Resolution on Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Resident Registration Act
Issued from the 27th of Next Month... Visit Resident Centers, etc.
Only One Mobile Phone... Reissuance Required Every 3 Years
The era of mobile resident registration cards is opening. Even without carrying a physical resident registration card, identity verification will be possible by storing the card on a mobile phone. If you possess a resident registration card embedded with an IC (integrated circuit) chip, you can easily reissue it even if you change your mobile phone.
On the 26th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that ahead of the enforcement of the amendment to the "Resident Registration Act," which provides the basis for issuing mobile resident registration cards, a partial amendment to the "Enforcement Decree of the Resident Registration Act," which stipulates detailed matters delegated by law such as issuance procedures and security measures, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the same day.
Example image of a mobile resident registration card. Provided by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety
Accordingly, starting from the 27th of next month, citizens aged 17 or older who have been issued a resident registration card can additionally apply for a mobile resident registration card, and both the mobile and physical resident registration cards can be used together.
Applications can be made by visiting the Eup/Myeon/Dong community service center and scanning a one-time QR code generated for issuing the mobile resident registration card. In this case, the card can be issued immediately upon application, but if the mobile phone is changed, the community service center must be visited again.
There is also a method to replace the physical resident registration card with one embedded with an IC chip. This is a way to directly issue a mobile resident registration card without visiting the Eup/Myeon/Dong community service center. The resident registration card embedded with an IC chip is a newly introduced physical resident registration card for issuance convenience, and it can be issued including the IC chip when applying for the resident registration card.
Those who possess a resident registration card embedded with an IC chip can generate a mobile resident registration card by touching the card to their mobile phone. Even if the mobile phone is changed, as long as the IC chip-embedded resident registration card is possessed, reissuance of the mobile resident registration card is possible without visiting the community service center. In particular, those receiving their resident registration card for the first time will be able to receive the IC chip-embedded resident registration card free of charge, starting with those first issued a resident registration card in 2025.
The government has applied various security technologies such as blockchain and encryption to the mobile resident registration card to prepare against personal information leakage and fraudulent use. The mobile resident registration card can only be issued on one mobile phone registered under the individual's name and must be reissued every three years to apply the latest security technologies. In case of loss of the mobile phone, the validity of the mobile resident registration card will be suspended to prevent theft and personal information leakage.
To ensure the stable introduction of the mobile resident registration card, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has selected some local governments to operate a pilot issuance period for about two months starting from December 27. The selected areas include Sejong, Hongcheon-gun in Gangwon, Goyang-si in Gyeonggi, Geochang-gun in Gyeongnam, Seo-gu in Daejeon, Gunwi-gun in Daegu, Ulju-gun in Ulsan, Yeosu-si in Jeonnam, and Yeongam-gun in Jeonnam. Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min said, "Since the first issuance of the physical resident registration card on November 21, 1968, the resident registration card has been steadily improved, and after about 56 years, it has innovated for the first time by moving away from the physical form to the mobile resident registration card," adding, "We will identify and supplement areas for improvement during the pilot issuance so that all citizens can use the mobile resident registration card safely and conveniently."
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