Verizon unlock policy: unlocked when paid off (no 60-day wait since January 2026), Prepaid after 365 days
In short
Verizon unlocks your phone once it is paid in full: at once with a secure payment method, 35 days later with a Verizon Gift Card. Prepaid phones unlock automatically after 365 days of paid and active service (checked on October 29, 2026, Verizon).
On this page
This site is not affiliated with Verizon; we sell eSIMs. How we compare
Staying on Verizon abroad? TravelPass runs on your Verizon line, so the lock does not get in the way (Verizon roaming). The lock matters once you add a travel eSIM from another carrier. Before you buy one, check Is my phone unlocked? and Does my phone support eSIM?.
What is Verizon’s unlock policy now?
The Verizon unlock policy page, “Updated: February 18, 2026”, sets no wait for a paid-off phone. A secure payment method unlocks it at once; a Verizon Gift Card delays the unlock by 35 days (checked on October 29, 2026, Verizon policy).
In Verizon’s words: “A secure payment method is required to unlock a device immediately when paying the full device balance.” The Verizon unlock on payoff is an automatic unlock, tied to the device payment. And it lasts: “Once a device is unlocked, Verizon will never re-lock it.”
The Verizon unlock rules, side by side:
| Verizon postpaid | Verizon Prepaid | |
|---|---|---|
| Wait | None once paid in full | 365 days of paid and active service |
| Payment | The full device balance, by a secure payment method | No device-balance term; the service has to be paid |
| Verizon Gift Card | Unlock delayed by 35 days | Not mentioned |
| How the lock comes off | Automatic | Automatic, unless the phone is deemed stolen or purchased fraudulently |
Deployed military have their own rule. You can suspend the line, and the phone unlocks after 60 days of activity in good standing.
Worked example (our arithmetic): you pay off your phone with a Verizon Gift Card on November 1, 2026 and fly on December 10. The 35 days end on December 6, four days before the flight. Pay with a secure payment method instead, and the page says the unlock is immediate.
What changed in January 2026 (FCC DA 26-43)?
Since January 12, 2026, Verizon follows the CTIA industry code instead of the old 60-day rule. That comes from an order of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), DA 26-43, which waived the unlock rule for Verizon (checked on October 29, 2026).
The order waives section 27.16(e), the FCC’s handset unlocking rule, as it applies to Verizon. A 2019 partial waiver had let Verizon lock handsets for 60 days. That 60-day lock is the old rule.
The new terms cover handsets that become active on Verizon’s network from the day after the order’s release. They last “until such time as the Commission decides on an appropriate industry-wide approach for the unlocking of handsets”.
The same order covers the unlock commitment Verizon made when it acquired TracFone. For Straight Talk, Tracfone and Total Wireless, see their unlock guide. Visible runs on Verizon’s network but sets its own rule: Visible.
One Verizon page still disagrees. Its Samsung eSIM transfer article says phones bought from Verizon are “unlocked 60 days after purchase” (Verizon Samsung article). That conflicts with the policy page, so we follow the policy page. If someone at Verizon quotes 60 days, point to the policy page.
The Verizon unlock policy against the rules around it:
| What it says | What it is |
|---|---|
| Paid in full unlocks; a Gift Card adds 35 days; Prepaid after 365 days | Verizon’s own policy, updated February 18, 2026 |
| The 60-day rule waived for Verizon; Verizon follows the CTIA code | An FCC order of January 12, 2026, in effect until the FCC picks an industry-wide approach |
| Postpaid: unlock once the contract, financing or fee is settled. Prepaid: no later than one year after activation | An industry code, not an FCC rule: the FCC names Verizon among carriers that “have voluntarily agreed to abide by” it (FCC 24-77) |
| All carriers would unlock 60 days after activation | A 2024 proposal, not in force |
Source: Verizon policy · FCC DA 26-43 · FCC describes it · FCC 24-77.
