Home > National > Social Affairs

Gov't to begin expanded rollout of digital ID cards for Koreans

Published: 09 Feb. 2025, 17:36 Updated: 09 Feb. 2025, 18:37

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

A person holds up a mobile device displaying an electronic copy of a residence registration card at a community center in Gunwi County, Daegu, in December last year. [YONHAP]

Koreans will be able to have a digital copy of their resident registration card on their mobile devices starting next month, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Sunday.

The measure comes as an expansion of the ongoing pilot program that allowed residents in nine regions to have electronic copies of their resident registration, replacing the need for physical plastic cards.

So far, residents in Hongcheon County in Gangwon, Goyang in Gyeonggi, Geochang County in South Gyeongsang, Seo District in Daejeon, Gunwi County in Daegu, Ulju County in Ulsan and Sejong, as well as Yeosu and Yeongam County in South Jeolla, were able to download digital copies of their resident registration from last December.

The first phase of expansion will enable Koreans whose legal addresses are in Daegu, Daejeon, Ulsan, Gangwon, provinces of Jeolla and Gyeongsang and Jeju to have the digital version of their resident registration ID starting Friday.

Gyeonggi, Incheon and the Chungcheong provinces will be included in the second phase of expansion to begin on Feb. 28. The third and last phase — scheduled to launch on March 14 — includes metropolitan cities with large populations, such as Seoul, Busan and Gwangju.

Starting March 28, Koreans aged 17 or older will be eligible to apply for an electronic version of their resident registration card regardless of their legal address.

Koreans possessing older versions of their ID cards without IC chips are required to visit their local community service centers to scan a QR code necessary to download the mobile ID. The service will be free of charge.

Those holding a residence registration card embedded with an IC chip can download their digital ID through a mobile application called Mobile IDentification App. When an applicant taps their physical ID card to their mobile device, a digital copy will be issued automatically.

Koreans can replace their old plastic ID cards with IC chip embedded cards by submitting applications at a community center and paying 10,000 won ($6.85). However, those who haven't ever received a plastic residence registration card will not have to pay the fee.

Mobile IDs are equivalent to the physical ID cards. They can be presented at government offices, financial institutions and hospitals to confirm users’ identities.

“The mobile ID will improve public convenience in online services in accordance with the digital era,” said Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]