Mobile ID cards to become available for Korean nationals overseas

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min (fourth from left) poses with participants of a meeting hosted by the Ministry of Interior and Safety after launching mobile identification cards for overseas Korean nationals, Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Mobile identification cards for South Korean nationals with permanent residency overseas were to start being issued Wednesday to help them use domestic administrative services that require personal identification, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said the same day.

The ministry hosted a meeting Wednesday regarding the new service with the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government, the Overseas Korean Agency and Korean nationals living overseas to officially launch the mobile ID card service and to hear various opinions and concerns from them.

According to the Interior Ministry, many Korean nationals living out of the country have complained of difficulty using public services while abroad, as most require a Korean phone number for verification purposes. Because of this, the ministry found that there were several Korean expatriates who had to pay monthly phone bills to maintain phone numbers in Korea just for personal verification purposes.

However, with the introduction of mobile ID cards, the ministry anticipates that the service will help Korean nationals abroad use online services that require personal identity verification, even without a Korean phone number.

To issue mobile ID cards, Korean nationals residing overseas must apply through their respective diplomatic offices. Mobile ID cards for overseas Korean nationals will be issued through the ministry's Mobile Identification application, available for download worldwide.

As of Wednesday, seven diplomatic offices based in countries including China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia and in cities such as Los Angeles, Auckland and Sao Paulo are currently taking applications to issue the identification cards. Fourteen more diplomatic offices will begin to issue the ID cards by Aug. 1 and the service will soon expand to all diplomatic offices abroad by the end of this year.

According to the Interior Ministry, Korean nationals living abroad can use mobile ID cards to issue government certificates and official documents through the government’s online portal, Government 24 and 365 Overseas Korean Portal. The ministry also plans to develop and make adjustments to laws and relevant systems so that the ID cards can be used for other private services, such as opening bank accounts.

“We believe that the recent launch of mobile ID cards will help resolve many inconveniences Korean nationals overseas face when accessing digital services based in Korea,” said Commissioner Lee Key-cheol of the Overseas Korean Agency during Wednesday’s meeting. “The Overseas Korean Agency will continue to listen to the opinions and concerns of Koreans living abroad to help provide more digital services that can help to satisfy their needs.”

Meanwhile, mobile ID cards were first introduced by the Interior Ministry in 2022, as part of the government’s basic e-government plan to help Korean nationals verify their identities conveniently and safely using mobile identification cards. In 2022, the mobile driver’s license was issued through the ministry’s Mobile Identification Card application and the mobile national veterans registration card began to be issued in 2023. Additionally, a ministry official also confirmed to The Korea Herald that it planned to release mobile ID cards for foreign residents in Korea by the first half of 2025.

A sample photo of a mobile identification card for Korean nationals overseas (Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government)

By Lee Jung-joo(lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com)