IMEI blacklist check: GSMA lost-or-stolen database
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A blacklisted IMEI is one that a carrier has reported to the GSMA database as lost, stolen or fraudulent. Carriers around the world share that list, so a phone blocked in one country usually stays blocked on the networks of every carrier that reads it, no matter how clean its SIM lock is. Checking the IMEI before buying a used phone, and before paying for an unlock, is the only way to know.
The GSMA Blacklist Check queries the shared worldwide database and returns the manufacturer, model and GSMA status for the IMEI; registered users can run it within the daily free quota on the Free check page. The GSMA Blacklist Worldwide Pro check adds the Blacklist Status, the General List status and a count of Blacklist Records, the number of reports on file. Both are reports only: nothing is changed on the device.
A clean GSMA result does not cover carrier-internal blocks such as unpaid bills or account locks; those live in the carrier's own database and need the carrier check (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Cricket each have one). When an IMEI is blacklisted by a US carrier, the unbarring services listed below remove the lost-or-stolen report at the carrier and in the GSMA database; they do not SIM-unlock the device and do not clear unpaid balances.
Services on this page
Typical time is the median of completed orders over the last 30 days; “—” means too few recent orders to measure.
Requirements
- The 15-digit IMEI (dial *#06#, or Settings > General > About on an iPhone, Settings > About phone on Android). Any phone with an IMEI can be checked, including Samsung, Pixel and feature phones.
- A registered account: the basic check is part of the daily free quota on the Free check page, the Pro check and unbarring are ordered from the balance.
- For unbarring: the IMEI must be blocked by the carrier the service names (AT&T, Cricket, T-Mobile or Verizon) as lost or stolen. Fraud-flagged devices, blocks from other carriers and IMEIs that are already clean are rejected or consumed, as each service page states.
How it works
- Register and open the GSMA Blacklist Check on the Free check page (daily quota) or order it, or the Pro variant, from the service page.
- Paste the IMEI; the result — manufacturer, model and the GSMA status — arrives in seconds.
- Clean: the IMEI has no lost, stolen or fraud report on file. Carrier-level blocks (unpaid bills, account locks) still need the carrier check.
- Blacklisted: identify the carrier that placed the report (the carrier check tells you) and order the matching unbarring service; allow up to 24 hours after completion for GSMA to show clean.
Frequently asked questions
What does "blacklisted" mean?
The IMEI carries a lost, stolen or fraud report in the GSMA database that carriers share worldwide. Networks that read the list refuse to register the phone, so it shows "No service" or "SOS only" even with a valid SIM. The Pro check reports the status and counts the records on file.
Is the blacklist check free?
The GSMA Blacklist Check is one of the services in the daily free quota for registered users on the Free check page; beyond the quota it is ordered from the balance at the price shown on its service page. The Pro check is always a paid order.
What is the difference between the basic and the Pro check?
The basic check returns the manufacturer, model and the GSMA status of the IMEI. The Pro check returns the model, manufacturer, Blacklist Status, General List Status and Blacklist Records — the number of reports on file — from the worldwide GSMA database.
My IMEI is clean on GSMA but the phone still has no service. Why?
A clean GSMA result does not cover carrier-internal blocks: unpaid bills, account locks and financing holds live in the carrier's own database. Run the carrier check (T-Mobile Pro Check, Verizon Eligibility Check, Cricket Eligibility Check, AT&T clean unlock + status) to see the carrier-level status.
Can a blacklisted IMEI be cleaned?
When a US carrier placed a lost-or-stolen report, the matching unbarring service (AT&T, Cricket, T-Mobile or Verizon) removes it so the IMEI reads clean at the carrier and in GSMA. Unbarring does not SIM-unlock the device and does not clear unpaid balances; fraud-flagged devices and blocks from other carriers are not supported. Allow up to 24 hours for the GSMA database to update.
Does the blacklist check work for Android phones?
Yes. The GSMA database is keyed by IMEI, so Samsung, Pixel, Motorola and any other phone with an IMEI can be checked the same way as an iPhone.
Is a blacklist check the same as a GSX or carrier-lock check?
No. GSX reflects Apple's record of the device (sale, warranty, activation policy, Find My); the carrier-lock check shows which network the phone is locked to; the blacklist check shows whether a carrier has reported it lost or stolen. A phone can be factory unlocked and still blacklisted, or locked and perfectly clean.
Does the check change anything on the device?
No. This is a report only; the device is not unlocked and nothing is changed on it. Results are for reference, and final details are subject to official sources.
The official route
The carrier that placed the block can tell the registered owner why the IMEI is barred and lift it when the report was a mistake or the balance has been settled, and in several countries the regulator or the carriers' association runs a free single-list IMEI lookup. Those routes cost nothing, but each covers one carrier's or one country's list. The GSMA check here queries the shared worldwide database in one request, works in bulk and through the API, and the unbarring services are for a report the carrier itself will not remove.
Other carriers and checks
Create a free account, top up the balance and submit the IMEI. Orders are processed automatically; rejected orders are refunded in full.