I'm in France for work. My old iPhone keeps dying and it is time for a new one. Is it possible to purchase a US phone (US warranty etc.) to have shipped overseas, and to set it up here?
Another option would be to have new phone delivered to friend who is coming this week to visit. Could they bring new phone with them, and I would then set it up here?
I'm a verizon customer
Apple won't ship it internationally or to a known freight forwarder. If you set that up separately, you'll likely be denied warranty service outside the USA, and for an iPhone 14 or above, would need to have a carrier which provides eSIM support.
(247241)
Apple won't ship it internationally or to a known freight forwarder. If you set that up separately, you'll likely be denied warranty service outside the USA, and for an iPhone 14 or above, would need to have a carrier which provides eSIM support.
(247241)
No, you cannot order a US phone from the US to be shipped to you in France. Apple doesn't ship internationally. If you want a US phone, you can have someone in the US, buy it for you and ship it to you. But you won't have warranty on it in France. And you need to know if the carrier you use in France supports eSim as all US sold new iPhones are dual eSim only. If you do have someone who can buy the phone for you and ship it to you, make sure they ONLY buy it from Apple exclusively. ONLY Apple sells unlocked iPhones. If they say, but I can get a great deal from a carrier, it will be locked to that carrier.
The short answer is best if your friend takes it too you, there’re duty taxes on imported products from outside the EU and the cost of shipping and an insurance because it could get ‘lost’. If you’re staying in France for a short period it’s ok because the warranty/Apple Care+ won’t work in France, if you’re staying in France for a long period of time like years, best buy a French iPhone and reselling it before going back to the US
You can get one locked to Verizon if you won't be using it with another carrier; if Verizon unlocks it, you still won't be able to use it with a different USA one.
lobsterghost1: Apple still sells iPhone SE and 13 models with physical SIM card slots in the USA.
(247242)
You should be able to set it up there without issue. Apple has never offered the option to buy a US phone from outside the US. Or for that matter any country to another country (within the EU excepted). Doing so would cause a warranty nightmare. iPhones are sold regionally and regionally means the phones are different to suit the requirements of the country they will be used in.
lobsterghost1 and Niel--thank you both. I currently use my Verizon phone here. Service is just fine. Do I need to buy unlocked phone or can I just buy it as a Verizon phone, send to friend, and have them send it?
Apologies for being clueless. Lost without this phone and obviously don't want a French phone.
You're right Niel. I should have added that iPhone 14 and 15 models are dual eSim only. I forget Apple still sells SE and 13, but aren't sure why someone would want a phone released at least 2 years ago?
This is really helpful. So the plan (thanks you both of you) is to buy new phone, ship to friend, who then ships to me.
Last question (with more apologies for know nothing about this): I can then unbox it and set it up here without issue, right? There's no reason why that would be an issue so long as I have wifi access. (This seems logical to me, but I'm completely lost why Apple doesn't provide some version of this service: order US phone and pick up or deliver to non-US addresses)
Thank you again. Really reassuring.
Thank you!
You're welcome and good luck!
Buying US iPhone while in Europe (France)
