Is my phone locked? Check in 30 seconds
A network lock (also called a carrier lock or SIM lock, all the same thing) is a setting on the handset that only accepts SIMs from the network that sold it. It is put there by Three, Vodafone, Eir and Tesco Mobile on the phones they sell. It has nothing to do with the PIN on your SIM or the passcode on your screen.
- iPhone. Settings → General → About → scroll to Network Provider Lock (older iOS: Carrier Lock). “No SIM restrictions” means unlocked. Anything else means locked.
- Android. Borrow a SIM from another network and restart. “SIM not supported”, “Enter SIM network unlock PIN” or “Network locked SIM card inserted” means locked. Some Samsungs also show a lock status under Settings → Connections → More connection settings.
- Any phone. Dial
*#06#to get the 15-digit IMEI. You need it for every unlock form below. Write it down before the old SIM dies.
Three’s form asks you to test with a non-Three SIM first. Sky’s help page lists the same three error messages. If the other SIM just works, stop reading and go pick a plan: best SIM-only in Ireland.
Three Ireland: free after the minimum term, €130 of top-ups on prepay
Three publishes a full unlocking policy. The request goes through three.ie/unlock-my-phone or Three Care on 1913. You enter your Three number and the IMEI.
| Three customer | Condition | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bill pay, minimum term finished | Account not suspended by Collections | Free |
| Bill pay, still inside the term | Pay “the total of all the monthly charges still remaining” first | Remaining months of your plan |
| Prepay | At least €130 topped up on the account, not counting bonus credit | Free once you hit €130 |
| Ex-O2 accounts (Three Ireland Services) | €150 of top-ups since the device was linked; bill pay needs no overdue balance | Free |
Timing. Three keeps codes on file and says most arrive “within 3 working days”, with an update within 2 working days on whether it needs to go to the manufacturer. Its per-brand sheet says up to 3 working days for Apple and up to 14 working days for Samsung and Alcatel.
iPhone vs Android. iPhones get no code. Apple flips the lock and you restore or insert the new SIM. Samsung and other Android phones prompt for the code as soon as a foreign SIM goes in. Three says if its code fails it will walk you through it, then a store, then its repair partner, and will swap the mainboard free if all else fails. Rooted or jailbroken phones come back locked.
We found no statement from Three that phones sold after a particular date ship unlocked. Its policy still opens with “Three devices are locked to the Three Network”. Treat a Three-bought phone as locked until the test SIM says otherwise. Our Three review covers the plans.
Vodafone Ireland: 12 months or €200, NAC via TOBi or My Vodafone
Vodafone calls the code a NAC, Network Access Code. There are three ways in: ask the TOBi chat to unlock your device, My Vodafone → Device & SIM → Unlock your phone, or the NAC request form. Stores and 1907 will point you to the same places. Vodafone’s bill-pay page says plainly: “No, there is no charge to unlock your phone.”
| Vodafone customer | Condition | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Bill pay | Phone bought from Vodafone Ireland; 12 months on bill pay or €200 spent; nothing outstanding | 1 request per 3 months, 3 per year |
| Pay as you go | Phone bought from Vodafone Ireland; €120 topped up between each request | Same limits |
| TCL, Pixel 5, Xiaomi, Redmi, Oppo | Sold unlocked by Vodafone Ireland | No request needed |
Timing. iPhones “within 7 days”, Android “up to 20 days”. TOBi hands over an Android code straight away if you qualify; for iPhones it files the request with Apple.
The Clear shortcut. Vodafone states that a Vodafone-locked phone is “compatible with Clear Mobile, and do not need to be unlocked”. So if the goal is €12.99 on Vodafone radio, a locked Vodafone handset plus a Clear SIM works today. A 48 or GoMo SIM will not. See our Vodafone review for the plan side.
Eir: form request, reply in 10 working days, iPhones done by Apple
Eir’s devices support page says the “quickest and easiest method” is the Unlock a mobile form under Help & Support → Forms. You give the make and model, the IMEI and the eir number that was used in the phone. Eir checks that the IMEI was linked to a number on its network, then “we will aim to contact you within 10 working days” by email.
- Apple. “Apple handsets will be automatically unlocked by apple upon request.” You get an email saying it is done, no code, then sync or restart.
- Everything else. The code comes by email and you type it in with another SIM inserted.
- Cost. The support page lists no fee. Eir’s mobile terms (February 2026, clause 5.5) say “A Charge may apply for unlocking your handset”. We could not find a published figure, so budget for a possible charge inside the minimum term and expect free once it is done.
- Eligibility. Eir does not publish months or top-up thresholds the way Three and Vodafone do. Community reports put it at the minimum term on bill pay and a period of use on prepay. Ask on 1901 if the form is rejected.
Same radio, no lock: GoMo is Eir’s own SIM-only brand, but an eir-locked phone is still locked, and GoMo cannot unlock it for you. Plans compared in our Eir review.
Tesco Mobile: the fourth locker
Tesco Mobile sells handsets and locks them, even though it rides on Three radio. Its help centre sets the rules: bill pay unlocks free once the minimum term is complete; prepay needs “a minimum of €150” topped up or 9 months active. Request it by chat, 1903, or 1749 from the Tesco phone. Tesco logs the request within 24 hours and says the code can take “up to 21 working days” depending on the model. Enter it wrong more than three times and the phone may hard-lock, which is a paid repair.
Who sells unlocked phones, and who sells no phones at all
Most of the cheap Irish SIMs never lock anything because they never sell a handset. That is the quiet advantage of no-contract SIM-only over a handset plan. The table lists every retailer we track, its host radio, and what its phones do.
| Retailer | Radio | Sells phones? | Lock status | Cheapest plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Three network | SIM-only (refurbs via Refurbed) | Nothing to unlock. Refurbed partnership phones are sold unlocked. | €10.99 |
| Clear Mobile | Vodafone network | No, SIM-only | Nothing to unlock. A Vodafone-locked phone already works on Clear. | €12.99 |
| GoMo | Eir network | No, SIM-only | Nothing to unlock. | €12.99 |
| Sky Mobile | Vodafone network | Yes | Unlocked. Sky says its devices “come already unlocked”. | €10 |
| Virgin Media | Three network | No, SIM-only | Nothing to unlock. | €15 |
| Vodafone | Vodafone network | Yes | Locked. Free unlock after 12 months or €200 spend; PAYG after €120 of top-ups. Some brands ship unlocked. | €15 |
| Tesco Mobile | Three network | Yes | Locked. Free after the contract term; prepay after €150 of top-ups or 9 months. | €10 |
| Three | Three network | Yes | Locked. Free unlock after the minimum term; prepay after €130 of top-ups. | €14 |
| Lycamobile | Eir network | No, SIM-only | Nothing to unlock. | €4.99 |
| Eir Mobile | Eir network | Yes | Locked. Form request, reply within 10 working days. T&Cs say a charge “may apply”. | €14.99 |
| An Post Mobile | Vodafone network | No, SIM-only | Nothing to unlock. | €12.99 |
Sky Mobile is the exception among handset sellers. Its Irish help page says “Sky Mobile devices come already unlocked so you don’t need to make a request to unlock one”, and it points customers with a locked phone back to eir, Three or Vodafone.
Apple, Samsung, Google and the big retailers (Harvey Norman, Currys, DID, Argos-style sellers) sell SIM-free phones. SIM-free means unlocked. The lock only exists where a network subsidises the handset.
Refurbished. Swappie says all its iPhones are unlocked. 48’s partnership with Refurbed sells unlocked handsets, and Refurbed’s iPhone listings describe them as unlocked. Back Market is a marketplace, so check each listing for “unlocked” or “SIM-free” before you buy. Typically a refurbished phone from an Irish or EU refurbisher is unlocked; a phone from DoneDeal or Adverts is whatever the seller’s network left it as.
Your rights: what ComReg actually says
ComReg’s switching page is short and clear: “At the end of your fixed term contract, you can have your phone unlocked free of charge when you request a mobile unlock code.” It adds that this “can take a few days to organise so it’s best to ask in advance of your switching date.”
Its unlock-codes note says providers must set out in the contract any restriction on the handset and any cost-recovery terms. “Typically after the minimum contract term of 12, 18, or 24 months any restriction on the terminal equipment will be removed, free of charge, when requested by the consumer.”
The EU rule behind that is Article 105(6) of the European Electronic Communications Code: once the contract is up, or compensation for the handset is paid, the provider must lift any restriction on using the device on other networks, free of charge. Ireland transposed the Code in 2022 and ComReg enforces it. Two things it does not do: it does not force a network to unlock a phone inside the minimum term for free, and it does not set a deadline in days. So Three’s “pay the remaining months first” and Vodafone’s 20-day Android window are both within the rules.
If a network refuses after the term is done, complain to the provider in writing first, then to ComReg’s consumer line. Keep the IMEI, the account number and the date of the request.
Third-party IMEI unlockers: why we do not recommend them
Search “unlock Three iPhone” and the first screen is paid IMEI services promising a code in hours for €20 to €60. Three things to know before paying:
- Three’s terms say that during your agreement you “must not permit your device to be unlocked via any unauthorised manner”. That is a breach of contract, not a criminal matter, but it is a reason for Three to refuse help later.
- Apple lifts iPhone locks only at the carrier’s request. A third party “unlock” on an iPhone is either a reseller submitting your request to the same network, or something that does not last past the next iOS update.
- Eir, Three and Vodafone all need the IMEI to match a number that was on their network. Feed the IMEI to a stranger and you have handed over the one thing that identifies your handset for blocklisting.
The official route is free or nearly free once you qualify. Wait the days.
Unlocking is not cancelling
Unlocking the handset and ending the plan are two separate requests, and you can do one without the other. If you are inside a 24-month phone contract, the unlock code gets your phone working on another SIM, but the direct debit keeps going until you cancel. Cancelling early triggers the remaining charges, which is exactly what Three uses as its mid-term unlock condition.
Order of operations that works:
- Request the unlock from the old network while the old SIM is still live. Keep that SIM in the drawer; you need it for the port.
- Order the new SIM. Cheapest rolling picks: 48 vs GoMo vs Clear, all €12.99.
- Once the phone accepts the new SIM, port the number. The new provider leads: how to switch mobile.
- Settle any early-termination balance on the old plan. Figures and the 14-day cooling-off rule: early termination fees.
eSIM does not bypass a lock. A locked iPhone rejects a Three eSIM profile the same way it rejects a Three plastic SIM. Who sells eSIM: eSIM in Ireland.
