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My Verizon

Activate Phone

Here's what you'll need to activate your phone:

  • Cell Phone Number
  • Billing Zip Code
  • Order Number found on your customer receipt (in your phone shipment)
  • Last 4 digits of account holder's social security number
  • ESN/MEID of the phone you are activating
Before you activate your phone, you may want to backup your contacts. Learn More

Fields marked with asterisk (*) are required.

What is this
All mobile devices are identified by an Electronic Serial Number (ESN) or a Mobile Equipment Identifier (MEID), which are typically found in the back of the handset after removing your battery. See example at right.

Finding your ESN/MEID:

  • Remove the cover and battery from the back of your phone.
  • Find the phone's serial number. Need help

    • ESN in decimal is represented by 11 numbers, e.g. 22404596915
    • ESN in hexadecimal, or HEX, is represented by 8 characters that are numbers and letters, e.g. E0462B3
    • MEID is always hexadecimal, represented by 14 characters that are numbers and letters. The first digit is always A-F.

    ESN/MEID Tips:
    Don't confuse the letter O with the number 0 (zero). It is always zero. Remember only letters A-F are in an ESN/MEID.

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Backup Contact List

Before you activate your new or existing phone, make sure you download your contacts to Backup Assistant.
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