TAC: What the First Eight Digits of an IMEI Tell You
Before any database is queried, the IMEI has already named the make and model. Here is how.
| Part | Digits | What it encodes | Can you read it yourself? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting Body Identifier | 1–2 | Which body allocated the code (01 = the North American body, 35 = the British body, 86 = the Chinese body, 91 = the Indian body, 99 = the GSMA directly) | Yes — the first two digits |
| Type Allocation Code (TAC) | 1–8 | The exact make and model variant the handset belongs to | Only against a TAC database |
| Serial number | 9–14 | This individual unit within that model | No meaning outside the manufacturer |
| Check digit | 15 | A Luhn checksum over the first fourteen digits | Yes — any validator computes it |
The IMEI looks like an arbitrary string and is nothing of the kind. Its first eight digits are the Type Allocation Code, issued to a manufacturer for one specific model variant, and every unit of that variant shares them. That is the whole trick behind instant device identification: a checker matches those eight digits against a TAC list and can print "Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max" before it has asked a single network anything.
Digits nine to fourteen are the unit serial within that model, assigned by the manufacturer with no public meaning. The fifteenth digit is a Luhn checksum computed from the other fourteen, which is why a mistyped IMEI usually fails validation instantly rather than returning somebody else's phone. You may also meet a sixteen-digit IMEISV, where the check digit is replaced by a two-digit software version — same device, different suffix.
Inside the TAC, the opening pair is the Reporting Body Identifier — the organisation that allocated the code. 01 points at the North American body, 35 at the British one that historically certified an enormous share of GSM hardware, 86 at the Chinese authority, 91 at the Indian one, and 99 is used for allocations made by the GSMA directly. It says something about where the model was type-approved, and precisely nothing about where your individual phone was sold or is currently being used.
The practical payoff is verification. If the model a report names does not match the phone in your hand, the TAC and the hardware disagree, which is the signature of a cloned or re-flashed number. And if a "valid" IMEI fails its check digit, it was never issued at all — it was invented, mistyped, or copied badly. Both of those are things you can establish yourself, in seconds, before any database gets involved.
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Common questions
What is a TAC number on a phone?
The TAC, or Type Allocation Code, is the first eight digits of the IMEI. It identifies the make and model variant rather than the individual handset, so every unit of the same model shares the same TAC. Device identification in an IMEI report starts by matching those eight digits.
Can I look up a phone model from just the TAC?
In principle yes, because the TAC maps to a model in the allocation database — that is exactly what the device line of a report is doing. In practice a full 15-digit IMEI is worth entering instead: it gets you the model plus the blacklist and lock verdicts, and it validates itself through the check digit.
What do the first two digits of an IMEI mean?
They are the Reporting Body Identifier, naming the organisation that allocated the code — for example 01 for the North American body, 35 for the British one, 86 for the Chinese authority, 91 for India and 99 for allocations made directly by the GSMA. They reflect type approval, not where the phone was sold or is used.
Why do so many IMEIs start with 35?
Because the British certification body allocated codes for a very large share of GSM handsets over decades, including models built and sold everywhere else. A 35 prefix says the model was type-approved through that body — it does not mean the phone is British or was ever in the UK.
What is the last digit of an IMEI for?
It is a Luhn check digit calculated from the preceding fourteen. Its job is to catch single-digit typos and transpositions before they reach a database, which is why a validator can tell you an IMEI is impossible without querying anything.
Do two phones of the same model have the same TAC?
Yes — that is the point of it. Same model variant, same eight-digit TAC; the six digits after it are what make each handset unique. Two phones sharing a full 15-digit IMEI, on the other hand, is cloning.