Ireland is a small market with a complicated record history: O2 Ireland was absorbed by Three, Eir has its own core, and Vodafone Ireland is separate from Vodafone UK. ComReg requires free unlocking on request, which makes the free route genuinely useful — but only if you are the account holder.
The activation policy is held against the IMEI by the Irish operator. Legacy O2 Ireland devices are released through the Three Ireland record.
No code for an iPhone.
The phone is not damaged and it is not stolen by default: the manufacturer holds an activation policy against the IMEI that names the carrier the device may activate on. Until that record changes, every other SIM is refused at activation — Wi-Fi keeps working, which is why a locked handset can look perfectly healthy in a shop.
ComReg requires Irish operators to unlock devices free of charge on request. The device must be paid off and not reported, and the request must come from the account holder.
Legacy O2 Ireland records are handled by Three Ireland.
The current wording is always on the carrier’s page: ComReg (Ireland) — consumer rules.
Second-hand Irish devices and legacy O2 handsets are the usual paid cases — the brand may no longer exist on paper, but the record does. The Irish tier targets it.
| Service | Price | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland Eir | Meteor | E-mobile Unlock - Samsung, Motorola & Generic | $19 | Samsung · Ireland |
| Ireland Eir | Meteor | E-mobile Unlock - All iPhones Test | $20 | Apple · Ireland |
| US AT&T Unpaid Semi Premium Unlock - iPhone Air | $189 | Apple · AT&T · United States |
| US AT&T Semi Premium Unlock 100% Success - iPhone 17 Series | $285 | Apple · AT&T · United States |
4 services in this guide. Prices are live; sign in for volume pricing.
Yes, ComReg requires it on request.
Three Ireland holds the record.
Yes, through the paid tier.
Yes.
A separate record.
Last checked 2026-10-28. Carrier rules are summarised from the operators’ own pages; where a rule has changed since, the operator’s page wins.