Does a factory-sealed non-activated iPhone 5s have to be unlocked by AT&T (the original planned carrier) before the phone can be activated on a different carrier?

Thanks again for your fast reply.

I previously received information from other people about "unlocking fees" that AT&T charges. This whole topic is quite confusing.

I'll call AT&T today and verify that I understand everything correctly now.

I've read everything I could find online, but the online "unlock" descriptions don't address my case where the phone is new, sealed in the box and never activated.

Thanks for your additional comments.

The phone was purchased directly from AT&T, but at the usual "contract price" -- not the full retail price of many hundreds of dollars.

It was a gift that I never used. Thus, it's still factory sealed.

I'd like the next owner to receive it as a factory-sealed new phone, thus I'd rather not open the phone and retrieve the IMEI number. I also don't want to connect it to iTunes. There is no need to restore it since it's still new.

I have the original purchase/shipping slip. On one line it says "IMEI ESN" but does NOT have any numbers or characters following. I can't see any 15-digit IMEI number on any paperwork.

My problem is that I'd like to gift or sell the sealed phone, not use it. I'm trying to ensure that the next owner can use the phone on any compatible network.

It looks like the next owner might have to request the unlock from AT&T. But, I don't see how that will work if the new owner is a customer on a different carrier.

Thanks for your comments.

I'm still an AT&T customer -- I just never used this particular iPhone 5s.

This means I'm not cancelling a contract early and there ought not be an early-termination penalty.

At first glance this ought to be a simple matter, but it keeps growing complex on paper. I'm simply trying to let someone else use the sealed iPhone 5s.

If that person is an AT&T customer, I know there will be no problems.

If that new owner uses another carrier, I hope I can get AT&T to unlock the phone for free.

I suspect I won't know for sure until I go to an AT&T store and talk enough salespeople until I get the same answer from three of them. 😕

Thanks for your fast response.

Do you know any other way to unlock the phone for less money? I've heard that AT&T charges a hefty unlocking fee.

Thanks!

That was simple -- I'm embarrassed.

I assumed the box had only product numbers and no codes specific to this particular phone.

Thanks. See my comments on the next response.

I appreciate your help.