IMEI1, IMEI2 and the EID: Which Number to Use
A dual-SIM phone shows you three or four identifiers. Only one kind is used for a status check.
Dial *#06# on a modern phone and you get a list, not a number. A dual-SIM handset carries a separate IMEI for each radio identity it can present to a network, so IMEI1 and IMEI2 both appear, and on eSIM models an EID appears alongside them. None of this is a fault or a sign of tampering — it is what the hardware genuinely has.
The roles are worth keeping straight. Both IMEIs identify the same physical handset, one per radio path; the EID identifies the embedded SIM chip soldered into the phone; an ICCID identifies one downloaded plan on that chip; and IMEI-SV is just an IMEI with a two-digit software-version suffix instead of the check digit. Lock, blacklist and warranty lookups are all keyed to an IMEI. Entering an EID or ICCID will return nothing, because those numbers describe the subscription side, not the device.
For a buyer the useful subtlety is which IMEI a registry holds. When a phone is reported lost, stolen or unpaid, the reporting party submits the number they have — overwhelmingly IMEI1, the one printed on the box and shown first on screen. A check on IMEI2 alone can therefore come back clean on a handset whose IMEI1 is flagged. Ask for both, check both, and treat a seller who will only show you the second number as a question you have not finished asking.
The same *#06# screen is also a cloning test. Every IMEI a phone reports should be internally consistent: they share the same eight-digit TAC, because they belong to the same model, and they should match the numbers on the original box. Two IMEIs from visibly different model families on one handset is not a dual-SIM quirk — it is re-flashed firmware, and it is a reason to stop.
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Common questions
Which IMEI should I check on a dual-SIM phone — IMEI1 or IMEI2?
Check IMEI1 first, because that is the number registries almost always hold, and it is the one printed on the box. Both belong to the same handset, so the device and warranty answers match either way, but a blacklist report is filed against a specific number and IMEI1 is the usual one. Where you can, run both.
Why does my phone show two IMEIs?
Because it has two radio identities. A physical-SIM plus eSIM phone, or a two-slot phone, presents a separate IMEI for each path so that networks can tell the two lines apart. It is normal on almost every flagship sold since about 2018 and has nothing to do with the phone's history.
Is the EID the same as an IMEI?
No. The EID identifies the embedded eSIM chip inside the phone — the piece of hardware that holds downloaded plans — while the IMEI identifies the device to cellular networks. Status checks need the IMEI; entering an EID will return nothing because the registries are not keyed on it.
Can IMEI1 be blacklisted while IMEI2 is clean?
It happens, and it is the reason to check both. The block follows the number that was reported, so a database that holds a report against IMEI1 may say nothing about IMEI2 even though they are the same handset. Carriers generally act on the device once they notice, but a checker can only report what the registry holds.
Does an eSIM-only phone still have an IMEI?
Yes, and often two. The IMEI belongs to the radio hardware, not to a plastic card, so removing the tray changes nothing. Dial *#06# and every IMEI the handset holds is listed, and any of them is valid for a lookup.
Should the two IMEIs look similar?
They usually share the first eight digits, the TAC, because both belong to the same model, and they are often consecutive or close in the serial range. Two IMEIs with completely different TACs on one handset suggests the firmware has been rewritten.