Starting last Friday, foreign national residents in South Korea can apply for digital ID cards through the Mobile IDentification App, available for both iPhone and Android devices.
Foreign residents aged 14 and over who own a smartphone under their name can get the mobile ID card. The digital card carries the same legal validity as the physical card and can be used in places such as public institutions, hospitals and convenience stores to verify one’s identity.
Here are two ways one can apply for a mobile residence card.
Visit immigration office
After visiting the immigration office covering where you live, users can receive the digital version of their residence card after scanning a QR code at the immigration office through the Mobile IDentification App.
According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, this process is “quick and relatively easy,” allows for immediate issuance and is free of charge.
However, if one switches their phone to a different device or decides to redownload the mobile ID application after deleting it, they will be required to make another visit to the immigration office to repeat the above process.
Tap IC chip-enabled ID card on smartphone
Physical residence cards issued after Jan. 1 this year will be embedded with an integrated circuit chip that allows card carriers to tap their cards directly on their smartphone after installing the Mobile IDentification App.
Foreign residents, even those who are already in possession of a residence card issued before Jan. 1, can sign up to receive their IC chip-enabled ID cards by registering at the immigration office covering where they live.
However, unlike the option to scan a QR code, one will have to wait up to two weeks to receive their IC chip-enabled ID card and will have to pay a fee of 35,000 won ($24) to issue the card.
After receiving the IC chip-enabled ID card, users can then tap their ID card onto their smartphone after downloading the Mobile IDentification App and receive their mobile residence card that way.
Provided they have an IC chip-enabled ID card, the mobile ID can also be reissued through this same tap process if a user switches devices or needs to redownload the mobile ID card app after deleting it.
