TL;DR — 3 things to know before you download PASS
- Short-term tourists: PASS is simply inaccessible to you. It requires an ARC (Alien Registration Card) and a Korean postpaid SIM registered with that ARC. No tourist qualifies. Don't waste time trying to set it up.
- Screenshots are blocked in PASS — you cannot use a translation app on it. The app uses financial-grade DRM. The screen goes black when you screenshot. This applies to all users, not just foreigners. Navigate by memorizing the Korean UI path.
- Long-term foreign residents with ARC: PASS is possible but requires a precise setup sequence. ARC + postpaid SIM + 48–72 hour waiting period + exact name match. One mismatch and authentication fails silently.
⚠️ Tourist Reality Check
If you're visiting Korea for under 90 days without an ARC card, PASS authentication is unavailable to you.
This means some Korean services that require PASS — certain banking features, specific government portals, some financial apps — are also inaccessible. This is a Korean regulatory constraint, not a bug.
The good news: most things tourists actually need (food delivery, taxis, ticket booking, shopping) don't require PASS. Naver/Kakao account verification or simple SMS verification covers most tourist-facing services. PASS matters primarily for financial and government services that long-term residents need.
This means some Korean services that require PASS — certain banking features, specific government portals, some financial apps — are also inaccessible. This is a Korean regulatory constraint, not a bug.
The good news: most things tourists actually need (food delivery, taxis, ticket booking, shopping) don't require PASS. Naver/Kakao account verification or simple SMS verification covers most tourist-facing services. PASS matters primarily for financial and government services that long-term residents need.
Your Situation — Tourist or Resident?
The PASS picture looks completely different depending on your residency status.
Short-Term Tourist (no ARC)
PASS is not available to you. No workaround exists for the ARC requirement — it's a legal identity document issued only to foreigners staying 90+ days.
What you can still do without PASS: use Kakao T (taxis), use Baemin or Coupang Eats (food delivery) with SMS verification, book trains via letskorail.com, shop at convenience stores, pay at most hotels and restaurants.
What's blocked without PASS: opening a full Korean bank account, accessing some government portals, completing identity verification for financial apps. These limitations affect daily life for long-term residents, but most tourists won't encounter them.
What you can still do without PASS: use Kakao T (taxis), use Baemin or Coupang Eats (food delivery) with SMS verification, book trains via letskorail.com, shop at convenience stores, pay at most hotels and restaurants.
What's blocked without PASS: opening a full Korean bank account, accessing some government portals, completing identity verification for financial apps. These limitations affect daily life for long-term residents, but most tourists won't encounter them.
Long-Term Resident (with ARC)
PASS is possible but requires a specific setup sequence. You need: ARC card + Korean postpaid SIM with ARC linked to your carrier account + 48–72 hour processing wait + exact name match across all documents.
The most common failure: name mismatch between your passport, ARC, and carrier registration. A missing hyphen, a middle name included on one document but not another, or different capitalization will cause silent authentication failure. Check your carrier account's registered name matches your ARC before starting.
The most common failure: name mismatch between your passport, ARC, and carrier registration. A missing hyphen, a middle name included on one document but not another, or different capitalization will cause silent authentication failure. Check your carrier account's registered name matches your ARC before starting.
PASS Access Eligibility Matrix
Who can and cannot use PASS as of June 2026.
| Situation | PASS Available? | Reason / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Korean postpaid SIM + ARC linked | ✓ Yes | Wait 48–72h after ARC linkage; check name matches exactly |
| Korean postpaid SIM + no ARC linkage | ✗ No | Must go to carrier store and request ARC number linkage |
| Tourist prepaid SIM (passport registration) | ✗ No | Prepaid SIMs have no identity data tied to the account |
| Data-only eSIM (Airalo, Klook, etc.) | ✗ No | No Korean phone number + no carrier identity record |
| No ARC (short-term visitor) | ✗ No | ARC is legally required — no alternative exists |
| ARC holder — name mismatch across documents | ⚠ Fails at setup | Fix: visit carrier store, correct registered name to match ARC exactly |
Step-by-Step: PASS Activation for ARC Holders
The exact sequence for foreign residents with an ARC. Do not skip steps or change the order — doing so causes errors that require a reset.
