# What Is an EID, and How Do You Find Yours?

> The identifier of the eSIM chip itself. How to see it in ten seconds, what its presence proves, and why providers sometimes ask for it.

Using an eSIM · Published 2023-05-04 · Updated 2026-08-21 · 4 min read

Page: https://esimradar.com/blog/eid-number

![A close-up of an iPhone screen showing the Settings app icon.](https://esimradar.com/blog-images/eid-number/hero-5437583-1280.webp)

*The EID is four taps into this app, and it is the number a provider asks for when nothing else has worked.*

The EID is the serial number of the eSIM chip soldered into your phone — [the GSMA’s SGP.22 specification calls it the eUICC identifier](https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/esim/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SGP.22-v2.6.pdf). It identifies the chip itself, permanently, and never changes no matter how many profiles you install or delete.

For most people its usefulness is indirect: if your phone has an EID, it can take an eSIM. That is the definitive compatibility test, and it takes about ten seconds.

## Finding it

The dialler code is the same on every make, which is why it beats hunting through menus:

- Dial \*#06#. On most handsets the EID appears alongside the IMEI as a long numeric string.
- iPhone: Settings → General → About, scrolling past the serial number — [Apple lists the EID, IMEI and ICCID together on that screen](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108037).
- Android: Settings → About phone, then SIM status, which is where [Google puts the EID on a Pixel](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/10402530).

No EID means [no eSIM hardware](https://esimradar.com/blog/esim-phones), and nothing will add it. It is a physical chip, so no update or setting produces one that was not fitted at the factory.

## What it is not

Three identifiers get confused with each other constantly, and they answer different questions:

- The EID identifies the eSIM chip. One per phone, permanent.
- The IMEI identifies the handset. One per phone, permanent, and what a carrier wants for an unlock request.
- The ICCID identifies [a single profile or SIM](https://esimradar.com/blog/esim-explained). It changes with every plan you install.

A provider asking for your EID wants to know which chip to prepare a profile for. One asking for your IMEI is usually checking the device itself — [a lock check, most often](https://esimradar.com/blog/iphone-unlocked).

## Why a provider would ask for it

Legitimately, in two situations: preparing a profile bound to your specific chip before issuing it, or reissuing one after a failed installation. Apple says the same thing from the other side, telling you to have the IMEI or EID ready [before contacting a carrier about an eSIM that will not set up](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102478). Some providers ask up front, most do not need to.

> **Note:** An EID is not a secret in the way an activation code is — it identifies hardware, not entitlement, and cannot be used to install or steal a plan. Share it with a provider when they ask. The thing to guard is the activation code, which works exactly once and gives the plan to whoever uses it first.

## What its presence actually proves

That the hardware is there. Not that a given plan will work — an EID says nothing about whether the phone is [carrier-locked](https://esimradar.com/blog/iphone-unlocked), which is the most common reason a profile installs on capable hardware and then never connects.

So treat it as the first of two checks rather than the only one. Hardware, then lock.

## If your phone has one

Then every travel plan on this site will install on it. [Install before you fly](https://esimradar.com/blog/install-esim), and compare on [price per GB](https://esimradar.com/faq) by [destination](https://esimradar.com/country).

## Common questions

### How do I find my EID?

Dial \*#06# and look for it beside the IMEI. On iPhone it is also in Settings → General → About; on Android, under About phone and then SIM status.

### What is the difference between an EID and an IMEI?

The EID identifies the eSIM chip, the IMEI identifies the handset. Both are permanent. A carrier wants the IMEI for an unlock; a provider wants the EID to prepare a profile.

### Is it safe to share my EID?

Yes, with a provider that asks. It identifies hardware rather than entitlement and cannot be used to install or take a plan. Guard the activation code instead.

### My phone has no EID. Can I still use an eSIM?

No. The chip is physical and cannot be added by software. A rented hotspot or a local physical SIM are the alternatives.

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