What is an EID on a phone?
The EID is the 32 digit identifier of the eSIM chip built into your phone. Here is how to find it, why an operator asks for it, and how it differs from the ICCID and the IMEI.
An EID (eUICC Identifier) is the serial number of the eSIM chip inside your phone. There is one per phone, it is set in the factory, and it never changes no matter how many eSIMs you install or delete.
What the chip actually is
The piece of hardware is called an eUICC, which stands for embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card. It is a secure chip soldered to the board, and its job is to hold SIM profiles that arrive over the internet instead of being handed to you in a plastic card.
The EID is how that chip is addressed. When a provider prepares an eSIM for you, the profile can be locked to one specific EID, so it can only be installed on your phone and on no other.
How to find it
The fastest way works on almost every phone: open the phone app and dial *#06#. A panel appears with the IMEI, and on a phone that supports eSIM it also shows the EID, often as a long number with a QR code under it.
If it is not there:
- iPhone: Settings, General, About, then scroll down. The EID sits below the IMEI.
- Android: Settings, About phone, then SIM status or IMEI information, depending on the manufacturer.
If your phone shows no EID anywhere, it almost certainly has no eSIM chip, and a travel eSIM will not install on it.
Why someone asks for it
Three common reasons:
- A carrier is provisioning a profile for you. Some operators, especially when transferring a home number to an eSIM, lock the profile to one EID.
- You are proving the phone supports eSIM. The presence of an EID is the proof.
- A profile will not install and support is checking what the phone reported. The EID tells them which device tried.
An EID on its own is not sensitive the way a password is, but it identifies your specific device, so treat it like a serial number rather than something to post publicly.
EID, ICCID and IMEI
They are easy to mix up, and support staff ask for the wrong one often enough that it is worth keeping straight:
- EID, 32 digits: the eSIM chip. One per phone, permanent.
- ICCID, 19 or 20 digits: one SIM profile. A new eSIM means a new ICCID.
- IMEI, 15 digits: the phone as a device. Used by networks to block stolen handsets.
A phone with two active eSIMs has one EID, two ICCIDs, and usually two IMEIs.
Quick answers
How many digits is an EID?
- It is longer than both the IMEI, which is 15, and the ICCID, which is 19 or 20, so the length alone usually tells you which number you are looking at.
Does the EID change if I delete an eSIM?
No. The EID belongs to the chip, not to the profiles on it. You can install and delete eSIMs all year and it stays the same.
My phone shows no EID. What does that mean?
Almost always that the phone has no eSIM support, so it needs a physical SIM. A small number of phones hide the EID until a profile is installed, but if the eSIM option is missing from Settings as well, the phone cannot take one.
Is the EID the same as the EID number on a QR code?
The QR code shown next to the EID in Settings simply encodes that same number, so it can be scanned instead of typed. It is not an activation code and it will not install an eSIM.