What Is the Constancia de Situación Fiscal?
The constancia de situación fiscal (CSF), often called the CSF del SAT, is the official document Mexico's tax authority, the SAT, generates from the data it has on file for a taxpayer: your RFC (tax ID), legal name or business name, registered tax address, the tax regime or regimes you're enrolled in, and the obligations you're expected to meet. It's free, it doesn't have an expiration date as a document — though it's worth downloading a fresh copy whenever someone asks for it, since it reflects your current status — and you can get it in minutes through the SAT's website or the SAT ID app.
Why Do People Ask You for the Constancia de Situación Fiscal?
Banks, insurers, landlords, and employers request it to confirm that the RFC you gave them belongs to a person or company actually active with the SAT, and to see which tax regime you're registered under before hiring you, opening an account, or signing a contract. Clients commonly ask for it before paying you too, especially if you work as an individual with business activity or under Mexico's simplified trust regime (RESICO), because the regime shown on your constancia affects how the invoice you receive as proof of payment needs to be issued.
How to Get Your Constancia de Situación Fiscal on the SAT Portal
If you already have your SAT password or a valid e.firma (Mexico's digital signature), getting the constancia de situación fiscal through the portal is the fastest route:
- Go to sat.gob.mx and look for the RFC procedures section.
- Log in with your RFC and password, or with your e.firma.
- Select the option to generate the Constancia de Situación Fiscal.
- Check that your details — address, regime, obligations — are correct.
- Download the PDF; the system also lets you send it directly to your email.
The whole process takes a few minutes and costs nothing. If you spot an error in your details — a regime that no longer applies to you, or an outdated address — that's the moment to fix it, before someone else uses that copy to validate your information.
How to Download Your Constancia de Situación Fiscal from the SAT ID App
Not every taxpayer remembers their password or has a valid e.firma, especially individuals who registered years ago and rarely deal with the SAT directly. For those cases, there's SAT ID, the SAT's app that verifies your identity using a photo of your official ID and a short video, without needing a password at all. The process looks like this:
- Download the SAT ID app or go to satid.sat.gob.mx.
- Select the procedure to generate your Constancia de Situación Fiscal.
- Follow the prompts to photograph your ID and record the verification video.
- Wait for confirmation from the SAT; the document is sent to your registered email.
This route is what most people use when they need the constancia quickly and don't want to book an appointment or recover a forgotten password.
Constancia de Situación Fiscal con CIF: What It Is and When You Need It
The Cédula de Identificación Fiscal (CIF) is the section of the constancia that includes your RFC along with a validation QR code; it used to be a separate document, but today it's built into the constancia de situación fiscal itself. Some banks and procedures specifically ask for the "constancia de situación fiscal con CIF" because they need that QR code to verify your tax identity automatically. The SAT has a dedicated procedure for individuals who don't have a password or e.firma: generating the constancia with CIF through SAT ID, following the same identity-verification process with an official ID and video described above.
The CSF Is No Longer Required to Invoice: What Changed with the CFF Reform
For years it was common for a client to ask for the constancia de situación fiscal before issuing you a CFDI, as if it were a legal requirement. It isn't: to issue an invoice, only four pieces of data are needed — RFC, legal name or business name, postal code, and tax regime — all of which you can share verbally or in writing without handing over the full PDF of your constancia. You can check the full list of what's actually required in our guide to invoicing requirements in Mexico.
The reform to Mexico's Federal Tax Code (CFF), published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación and in force since January 1, 2026, makes this explicit: conditioning the issuance of a CFDI on handing over the Cédula de Identificación Fiscal or the constancia de situación fiscal is now an express infraction under Article 83 of the CFF, penalized under Article 84. In other words, a business can no longer refuse to invoice you, or delay your invoice, just because you didn't share your complete constancia.
What to Do If a Client Still Asks for the CSF to Invoice You
If a vendor insists on seeing your full constancia before issuing your CFDI, you can offer them only the four pieces of data the law actually requires: your RFC, your legal name exactly as registered with the SAT, your tax postal code, and your regime. If they still refuse to invoice you, they're committing the infraction the reform describes, and you're entitled to demand your invoice with just that information. For businesses issuing many CFDIs a month, automating the capture of those four fields — instead of requesting the full constancia from every client — cuts friction and speeds up invoicing without stepping outside the law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the constancia de situación fiscal cost anything?
No. The procedure is free both on the SAT portal and through the SAT ID app; there's no paid version of the document.
How often should I update my constancia de situación fiscal?
It doesn't expire as a document, but it changes whenever your regime, tax address, or obligations are updated, so it's best to download a fresh copy whenever someone requests it instead of reusing one from years ago.
What's the difference between the constancia de situación fiscal and the CIF?
The Cédula de Identificación Fiscal (CIF) is the section with your RFC and the validation QR code; the constancia de situación fiscal is the full document, which also includes your regime, tax address, and obligations.
Can a business refuse to invoice me if I don't share my full constancia?
No. Under the CFF reform in force since January 1, 2026, conditioning a CFDI on handing over the constancia de situación fiscal is an infraction, and giving them your RFC, name, postal code, and regime is enough.
Can I get my constancia without a password or e.firma?
Yes, through SAT ID: the SAT verifies your identity with a photo of your official ID and a short video, no password required.
At AISDC, we help businesses that invoice every day automate the capture of their clients' tax data and the issuance of their CFDIs, so no one has to chase down a full constancia just to stamp an invoice. See how our CFDI invoicing solution works.