and pay private doctors for routine care.