Buying an iphone in a different country.
If i buy an Iphone here in Canada, it should work when i return to my country right? (New Zealand)
yeah but the country you live in wont replace it if its needed, you can get it serviced but not replaced
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also make sure its your carrier lots of carriers wont unlock them
thank you! for the information. but what do you mean by carrier?
You need to make absolutely sure that the phone is not locked to a Canadian carrier (carrier is the company you have to sign up to to get your telephone service).
You also have to be aware that you will have no warranty cover. The warranty is not international. If the iPhone requires repair, you will have to return it to Canada. Apple Canada will then only return itbto a Canadian address.
Why are so many people intent on buying an iPhone in a different country to where they live and intend using it?
I don't dare mention details like import taxes, VAT (if you have that) or the alternative of smuggling charges... :-)
You will need to buy the device direct from Apple that has no affiliation with a carrier, like Rogers for instance, so that the phone will accept any network SIM.
A word of warning, "no contract" or "no subsidery" does not mean it hasn't been locked to a carrier it just means that you will pay the full price but still be tied to a carrier.
The Canadian Apple store seems to sell SIM free iPhones, meaning any network SIM card can be used. However check with the network that you want to use your new iPhone with is an iPhone supplier because with the new iOS 5.1 update networks that do not support the iPhone won't work with the iPhone and also you will need a micro SIM too, you can no longer simply cut your mini SIM down to the same size
ha ok i understand. thank you very much, i will make sure of all that. I'm thinking of buying it here because the iphones and ipods and things are all more expensive in the other countries, well in my country anyway.
You might reconsider if you ever have to pay the price of a replacement phone if yours gets a hardware fault.
That's because if different rates of tax. Just remember that you may have an allowance of how much stuff you can buy in a foreign country and not have to declare to your local customs when you come back into your own country.
Although people often don't declare their items that go way above that allowance it is not advisable because if customs at the airport decide to randomly check you and you have items that are above the allowance they can seize them from you, fine you or both.
And like it has been pointed out to you already you will have to send the phone back to Canada for repairs and when it gets shipped back you may be stung for local import taxes
yes they are all good points. thank you very much. i will consider them all
Good luck on it
Why do I feel your mind was made up before you asked the question? đ
Hi, Tonefox,
right now im in UAE, i am planning to buy Iphone 5s in Singa because i heard iphones in middle east countries lacks facetime app, plus the UMTS or frequency bands of Singapore/UK/Australia apple product is better than iphone products here.
please shed me some light here. my worries is that UAE apple may not cover the warranty of Singa products.
as you mention there. warranty is not international.
Warranty for iPhone purchased in Singapore will not be honored anywhere
but Singapore.
Posts on various fora indicate UAE has begun blocking FaceTime for
some (not all) users who purchased their iPhones outside of UAE;
as always, YMMV.
Buying an iphone in a different country.