What EID means on your phone, and where to find it

An EID is a fixed hardware identifier built into your phone’s eSIM chip — not something you generate, choose or type from memory — and for almost every eSIM purchase, you never need to enter it at all. If a form is asking for it right now, the short answer is: check whether you actually need to fill that field before you go hunting for the number.

What an EID actually is

EID stands for eSIM Identifier — a long string, usually 32 digits, burned into the eSIM hardware chip inside your phone at the factory. It identifies the physical eSIM chip itself, the same way an IMEI identifies the physical handset. It never changes, it’s the same whether you’re on your fifth eSIM profile or your first, and no provider can issue you one — it already exists on your device before you buy anything.

It’s worth saying plainly because so many first-time buyers assume the opposite: nobody sends you an EID, and you never choose one. If a website or app is asking you to enter it, it’s reading a number that already lives on your phone, not generating one for you. That single distinction resolves most of the confusion people bring to this page.

Why a form is asking for it at all

The overwhelming majority of eSIM installs — including every Simtegre plan — use a QR code or a one-tap install link, and neither of those needs your EID. A small number of carriers, mostly for postpaid contract lines rather than travel plans, use EID-based provisioning instead, which is where the field shows up. If you’re buying a prepaid travel data plan and see an EID field, it’s worth double-checking you’re not on the wrong flow before digging through settings for a number you probably don’t need.

Where to actually find it, if you do need it

Device	Where to look
iPhone	Settings → General → About, scroll down; or dial *#06#
Android (most brands)	Settings → About phone → Status → SIM status
Samsung Galaxy	Settings → About phone → Status information
Google Pixel	Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → EID

Dialing *#06# from the phone app surfaces both the IMEI and the EID on most devices without opening a single settings menu, and it’s the fastest route if you genuinely need the number for a carrier’s manual provisioning form.

What it isn’t, and why that confusion happens

An EID is not an ICCID — the number that identifies a specific eSIM profile, not the underlying chip — and it’s not an IMEI either, though the three get confused constantly because all three are long numeric strings you find in the same settings menu. The ICCID changes every time you install a new profile; the EID never does. If a support agent asks for “the eSIM number” without specifying which one, it’s worth asking them to clarify — sending the wrong identifier just slows down whatever they’re trying to fix.

The one case where knowing it in advance actually helps

If you’re troubleshooting an eSIM that won’t install and need to escalate to a carrier’s technical support, having your EID ready from *#06# before you call saves a round of “can you check your settings” from the support script. It’s also handy to note if you ever need to prove which physical device an eSIM profile was installed on, though this comes up rarely outside of formal disputes — most travellers will never need to read this number aloud to anyone, on this trip or the next one.

Don’t let one field slow down the purchase

For a Simtegre travel plan, none of this should hold up your checkout — the whole install runs on a QR code or a direct link, generated after purchase, with no EID entry required anywhere in the flow. If you’ve landed on this page mid-purchase worried you’re stuck, check the FAQ for the exact steps, which walk through the actual install end to end without ever asking for this number.

The Simtegre app is built around that same QR-code install, deliberately: buy the plan before you board and install it at home, so there’s nothing left to set up on arrival — no shop counter, no passport shown to a clerk, no manual provisioning form with an EID field on it anywhere in the process.

If you’re setting up before a trip

Getting the eSIM installed correctly matters more than any single field on a form — a profile installed and tested on home Wi-Fi means no surprises at the airport. See current plans for your destination, and if this is your first eSIM, the iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel and Android generic guides each walk through install on that exact device, EID field included where it actually appears.