What Is an IMEI Number? IMEI vs EID vs ICCID Explained (2026)

Summary

An IMEI is the 15-digit number that identifies your phone to mobile networks. It belongs to the handset, the EID belongs to its eSIM chip, and the ICCID belongs to one SIM or eSIM profile. Dial *#06# or open Settings › General › About (iPhone) or Settings › About phone (Android) to see them.

A travel eSIM needs none of the three. It needs an unlocked phone, which on iPhone shows as “No SIM restrictions” next to Carrier Lock.

What is an IMEI number?

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. Google's Pixel help puts it simply: to use a mobile network, a phone needs an IMEI. Networks see it every time the phone connects, which is why carriers use it to check whether a phone is compatible, whether it is locked, and whether it has been reported stolen.

It is 15 digits. The first eight are the Type Allocation Code, which identifies the make and model, so every phone of the same model shares them. The next six are the unit's own serial, and the last digit is a check digit that catches typos.

Close-up of a phone label showing a barcode, a QR code, the model name and two 15-digit IMEI numbers — The IMEI label of an older dual-SIM phone. Two IMEIs, because two SIM slots. Photo: Пахатов Дмитрий / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

IMEI vs EID vs ICCID

These three get confused constantly, partly because all three appear on the same settings screen. They identify three different layers:

	IMEI	EID	ICCID
Identifies	The phone (its radio)	The eSIM chip	One SIM card or eSIM profile
Length	15 digits	32 digits	19 or 20 digits
How many per phone	One per SIM line (often 2)	One, if the phone has eSIM	One per installed SIM or eSIM
Changes when	Never	Never	You install a new SIM or eSIM
Who asks for it	Carriers checking or unlocking a phone	Carriers pushing an eSIM to your chip	Support teams fixing one specific line
Travel eSIM needs it?	No	No	Only if you contact support

Lengths from the GSMA and ITU numbering formats; ICCID lengths confirmed against the 426 eSIM profiles YonoSIM delivered in 2026.

Each has its own explainer: what is an EID number and what is an ICCID number.

How to find your IMEI number

Method	iPhone	Android
Dial *#06#	Yes	Yes (Samsung: where the carrier supports it)
Settings	General › About	About phone
Printed on the device	Not on iPhone 14 and later	SIM tray or back, on many models
Box	Yes	Yes
Computer or web	Finder: click the phone number under the device name	Google Find My Device › Information (Pixel)

Sources: Apple, Google Pixel Help and Samsung support pages, checked November 2026.

iPhone

Settings › General › About

The one row that matters for travel

No SIM restrictions means the iPhone is unlocked and will take any carrier's eSIM. Anything else (a carrier name) means it is locked to that carrier.

Apple: “If ‘No SIM restrictions’ appears next to Carrier Lock, your iPhone is unlocked.” IMEI, IMEI2, EID and ICCID sit further down the same screen. Digits masked.

Google Pixel

Settings › About phone

Two IMEIs, two lines

Google: phones that use both eSIM and a SIM card have two IMEIs. IMEI (SIM slot 2) appears once dual-SIM is on. A carrier activating an eSIM second line may ask for it.

Pixel lists the IMEIs directly on About phone. EID and ICCID are one level down, under SIM status. Digits masked.

Any phone

Phone app › keypad › dial *#06#

Device Info

EID: 8904 XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
IMEI: 35 XXXXXX XXXXXX X
IMEI2: 35 XXXXXX XXXXXX X

Dialling *#06# on a dual-SIM phone with eSIM. The two IMEIs are the phone's two lines. The EID only appears on phones that have an eSIM chip. Digits masked.

Older phone display showing a single IMEI number in a dialog after dialling *#06# — *#06# predates smartphones. On a single-SIM phone from before eSIM it returns one IMEI and nothing else. Photo: Pano38 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Hand holding an older Nokia phone with the battery removed, showing the IMEI label in the battery bay — Before sealed batteries, the IMEI lived on a sticker under the battery. Today it is in Settings. Photo: Paulopetry / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Why dual-SIM phones have two IMEIs

One IMEI per line. A phone with a SIM tray and an eSIM, or with two eSIMs, registers each line on the network separately, so each gets its own IMEI. That is also why a phone can hold your home SIM and a travel eSIM at the same time: two lines, two IMEIs, one handset. The setup is covered step by step in iPhone dual SIM for travel and Android dual SIM for travel.

