# Telegram asks for Premium to log in or sign up: why, and how to get the code

By [HandyBots team](https://handybots.tools/en/about/)  · Checked: November 9, 2026

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: 2026-11-09

## On this page

- Why Telegram asks for Premium
- You already have an account: get the code without paying
- You're creating a new account
- Bots that work without Premium
- Sources

## 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**](https://handybots.tools/en/bots/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](https://t.me/TranscribeVoiceBot?start=s_web_en_premiumlogin)
- [**@MakeVideoNoteBot**](https://handybots.tools/en/bots/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](https://t.me/MakeVideoNoteBot?start=s_web_en_premiumlogin)
- [**@StickerMakerFromPhotoBot**](https://handybots.tools/en/bots/stickermakerfromphotobot/) : a photo or a video to a sticker in your own pack, background removed automatically. [Open in Telegram: @StickerMakerFromPhotoBot](https://t.me/StickerMakerFromPhotoBot?start=s_web_en_premiumlogin)
- [**@PhotoToPdfMakerBot**](https://handybots.tools/en/bots/phototopdfmakerbot/) : photos to PDF, merge and compress PDF, Word to PDF. [Open in Telegram: @PhotoToPdfMakerBot](https://t.me/PhotoToPdfMakerBot?start=s_web_en_premiumlogin)

## 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

1. [User authorization (Telegram API)](https://core.telegram.org/api/auth)  — https://core.telegram.org/api/auth
2. [auth.sentCodePaymentRequired (Telegram API)](https://core.telegram.org/constructor/auth.sentCodePaymentRequired)  — https://core.telegram.org/constructor/auth.sentCodePaymentRequired
3. [Login via QR code (Telegram API)](https://core.telegram.org/api/qr-login)  — https://core.telegram.org/api/qr-login

Checked: 2026-11-09

Source: https://handybots.tools/en/guides/telegram-asks-for-premium-to-log-in/