Mexico free healthcare for migrants marks a major policy shift, extending public health access to millions of Mexican nationals and dual citizens living in the United States.
President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that Mexican migrants residing in the United States, as well as citizens holding dual nationality, will be able to access healthcare services in Mexico free of charge.
She noted that the credentialing system for nationals living abroad is currently still in the development phase.
The President explained that the objective of this measure is to ensure that no Mexican is excluded from medical care due to their immigration status or place of residence.
“Yes, they can access it. We have not yet developed the credentialing system for Mexicans living outside of Mexico, but they can certainly access healthcare services in our country free of charge,” she stated.
Starting in April 2026, all Mexican migrants abroad—particularly the 12.3 million residing in the U.S.—will be able to access Mexico’s Universal Healthcare System. Currently, more than 19,500 individuals have already registered with the IMSS, with the new program focused on guaranteeing free care regardless of formal affiliation. This measure potentially benefits the more than 12 million Mexico-born individuals currently residing in the United States.
Migrants will have access to free healthcare services through the IMSS, ISSSTE, or IMSS-Bienestar systems, without the need for formal affiliation.
As of March 2026, 19,502 nationals living abroad had already registered with the IMSS, and more than 2,300 are already receiving a pension.
Fifty-nine percent of the migrants already affiliated with the IMSS have registered over 5,000 family members in Mexico—primarily their children—to receive medical care.
Affiliation is facilitated through the consular network and tools such as *Financiera del Bienestar* (Finabien).
This benefit is part of the national health strategy; the credentialing system required for its implementation is currently in the development phase.
Key Points:
Universal Access: The measure aims to include nationals living abroad. Credentialing: Work is currently underway to establish the specific mechanism for identifying beneficiaries, as reported by XEVT.
Dual Nationality: Individuals holding dual nationality are now eligible to access social services in Mexico.
It is worth noting that, according to reports from PubMed Central (PMC) (.gov), families with dual nationality sometimes prefer the private healthcare system; however, the new policy grants them the right to access the free public sector.
The credentialing process for Mexico’s Universal Health Service is set to launch its first phase from April 13 to April 30, 2026, prioritizing individuals over the age of 85. The procedure involves registering at the modules operated by the Secretariat of Welfare (see gob.mx/bienestar), presenting an official form of identification, a CURP (Unique Population Registry Code), and proof of address in order to obtain a national official health ID card and a digital medical record.
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