Verizon Prepaid phones
A phone bought from Verizon Prepaid stays locked until you complete 365 days of paid and active service. Verizon then removes the lock automatically, unless the phone is deemed stolen or purchased fraudulently (checked on October 29, 2026, Verizon).
Verizon counts paid and active service, not calendar days alone. The CTIA code sets its prepaid limit at one year after activation, “consistent with reasonable time, payment, or usage requirements”, as the FCC describes it.
Flying before day 365? Check what your Prepaid plan includes abroad: Verizon’s roaming options.
How to get a Verizon phone unlocked and check it
On postpaid, the unlock comes with the payoff. Pay the full device balance with a secure payment method, and Verizon’s page says the phone unlocks at once. If you fly within 35 days, leave the Gift Card out (checked on October 29, 2026, Verizon).
- Pay off the device balance with a secure payment method, not a Verizon Gift Card.
- Check the lock. On an iPhone, “No SIM restrictions” next to Carrier Lock means it is unlocked (Apple). The taps, and the Samsung and Pixel checks, are in the lock check guide.
- Still locked after payoff? Make a Verizon unlock request by contacting Verizon. Apple says only your current carrier can unlock an iPhone.
Apple adds that the carrier “might take a few days” to finish a request. The CTIA code gives carriers two business days to respond, as the FCC describes it; that is the code, not a Verizon promise. So ask at least a week before you fly.
Locked out by a forgotten passcode? That is a screen lock, not Verizon’s carrier lock: screen lock vs carrier lock.
Unlocked: adding a travel eSIM next to your Verizon line
Once Verizon lifts the lock, you can add a travel eSIM for data and keep your Verizon line on. Apple’s rule for using another carrier abroad: your iPhone “cannot be locked to a carrier” (Apple).
Your US number stays on your main line, and most of our plans are data only; check the plan’s calls/SMS fields. With both lines on, Apple says you might still incur roaming fees from your home eSIM.
Your own Verizon number needs an unlocked phone too. Verizon’s page says so for moving a line to a new eSIM phone in the My Verizon app (Verizon eSIM FAQs). More on locked phones: what carrier-locked means.
Next: install your eSIM, then choose a country plan.
Frequently asked questions
Did Verizon change the unlock policy?
Yes. Since January 12, 2026, Verizon follows the CTIA industry code instead of the old 60-day rule, under FCC order DA 26-43. Its policy page, updated February 18, 2026, sets no wait for a paid-off phone; a Verizon Gift Card payment adds 35 days (checked on October 29, 2026).
Can you unlock a Verizon iPhone for free?
Yes, under the industry code Verizon committed to. As the FCC describes the CTIA code, participating providers don’t charge existing or former customers additional fees to unlock an eligible device. That is the code’s wording, not a Verizon price list. Only Verizon can lift the lock on an iPhone, Apple says.
How much is it to unlock a Verizon phone?
What you pay is the device balance. Verizon unlocks a postpaid phone once it is paid in full, at once with a secure payment method. A Verizon Gift Card adds 35 days. For the unlock itself, under the CTIA code Verizon follows, participating providers don’t charge existing or former customers additional fees.
When does Verizon unlock prepaid phones?
After 365 days of paid and active service. Verizon says it then removes the lock automatically, unless the phone is deemed stolen or purchased fraudulently. Flying before day 365? Check what your Prepaid plan includes abroad.
Sources checked: Verizon: device unlocking policy · Verizon: Samsung eSIM transfer · Verizon: eSIM FAQs · Apple: check if your iPhone is unlocked · Apple: travel eSIM and carrier lock · FCC order DA 26-43 · FCC: cell phone unlocking · FCC 24-77 proposal.
Sources are linked in the text. Carrier terms change: for your own plan, check with Verizon.
Change log
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| October 29, 2026 | Facts checked on Verizon’s and the FCC’s pages; first version |
Unfamiliar term? See the eSIM glossary.
Not sure how much data to take? Work it out from your trip length and how you use your phone.