1
Confirm your ARC is issued and valid
You must have a physical ARC card. Applications pending or digital copies are not accepted by PASS. If you haven't received your ARC yet, wait until it arrives before proceeding.
2
Go to a carrier store in person with passport + ARC
Visit a KT, SKT, or LG U+ carrier store (not an MVNO reseller). Bring both your passport and ARC. Request a postpaid SIM plan (후불 유심). If you already have a postpaid SIM, skip to the next step.
3
Request ARC number linkage — say this exactly
Tell the staff: "외국인등록번호 연동해 주세요" (oeh-guk-in deung-rok beon-ho yeon-dong-hae ju-se-yo) — "Please link my foreigner registration number." This is a separate step from opening the account — you must specifically request it. The carrier enters your ARC number into their system.
4
Wait 48–72 hours
The ARC linkage takes 2–3 business days to propagate through the carrier system and connect to the PASS authentication database. Set a reminder — attempting PASS setup before this window completes will fail and may lock your account temporarily.
5
Install PASS and select the Foreigner option
Install the PASS app (패스) from the App Store or Google Play. On the initial setup screen, look for "외국인 (Foreigner)" — it's present but not prominently displayed. Select it. Enter your ARC number and Korean phone number. An SMS verification code is sent to confirm your number.
6
Verify your name matches exactly — this is the critical step
The most common failure: name mismatch. Your name in PASS must match your ARC and carrier account exactly. Check for: capitalization differences, missing/extra hyphens, middle names included or excluded, different abbreviations. If authentication fails, go back to your carrier store and ask them to show you the exact name registered — then correct it to match your ARC.
2025 January update — passport-only verification removed: Before January 2025, some PASS services allowed passport-only verification. This was discontinued — ARC is now mandatory for all PASS functions. If you had PASS working previously without ARC linkage, the system may have silently blocked you. Relink with your ARC following the steps above.
PASS Alternatives — What Foreigners Use Instead
When a Korean service requires identity verification and you can't use PASS, these are your options.
For most tourists
Naver or Kakao Account Verification
Many Korean websites that show a PASS authentication button also offer Naver 로그인 (Naver Login) or Kakao 로그인 (Kakao Login) as alternatives. These don't provide the same level of legal identity verification as PASS but are accepted for most consumer services — shopping sites, app sign-ups, light banking interfaces.
Creating a Naver or Kakao account is possible for foreigners using an email address. Note: Naver accounts created from overseas IP addresses often get suspended — do this after arriving in Korea or via Korean data.
Creating a Naver or Kakao account is possible for foreigners using an email address. Note: Naver accounts created from overseas IP addresses often get suspended — do this after arriving in Korea or via Korean data.
For services requiring financial verification
Joint Certificate (공동인증서)
The 공동인증서 (formerly 공인인증서 / official certificate) is issued by Korean banks after opening a bank account. It is accepted by banking portals, tax sites, and some government services. Requires: a Korean bank account (most banks require ARC for foreigners). After opening an account, request the certificate through your bank's internet banking portal.
For administrative services
In-Person with Passport + ARC
Any service that genuinely requires identity verification can be handled in person. Government offices (immigration, tax authority), banks, telecom stores, and hospitals can all verify your identity physically using your passport and ARC — without any digital authentication app. This is always available as a fallback, even when digital routes are blocked.
"ARC 있고 KT 후불 유심 쓰는데 PASS 설치했더니 인증 실패. 이름이 여권이랑 다르게 등록됐던 것. 매장에서 이름 수정하고 24시간 후 다시 하니까 됐음." (Translation: "Have ARC and KT postpaid SIM, installed PASS but authentication failed. Turned out my name was registered differently from my passport. Fixed the name at the store and tried again 24 hours later — it worked.")
Korea expat community · March 2026
"스크린샷 찍으면 까맣게 나옴. 한국인도 똑같다고 함. 외국인 차별 아님." (Translation: "Screenshots come out black. Korean users say the same thing happens to them. It's not discrimination against foreigners.")
Korean tech community · 2025
Common PASS Setup Failures
The exact errors and what they mean for foreign users.
