Buying an iphone for a relative in the philippines.

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Gifting - Shopping Help - Apple

https://www.apple.com/shop/help/gifting

Gifting Outside of the U.S.

You can send gifts to a friend or family member residing in Mexico, 15 countries in Europe, and four countries in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand). Shop online at the appropriate international Apple.com site to place an order with a U.S. credit card.

Or for fast, easy ordering and expert advice in your language, just call 1-866-910-6558. Sales and customer service assistance is available during the following hours:

• Mexico: 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific time (Mon - Fri)
• Europe: 12:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pacific time (Mon - Fri)
• Southeast Asia: 6:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Pacific time (Sun - Fri)

You can purchase a phone, however they will not ship it to the Philippines. They will ship it to you. However, you need to ensure that you purchase an unlocked phone from Apple, and the warranty of the device is only good here in the US, so the device would have to be shipped back to you to bring to an Apple store. They cannot ship it to Apple in the US. Also, the device may not support all of the LTE bands in the Philippines. That is what happens when you purchase a device in a country where you do not intend to use it. It is generally better to purchase in the country of use when possible.