ICCID number: what it is and how to find it
Updated on 14 October 2026
The ICCID is the unique serial number of a SIM card. It is usually 19 or 20 digits long, starts with 89 and is printed on the card. You can also read it in your provider's console, in a phone's settings, or from a tracker or modem with an AT command.
What ICCID stands for
ICCID is short for Integrated Circuit Card Identifier. Its format is set by ITU-T recommendation E.118, so SIM cards from every operator follow the same layout.
Each card has its own. Most ICCIDs are 19 or 20 digits long, and some cards use up to 22.
How an ICCID number is built
Read from left to right, an ICCID breaks down into five parts:
- 89, the telecom industry identifier, which every ICCID starts with
- a country code of 1 to 3 digits
- the issuer identifier, meaning the operator or provider that issued the card
- the card's individual number
- a final check digit, calculated with the Luhn algorithm
What an ICCID looks like
Put together, you get a number like 89 33 01 XX XXXX XXXX XXXX, with the real digits masked here. The spaces are only there to make it easier to read.
The check digit lets software catch a typing mistake when someone copies the number by hand. If a console rejects an ICCID you just entered, check it digit by digit before looking for another cause.
How to find your SIM card's ICCID
Where to look depends on what you have in front of you: the card, the device, or a login to the provider's console. A soldered MFF2 chip, or a SIM sealed inside a housing, has no label you can read, so in that case go through the console or the device.
- On the SIM card itself, or on the plastic holder you pushed it out of.
- In your operator's or provider's console. In the Atlas M2M console, every SIM shows its ICCID.
- On a phone, in Settings under About or SIM status. The *#06# code shows the phone's IMEI, not the ICCID.
- On a tracker or modem, with an AT command or an SMS command (covered in the next section).
Reading the ICCID from a tracker or modem
Cellular modules accept AT commands sent from a serial port or terminal. The ICCID is usually returned by AT+CCID or AT+ICCID. Which one works depends on the module, and the manufacturer's AT command manual will tell you.
With a GPS tracker, an SMS command is often the easiest route. The exact text varies from one model to the next and is listed in the tracker's manual. Keep the reply, since you will need it to find the card in the console later.
ICCID, IMSI, MSISDN and EID compared
These four identifiers often appear side by side in a console or a datasheet. Each one refers to something different:
- ICCID: the physical card, one number per card.
- IMSI: the subscriber on the network, up to 15 digits. A multi-IMSI SIM holds several IMSIs under a single ICCID.
- MSISDN: the line's phone number.
- EID: the chip of an eSIM (eUICC), 32 digits long. The chip can hold several profiles, each with its own ICCID, so the EID stays the same while the active ICCID changes when you switch profile.
Why the ICCID matters in an IoT fleet
In a fleet of trackers or sensors, the ICCID ties the card to the device and to the provider's records. You use it to activate or suspend a SIM and to locate one when a device stops reporting. It also tells you which card sits in which unit.
Record each card's ICCID when you install it, next to the device's serial number or IMEI. When a tracker drops offline, you will know straight away which line to check.
In the Atlas M2M console, typing the last few digits of an ICCID, phone number or EID brings up the SIM. From its page you can activate it, suspend it or send it an SMS.