Starting from the 14th, the issuance of mobile resident registration cards will be expanded nationwide. It has been three months since they were issued in some local governments like Sejong in December last year.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Digital Platform Government Committee announced on the 13th that applications for mobile resident registration cards will be accepted at community centers in Seoul, Busan, and Gwangju starting from the 14th.
A mobile resident registration card is a legal identification card issued on an individual's smartphone. It holds the same legal validity as a physical resident registration card and can be used in government offices, banks, airports, hospitals, and more. Its characteristic is that it minimizes the exposure of personal information compared to the existing physical resident registration card. For example, the current resident registration card presented to verify age when purchasing tobacco or alcohol exposes the resident registration number's back digits and addresses, but the mobile resident registration card can display only the name and date of birth.
The government has been issuing mobile resident registration cards on a trial basis in nine locations, including Sejong and Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province, since December 27 last year. The region was then expanded to Daegu, Daejeon, and Ulsan in February this year, and now it has been expanded nationwide.
Mobile resident registration cards can be applied for and obtained at the community center of the basic local government where the registered address is located. Starting from March 28, applications can be made at all community centers nationwide and online, regardless of the registered address.
There are two methods for issuing mobile resident registration cards. One can receive a mobile identification card using an IC resident registration card, or obtain it by scanning a QR code with a smartphone without an IC resident registration card. Both methods require the installation of an application.