reacondi
ESEN
Menu

To see the IMEI, dial *#06# on the phone. To check its status, use Checa tu IMEI, OSIPTEL's public service, which tells you whether the IMEI is registered as stolen, lost or unblocked after recovery. Since 22 April 2024, importers must register the handsets they import in RETMIEF, a register inside RENTESEG. If you buy the phone in a shop in Peru, the shop must register it on the white list. If you bought it abroad, you register it with your carrier. The blocking is real. OSIPTEL blocks stolen phones immediately and blocks phones with an altered IMEI in batches.

How do you see a phone's IMEI?

The IMEI may appear on the device, on the box and, sometimes, on the payment receipt.

  • Dial *#06# on the keypad. OSIPTEL says this is how to look it up, and the IMEI appears at once, with no call.
  • In the settings. On iPhone, Settings > General > About. On Android, Settings > About phone, or a similar path depending on the brand.
  • On the physical label, under the battery on devices with a removable battery, or on the SIM tray.
  • On the box and, if it carries one, on the payment receipt.

If you buy at a distance, ask for the IMEI in writing before paying. A seller who will not give it does not deserve your money. A dual SIM device has two IMEIs, and it is worth checking both.

What to compare

Compare the device's IMEIs (the one from *#06# and the one in the settings) with any printed on the box and on the receipt. If the device has two SIMs, compare both. If you see a difference, ask the seller to explain it in writing before deciding. If the answer does not convince you, read your rights when buying refurbished, because in Peru there is no general right to return an online purchase.

How do you check an IMEI with OSIPTEL's Checa tu IMEI?

Open checatuimei.renteseg.osiptel.gob.pe and type the IMEI. It checks one IMEI at a time. According to the service page on gob.pe, it tells you whether that IMEI is registered as stolen, lost or unblocked after recovery. The same page describes three block categories.

  • Invalid IMEI. An IMEI whose code does not appear on the GSMA's world list, the global association of mobile operators.
  • Altered IMEI. A code that does not match the one the manufacturer assigned.
  • Substandard device. Devices bought legally but whose IMEIs are not registered with the GSMA. The page says these phones are prohibited in Peru.

Three limits of the check.

  • It does not replace the account lock test or the carrier lock test. Those are checked with the device in your hand.
  • It works by IMEI, not by model. You cannot check a phone before you have its number.
  • We did not try it with any IMEI, so we do not describe what screen shows the result.

What are RENTESEG and the white list?

RENTESEG is OSIPTEL's register of mobile devices. Its white list, according to OSIPTEL, "is an official register of phones authorised to work in Peru". The same FAQ warns that if your device is not on the list "you could receive a warning message and, if you do not regularise the situation, your phone could be blocked". Who registers depends on where you bought it.

  • Importers. Since 22 April 2024, all importing companies must register their mobile devices in RETMIEF, the register of imported, assembled and manufactured handsets.
  • Phones already in service before that date. They were added to the white list automatically.
  • Bought in a shop in Peru. OSIPTEL says you should go to the shop and insist that it registers the device, and that it is legally obliged to do so. If it does not comply, you can file a complaint or a report with INDECOPI.
  • Bought abroad after 22 April 2024. Go to your carrier and ask for it to be registered.

We could not confirm whether a phone that is merely unregistered is blocked today. OSIPTEL's April 2024 note said devices activated without being registered would get an alert and would not be blocked "for the moment". The April 2026 one describes blocks of devices that are not on the list and also have an altered IMEI history. Treat an unregistered device as a device at risk.

Can my phone be blocked?

Yes. In April 2024 OSIPTEL said every phone reported stolen is blocked immediately on all mobile networks in the country. On 14 April 2026 it reported that the progressive blocking of 360,000 phones that are not on the white list and are linked to the use of an IMEI altered by reflashing was continuing, in three stages of 120,000 devices on 14, 21 and 28 April. According to that note, with that group the total would reach 960,000 phones blocked between January and April 2026 and more than 3.5 million since April 2025. Carriers have a maximum of two business days to tell their subscribers.

OSIPTEL explains that reflashing lets someone change a phone's IMEI to hide its origin and put stolen devices that were already blocked back into circulation. Blocks go out in batches, so a device that works today could be caught in a later batch. That is why it pays to check the IMEI before you pay, not after.

MTC homologation

Besides the IMEI, the MTC homologates the device model. According to the MTC, "every device that enters the country must be homologated to operate normally". Phones, tablets and smartwatches that are imported or bought online need the MTC homologation certificate (Decreto Supremo 019-2019-MTC, in force since 24 July 2019), with two conditions. A letter from the manufacturer about the cell broadcast system, and a TAC, the first eight digits of the IMEI, that matches the GSMA database.

The MTC has a lookup at she.mtc.gob.pe where you type the brand and model. A script got a 403 error on 1 October 2026, so we did not build a table of homologated models. We also did not confirm whether a used phone resold inside Peru needs its own certificate, or the exemption for travellers' phones that some summaries mention.

What do I do with a phone bought abroad?

Before paying, ask whether the phone is already registered and who registered it. If you buy it yourself abroad, OSIPTEL says you must go to your carrier to register it. We could not confirm what documents each carrier asks for or how long it takes, so ask yours.

This matters when buying refurbished, because some offers come from sellers abroad. On Falabella Peru, 26 of the 70 sellers we reviewed are foreign companies from China, Hong Kong and the United States, and on the offers we sampled most show no warranty. Decreto Legislativo 1729 requires providers with no address in Peru to keep at least one email address for questions, complaints, exchanges and returns.

What the IMEI does not tell you

A clean IMEI is necessary, but not sufficient.

  • Activation Lock (iPhone). Third-party pages that claim to check it by IMEI have no confirmed accuracy. The reliable test is to erase the device and confirm that on startup it does not ask for someone else's Apple ID.
  • FRP (Android). Factory Reset Protection ties the device to the previous owner's Google account. Factory reset and confirm it does not ask for someone else's Google account.
  • Carrier lock. A device that accepts the SIM of only one carrier is locked. Try a SIM from another carrier.
  • Network compatibility. A clean IMEI does not say whether the phone uses your carrier's bands. The 4G bands we could confirm are in Chinese, American or European iPhone.

How to run these tests with the device in your hand is in what to check when it arrives.

Carriers and 5G

The four carriers with their own networks are Claro, Movistar (which the MTC calls Integratel), Entel and Bitel. OSIPTEL regulates the service and the MTC assigns the spectrum. For 5G, the MTC signed 3.5 GHz concession contracts with Bitel, Claro, Entel and Integratel (Movistar) on 12 February 2026. We could only verify live 5G for Movistar, which advertises 5G coverage zones on its page. Entel shows a 5G layer on its coverage map. We could not confirm live 5G for Claro or Bitel. A 5G phone works on 4G in Peru.

Before you pay

  • Ask for the IMEI and the model number in writing.
  • Ask whether the device is on the white list and who registered it. If you buy in a shop in Peru, it is the shop.
  • Check the IMEI in Checa tu IMEI.
  • If the device comes from abroad, ask who handles the registration.
  • If something does not add up, complain to the shop first and then to INDECOPI.

Sources

The OSIPTEL and MTC rules and blocking figures were read on 1 October 2026 and change. We do not know whether a device is blocked today merely for being unregistered. The part on Activation Lock and FRP is carried over from Reacondi's equivalent guide and was not re-verified against a Peruvian source. None of this replaces advice from a Peruvian lawyer.