FAIL "Identity verification failed" during PASS setup
Three most common causes:
(1) Name mismatch — your name in the carrier system doesn't exactly match your ARC. Visit carrier store → ask them to show exact registered name → correct to match ARC.
(2) ARC not linked — you have a postpaid SIM but the ARC number wasn't linked. Go to carrier store with ARC and request 외국인등록번호 연동.
(3) System not updated yet — ARC linkage was done less than 48 hours ago. Wait the full period.
(1) Name mismatch — your name in the carrier system doesn't exactly match your ARC. Visit carrier store → ask them to show exact registered name → correct to match ARC.
(2) ARC not linked — you have a postpaid SIM but the ARC number wasn't linked. Go to carrier store with ARC and request 외국인등록번호 연동.
(3) System not updated yet — ARC linkage was done less than 48 hours ago. Wait the full period.
FAIL Screenshot of PASS shows black screen
This is intentional, not a bug. PASS is a financial security app — it blocks screenshots by design using Android/iOS DRM APIs. This applies to all users regardless of nationality.
Workaround: Write down or memorize the UI navigation path before attempting setup. A separate device taking a photo of your screen (not a screenshot) will capture the UI, but the screenshot API specifically is blocked in-app.
Workaround: Write down or memorize the UI navigation path before attempting setup. A separate device taking a photo of your screen (not a screenshot) will capture the UI, but the screenshot API specifically is blocked in-app.
FAIL Website requires PASS but I'm a tourist
Look for alternative verification options. Most Korean websites that use PASS also offer Naver/Kakao login as an alternative — scroll down on the verification screen to find them. If only PASS is available, the service is effectively inaccessible without ARC. Options: (1) Ask a Korean contact to help via their PASS. (2) Find an alternative service that doesn't require Korean identity verification. (3) Contact the service provider directly to request an international-user exception.
FAIL PASS worked before January 2025, now rejected
January 2025 policy change: passport-only verification was removed. All PASS authentication now requires ARC linkage. If you had a working PASS account under the old system, you need to re-link with your ARC following the 6-step process above. Your previous PASS sessions and authentication history may not carry over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not in most cases. PASS requires: (1) an ARC (Alien Registration Card) — no tourists qualify, and (2) a Korean postpaid SIM registered with your ARC number — tourist and prepaid SIMs don't qualify. Short-term visitors and anyone without an ARC cannot use PASS at all. Long-term foreign residents with ARC and a Korean postpaid SIM can use PASS, but setup requires 48–72 hours of processing time and exact name matching across all documents.
PASS is classified as a financial security application under Korean fintech regulations. Screenshots are blocked by DRM as a security measure — this affects all users, not just foreigners. The black screen when you try to screenshot PASS is intentional and not a bug. It means you cannot use translation apps like Google Lens on PASS screens. The workaround: memorize or write down the navigation path before attempting setup.
Alternatives: (1) Naver or Kakao account verification — many Korean services accept these as an alternative to PASS. (2) Email verification — international services in Korea often offer email-based verification. (3) 공동인증서 (Joint Certificate) — available from Korean banks after opening an account, used for banking and government sites. (4) Visit in person — administrative services requiring identity verification can always be handled at offices with your passport and ARC.
PASS (패스) is a mobile identity verification app jointly operated by Korea's three major carriers — KT, SKT, and LG U+. It replaces the resident registration number for digital authentication on financial services, government portals, online shopping, and app sign-ups. It's widely required on Korean websites that need to confirm your legal identity — particularly banking, insurance, telecom contracts, and some concert ticketing systems.
The most common cause is a name mismatch. Your name as stored in the carrier's system must match your ARC exactly — including capitalization, hyphens, middle names, and any name abbreviations used during registration. Fix: visit the carrier store in person and ask them to check the exact name on your account and correct it to match your ARC. After correction, wait another 24 hours before trying PASS again.
Naver and Kakao both offer identity verification services that many Korean sites accept as alternatives to PASS. These are not direct replacements — they cover different sets of services. For casual use (shopping, app sign-ups, some banking interfaces), Naver or Kakao verification works at more sites than expected. For high-security services (official government portals, major bank account opening), PASS or the Joint Certificate (공동인증서) is still required.