Germany has no public database where a private buyer can look up whether a phone was reported stolen. This page explains, with sources, what you can check instead, where the limits are, and how to stay safe when buying a used device.
Anyone buying a second-hand phone wants one answer: is it clean? In Germany that answer is more complicated than most guides admit — and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something.
We run an IMEI checking service ourselves. That is precisely why this page also states what our check cannot do: a lookup is only as good as the database behind it, and the German data situation has gaps no provider can conjure away.
This is the central point and it surprises most people: neither the police, nor the telecoms regulator, nor any network operator offers a database where private individuals could check an IMEI against theft reports. Police records are held in INPOL, an internal system with no public access.
The Bundesnetzagentur — the federal regulator you would expect to be responsible — explicitly says it is not: IMEIs are not treated as a national numbering resource there, and the earlier allocation rules were repealed in 2010. For allocation, the authority points to the GSMA and TÜV SÜD BABT.
So no German state body administers IMEI numbers. What exists is an international block list run by the mobile industry — and it works differently than most people assume.
The GSMA, the global association of mobile network operators, runs the central Block List. Operators add devices reported lost or stolen and share those entries with other networks — which is why a phone blocked in Spain can be unusable in Germany.
Who adds entries matters: the list is populated by network operators, not by authorities. A police report alone does not create an entry. If the victim does not get their operator to block the device, the IMEI stays clean — even though the phone was stolen.
A "clean" result therefore means exactly one thing: this IMEI is not currently on the block list. It is not a certificate of good standing. The GSMA itself puts it plainly in its FAQ and adds that a device may be counterfeit or its identity tampered with.
On data quality the GSMA is equally direct: it provides the data expressly without warranty of any kind and describes itself as merely the operator of the exchange service, not a guarantor of accuracy or currency.
Access to the block list is tiered. The GSMA's access policy defines five classes of user, from law enforcement through commercial entities to the general public.
And the classes see different things: authorities, operators and commercial users additionally receive the date of the entry, the name of the reporting contributor and the reason for the block. The general public sees only whether an entry exists, plus manufacturer and model.
In practice: a dealer can tell whether an entry is from yesterday or three years ago and which country it came from. A private buyer gets a yes or no. That is not an individual provider's choice but written into the GSMA policy — and providers are prohibited from disclosing the contributor name to the general public.
Here the evidence is thin, and we say so openly: Telekom, Vodafone and o2 do not address on their help pages whether they block IMEIs. They explain SIM card blocking only. Claims that German operators do not block IMEIs come from community forums — user posts, not company positions, and we do not cite them as evidence.
What is documented is the Federal Police's statement on locating a device: there is no legal right to it against your own network operator. Anyone wanting a device blocked or located depends on their provider's goodwill.
For you as a buyer this means: do not rely on a phone stolen in Germany reliably appearing on the block list. That is exactly why an IMEI check does not replace the usual precautions when buying second-hand.
Apple devices have a barrier that bites harder than any block list entry: Activation Lock. If it is active and you do not have the previous owner's Apple Account credentials, the device cannot be set up again after a reset.
Apple's advice is unambiguous: do not buy an iPhone with Activation Lock still enabled. Check before handover that the device has been erased and shows the setup assistant — not the previous owner's lock screen.
Worth knowing: Apple's own coverage checker shows warranty and AppleCare status by serial number. Apple does not publicly expose Activation Lock status there. Anyone claiming otherwise is mistaken.
This is why checking is worth it at all. Under § 935 of the German Civil Code (BGB), acquisition of ownership is excluded where the item was stolen from the owner, lost, or otherwise went missing — regardless of whether you bought it in good faith.
In plain terms: if the rightful owner turns up, you must hand the device over. You then have a claim against the seller — who in practice often cannot be found. The money is gone and so is the phone.
So when buying second-hand: keep the receipt, record the seller's details, check the IMEI beforehand. This page is not legal advice — for a specific case, consult a lawyer.
None of these checks is sufficient on its own. Together they rule out most of the risk.
No. Police records live in the internal INPOL system, which private individuals cannot query. The Bundesnetzagentur is not responsible for IMEIs and repealed its allocation rules in 2010. The only checkable source is the GSMA's international block list, which network operators populate.
No. It only means no entry currently exists for that IMEI. A device reaches the list only when a network operator adds it — if the victim reports the theft to the police alone, the IMEI stays clean. The GSMA also provides the data expressly without warranty.
Because the GSMA tiers access into five user classes. Authorities, operators and commercial users additionally see entry date, reporting contributor and block reason; the general public sees only whether an entry exists, plus manufacturer and model. Disclosing the contributor name to the public is prohibited.
There is no official statement from Telekom, Vodafone or o2 — their help pages cover SIM blocking only. What is documented is the Federal Police's note that you have no legal right to device location from your operator. So do not rely on a phone stolen in Germany appearing on the block list.
Not publicly. Apple's coverage checker shows warranty and AppleCare status by serial number, not Activation Lock status. Apple's own advice is not to buy an iPhone with the lock enabled — so check in person that the erased device shows the setup assistant.
Under § 935 BGB you acquire no ownership of a stolen or missing item, even in good faith. If the rightful owner comes forward you must hand the device over; your claim then lies against the seller. This is not legal advice — for a specific case, consult a lawyer.
All content of the MDCD is provided “as is”, without any warranty of any kind and at user's own risk.
The general public is only permitted to view whether a device is on the Block List whereas commercial, law enforcement and government organizations are additionally permitted to view Contributor name and transaction date of each entry.
IMEI werden nicht als nationale Nummernressource betrachtet.
Ein Rechtsanspruch auf eine solche Ortung gegenüber Ihrem Netzbetreiber besteht allerdings nicht.
Der Erwerb des Eigentums auf Grund der §§ 932 bis 934 tritt nicht ein, wenn die Sache dem Eigentümer gestohlen worden, verloren gegangen oder sonst abhanden gekommen war.
Kaufe kein iPhone mit aktivierter Aktivierungssperre.
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