Mobile residence card in Korea: can I get one without visiting immigration?
I am from Vietnam and have worked at a factory in Ansan on an E-9 visa for three years. I still carry the older residence card I got when I first arrived. Pulling out the physical card at the bank or the hospital every time is a hassle, so I would like to have it on my phone instead.
My phone is a budget (MVNO) plan opened in my own name. Can I issue the mobile card straight from the app with my current card, or do I have to go to the immigration office in person on a weekday? Factory shifts make weekday visits hard for me.
1 Answer
No. With an older residence card that has no chip, you need to visit an immigration office once. The app-only route is only for the newer IC residence card, which has an electronic chip built in. The good news is that it is a single visit; after that the card lives on your phone.
The Ministry of Justice has issued mobile residence cards since January 10, 2025. Any registered foreign resident aged 14 or older is eligible, including holders of a permanent residence card or a domestic residence report card. The mobile card has the same legal effect as the physical one, so you can show it as ID at public offices, banks and hospitals.
With an older card, the steps go like this. Install the Mobile ID app (모바일 신분증) on your phone first. At your local immigration office, fill in the application form and have your identity checked with your current card; the counter will then show you a QR code. Scan that QR code with the app, complete the face verification in the app, and the mobile card is issued. With a newer IC card there is no visit at all: you tap the card against the back of your phone in the app, enter the card PIN and pass face verification. If the app cannot read your card by tapping, you have the older type.
Since you will be at the office anyway, you can also switch to an IC residence card on the same trip. For that you need your passport, one photo taken within the last 6 months (3.5 x 4.5 cm), proof of your place of residence, and a fee of 35,000 won. The new card is handed over at the office or sent by registered mail. The difference shows up later, whenever the mobile card has to be issued again, for example after you change phones. Holders of the older card must go back to the office and scan a QR code again, while IC card holders only need to tap the card against the phone. If weekday visits are hard with your factory shifts, paying the fee once for an IC card saves you future trips.
A budget MVNO plan is fine as long as the smartphone is opened in your own name, and both Android phones and iPhones work. If you lose the phone, the mobile ID is locked automatically.
Check which office covers your address and whether you need a reservation on HiKorea, and see mobileid.go.kr for how the app works. If any step is unclear, call the Immigration Contact Center at 1345; it answers in many languages. Fees and required documents can change, so confirm them again right before your visit.
Sources: Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice (immigration.go.kr); Mobile ID (mobileid.go.kr)
Last verified: 2026-09-30