Red smartphone with a dual SIM tray pulled out holding a nano SIM card — A dual-SIM tray. Each slot, and each eSIM line, is its own IMEI on the network. Photo: Inglid / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Carrier locks: the IMEI check that actually matters

When you buy a phone on contract, the carrier can lock it to its own network. The lock is tied to the handset, and it means the phone will refuse a SIM or eSIM from anyone else, including a travel eSIM. This is the most common reason an eSIM installs fine on paper and then will not connect, or will not install at all.

iPhone: Settings › General › About › Carrier Lock. “No SIM restrictions” means unlocked.
Android: there is no single setting on every brand. The reliable test is a SIM or eSIM from a different carrier. If in doubt, ask your carrier whether the phone is unlocked before you travel.
Locked? Your carrier can unlock it once the phone is paid off or the contract term is met. Do it at home, because it can take days.

Two metal SIM ejector pins lying on a wooden surface — SIM ejector pins. With a travel eSIM you will not need one, but a locked phone stops you either way. Photo: Nashucks / Wikimedia Commons / CC0

Which number does an eSIM provider need?

Situation	Number asked for
Buying a QR-code travel eSIM	None
Checking a phone works on a carrier before switching	IMEI
Carrier pushing an eSIM straight to your phone	EID (sometimes IMEI 2 as well)
Asking support about one installed eSIM	ICCID, or just your order email
Unlocking a phone	IMEI

If you are not sure the phone takes eSIM at all, the quick checks are in is my phone eSIM compatible?, and the model list is on compatible devices. Once installed, follow the iPhone activation guide or the Android one, and set roaming the right way round with data roaming on or off.

Smartphone with its dual SIM tray partly ejected from the side — A dual-SIM tray half out. Google says Pixel phones print the IMEI on the SIM tray, and many other Android phones do too. Photo: Blakegripling ph / Wikimedia Commons / CC0

FAQ

QWhat is an IMEI number?

AIMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a 15-digit number that identifies your phone's cellular radio to mobile networks. It stays with the phone for life, whatever SIM or eSIM you put in it. Phones that use both a physical SIM and an eSIM have two IMEIs, one for each line.

QWhat is the difference between IMEI, EID and ICCID?

AThe IMEI identifies the phone (15 digits, one per SIM line). The EID identifies the eSIM chip inside the phone (32 digits, one per chip). The ICCID identifies a single SIM card or eSIM profile (19 or 20 digits, a new one for every SIM you install). Carriers use the IMEI to check and lock devices, the EID to push eSIMs to a chip, and the ICCID to manage a specific line.

QHow do I find my IMEI number?

ADial *#06# on the phone keypad, or look in Settings. On iPhone go to Settings > General > About and scroll down. On Android go to Settings > About phone. The IMEI is also printed on the box, and on many Android phones on the SIM tray. iPhone 14 and later no longer have it engraved on the body.

QWhy does my phone have two IMEI numbers?

ABecause it has two SIM lines. Google explains that Pixel phones using both eSIM and a SIM card have two IMEIs, one for each kind of SIM. A carrier activating an eSIM as your second line may ask for IMEI 2. A travel eSIM installed from a QR code does not need either.

QDo I need to give my IMEI to buy a travel eSIM?

ANo. A QR-code travel eSIM never asks for the IMEI. What matters is that the phone is not carrier-locked, because a locked phone refuses another company's eSIM no matter what its IMEI is. On iPhone, check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock for 'No SIM restrictions'.

QCan someone do anything harmful with my IMEI?

AOn its own, very little: it identifies hardware, not your account. Its main uses are carrier compatibility checks, unlock requests and blocking a phone reported as stolen. Share it with your carrier or a repair shop when needed, but there is no reason to post it publicly.

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Originally published on www.yonosim.com/en/blog/what-is-imei-number-esim-2026 · YonoSIM — You Only Need One SIM