Mexico is a different unlock world. Telcel and Movistar both run policies keyed to the IMEI, but the practical blocker is usually not the network — it is the fact that a huge share of Mexican handsets are sold on instalment plans and resold before the plan finishes. Telcel in particular keeps a tight record, so a phone that looks clean in a marketplace listing is often still financed.
The lock is an activation policy against the IMEI, released by the carrier. Most iPhones in Mexico are server-side locked; older Samsung and Motorola handsets may still use an NCK code.
Telcel's prepaid and postpaid records are separate, and the "paid off" state has to show on the postpaid record before the carrier will release.
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.
Telcel and Movistar publish the standard conditions: the device must be paid off, the account in good standing, the IMEI not reported, and the request made by the account holder. Releases are applied to the IMEI, and iPhones never receive a code.
Where the device is locked to a Mexican network but sold abroad, the record is still Mexican — a US or European unlock service will refuse it.
The current wording is always on the carrier’s page: Telcel support.
Financed devices and second-hand handsets are the bulk of the market, which is exactly the case the paid tiers exist for. They submit the IMEI against the Mexican record and are refunded if the carrier refuses.
| Service | Price | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Spain Movistar Unlock - All iPhones | $0.50 | Movistar · Spain |
| Mexico Movistar Unlock Code 80% Success Rate - Samsung, Motorola, Google Pixel & Generic | $1.90 | Samsung · Movistar · Mexico |
| Mexico Telcel Unlock Out of Contract - All iPhones | $3 | Telcel · Mexico |
| Mexico Movistar Unlock Code Premium - Samsung, Motorola, Google Pixel & Generic | $7 | Samsung · Movistar · Mexico |
| Mexico Movistar | Telefonica Unlock Out of Contract - All iPhones | $10 | Movistar · Mexico |
| Remove Mexico Movistar APP Pay Lock | $22 | Movistar · Mexico |
6 services in this guide. Prices are live; sign in for volume pricing.
The release has to be submitted against the Mexican record — pick a Mexico tier.
Free route: days. Paid tiers: minutes to hours.
Yes, it is written against the IMEI.
Different record — see the Mexico AT&T guide.
Yes.
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.