bank · 4 min read
How to Verify a Telebirr Receipt (Step by Step)
Complete guide to verifying Telebirr (Ethio Telecom) transactions. Reference number format, geo-blocking workarounds, and free verification with cheki.
Telebirr is Ethio Telecom's mobile money service and the most widely used digital wallet in Ethiopia. Verifying Telebirr receipts is simpler than CBE because you only need the transaction reference number, no account number required.
What you need
- Transaction reference number (required), e.g. DET8FJGUJ4 or CHQ0FJ403O
- That's it. No account number needed.
Telebirr reference number format
Telebirr transaction references start with a 2-3 letter prefix followed by 6-8 alphanumeric characters. The reference is sent via SMS to both the payer and receiver after each transaction.
| Prefix | Transaction type |
|---|---|
| DET | Person-to-person transfer (most common) |
| CHQ | Cheque-related transaction |
| DAB | Bank account transfer |
| DEL | Merchant payment |
| ADQ | Other transaction types |
Step-by-step verification
Get the transaction reference
Ask the customer for the reference number from their Telebirr SMS or app. It starts with a 2-3 letter prefix like DET, CHQ, or DAB.
Enter it in cheki
Open chekiapp.vercel.app, select Telebirr from the bank dropdown (or just paste the reference, cheki auto-detects Telebirr from the prefix).
Click Verify
cheki fetches the receipt from Telebirr's public endpoint at transactioninfo.ethiotelecom.et/receipt/{REFERENCE}
Review the result
You'll see the payer name, receiver name, amount, and transaction date.
Verify directly in the Telebirr app
Telebirr also has its own built-in verification feature. If you have the Telebirr app installed, you can verify a payment without using any third-party service.
Open the Telebirr app
Log in to your account.
Tap Accounts
Accounts is on the bottom right of the app.
Find Verify Payment
Scroll to the bottom of the list. You will see a 'Verify Payment' option.
Enter or scan the transaction
Tap it and either enter the transaction reference number or scan the QR code from the receipt.
See the result
Telebirr will show the payment details directly from their own system.
Official verification
This is the official Telebirr verification path. It checks against Ethio Telecom's own records, so it works even if third-party services are geo-blocked.
Geo-blocking and how to handle it
Telebirr blocks non-Ethiopian IPs
Telebirr's receipt endpoint blocks all requests from IP addresses outside Ethiopia. If cheki's hosted server can't reach Telebirr, you'll get a fallback URL to open the receipt directly in your browser.
If you're in Ethiopia, verification works smoothly. If you're outside Ethiopia:
- Use the 'Receipt URL' tab and paste the full Telebirr receipt URL. Your browser will fetch it directly using your Ethiopian IP if you're on an Ethiopian network.
- Self-host cheki with Docker on an Ethiopian server for reliable server-side verification.
- Use the Python library from a machine with an Ethiopian IP address.
Verifying via API
curl -X POST https://chekiapp.vercel.app/api/verify \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"bank":"telebirr","reference":"DET8FJGUJ4"}'If the server is geo-blocked, the response includes a fallbackUrl field:
{
"success": false,
"error": "Our server can't reach this bank...",
"fallbackUrl": "https://transactioninfo.ethiotelecom.et/receipt/DET8FJGUJ4"
}What the receipt contains
- Payer name
- Payer Telebirr number
- Credited party name (receiver)
- Credited party account number
- Amount in ETB
- Transaction date and time