How can foreign investors obtain Korea’s Mobile Residence Card?

Eligible registered foreign residents can use an IC physical card or verify their identity at an immigration office. The routes differ when a phone needs replacing.

South Korea · Policy & practice

15 October 2026

After a phone change, IC-card holders can verify and reissue with their card. Older-card holders must revisit an immigration office for QR verification. Eligibility conditions apply.

Sources: [1] · [2] · [3]Checked: 15 October 2026

Korea’s Mobile Residence Card is available to eligible registered foreign residents and includes permanent residence cards. An investor must first complete the relevant registration and obtain the physical document; the mobile version is not a separate immigration route.[1]

The service began on 10 January 2025. This article checks current instructions as of 15 October 2026, rather than presenting the launch as new.

Eligibility starts at age 14

The immigration service specifies registered foreign residents in Korea aged 14 or older, using one smartphone registered in their own name.[1][2] Eligible family members therefore need their own credentials.

For F-2 or F-5 investor households, first check that the physical card has been issued and that identity details can be matched during verification. This is a preparation step, not an additional visa category.

An IC card and an office QR code offer different routes

With the newer IC physical card, applicants can install the official mobile ID app, read the card and verify their identity. Holders of older cards can instead bring the physical document to an immigration office and complete the QR-code procedure.[1][3]

The distinction matters after changing phones. IC-card holders can reissue the mobile credential using the card; older-card holders must revisit an immigration office for QR verification.[3]

Manage the credential and permission to stay separately

The immigration service describes the mobile card as having the same legal validity as its physical counterpart, with uses including public offices, financial institutions and hospitals.[2] That should not be read as automatic renewal of immigration permission or replacement of international travel documents.

If a phone is lost, report it through the official mobile ID website to lock access, then follow the appropriate reissue route.[2] Keep a separate household record of residence expiry dates and travel-document details.

Official sources

This article provides general information, not individual legal, tax or investment advice. Applicable rules and the competent authority’s assessment govern each case.

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