When SMS codes are expensive for your country or mobile operator, the official Telegram apps may ask you to buy Telegram Premium to finish logging in or signing up — this is part of Telegram's own login, not a scam. If you already have an account, you can usually get the code without paying: in Telegram on another device where you're logged in, by scanning a QR code from that device, or by email if you set up a login email. A new account has no other device, so it gets only the methods Telegram offers on the code screen or the paid option. Once you're in, Telegram itself — and the free bots below — work without Premium.
Checked:
On this page
Why Telegram asks for Premium
| What Telegram's documentation says | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | Instead of sending the login code, the official app offers a Telegram Premium subscription; the screen shows the price and how many days of Premium you get | [2] |
| Why | SMS verification codes are expensive for your country or mobile operator, so the user must buy Premium to continue logging in or signing up | [2] [1] |
| Which apps | Only the official Telegram apps can receive this request | [1] |
| Which countries | Telegram doesn't publish a list of countries or operators |
Pay only inside the official Telegram app. Telegram's login has no step where you pay a website or a person, or send them your code.
You already have an account: get the code without paying
| What Telegram's documentation says | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram on another device | If you're logged in on another phone, tablet or computer, the code comes there as a message from Telegram | [1] |
| QR code | Telegram Desktop and the web version can show a QR code; scan it with the phone where you're already logged in, and you're in without a code | [3] |
| Login email | If you have set up a login email, the code is sent to it | [1] |
| Another method on the code screen | When the time on the code screen runs out, the app may offer another way: a call, an SMS or a different code type — Telegram chooses which | [1] |
| Telegram Desktop | The paid request is described for official apps; Telegram's docs say non-mobile official apps may log in with any of the other code delivery methods | [1] |
You're creating a new account
| What Telegram's documentation says | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Why it's harder | A new account isn't logged in anywhere, so the code can't come in Telegram and there's nothing to scan a QR code with | [1] [3] |
| What's left | The methods Telegram offers on the code screen (try again later or from Telegram Desktop), or the Premium subscription it offers to finish signing up | [1] [2] |
| If you pay | You get the number of Premium days shown on the screen; after that the account stays a normal free Telegram account | [2] |
Bots that work without Premium
Everyday things people buy Premium for — or do by hand — are free in these bots. They work in any chat, without Premium and without installing anything.
- @TranscribeVoiceBot: voice messages and round video notes to text — the transcription Telegram gives without limits only with Premium, free here for 30 minutes a day, in groups too. Open in Telegram: @TranscribeVoiceBot
- @MakeVideoNoteBot: any video to a round video note, a round video note back to a normal video, video to MP3 or a GIF. Open in Telegram: @MakeVideoNoteBot
- @StickerMakerFromPhotoBot: a photo or a video to a sticker in your own pack, background removed automatically. Open in Telegram: @StickerMakerFromPhotoBot
- @PhotoToPdfMakerBot: photos to PDF, merge and compress PDF, Word to PDF. Open in Telegram: @PhotoToPdfMakerBot
Frequently asked questions
Is it a scam when Telegram asks me to buy Premium to log in?
Not if it's inside the official Telegram app: Telegram's documentation describes this step for countries and operators where SMS codes are expensive. It is a scam if a website or a person asks you to pay them or to send them your login code.
Can I log in to Telegram without buying Premium?
If you already have an account, usually yes: open Telegram on another device where you're logged in and take the code from the message there, scan a QR code from Telegram Desktop or the web version, or use your login email if you set one up.
Can I create a new Telegram account without Premium?
Only if Telegram offers another way to get the code on the code screen — for example after the timer runs out; Telegram Desktop may get other code methods too. A new account has no other device to receive the code on. Otherwise Telegram offers a short Premium subscription to finish signing up.
Do I need Premium to use Telegram after logging in?
No. Telegram works without Premium. Bots like @TranscribeVoiceBot even give you Premium-only things for free, such as turning voice messages into text.
Which countries are affected?
Telegram doesn't publish a list. Its documentation only says it happens when SMS codes are expensive for the user's country or mobile operator.
Sources
- User authorization (Telegram API) — https://core.telegram.org/api/auth
- auth.sentCodePaymentRequired (Telegram API) — https://core.telegram.org/constructor/auth.sentCodePaymentRequired
- Login via QR code (Telegram API) — https://core.telegram.org/api/qr-login
Checked: