Bank apps and easy money transfer apps that foreigners can use

What you need before you can use an app

1. A valid 외국인등록증 (or a 영주증 (Permanent Residence Card) or a 국내거소신고증 (Domestic Residence Report Card)). Often you cannot sign up for an app with only a passport or a driver's license from your home country.
2. A Korean mobile phone number opened in your own name. A number in another person's name or a number from a foreign phone company will not pass the identity check.
3. A bank account in your own name. When the app checks your identity, it often asks for an account number at another bank.
4. A registration card with plenty of stay period left. If it will expire soon, the bank may refuse you or open the account for only a short time. It is better to apply after you extend your stay. (This is different for each bank. Official confirmation needed.)

A common reason for failure: The name registered at your phone company is different from the name on your 외국인등록증. If your phone was opened without your middle name, the identity check will fail. Go to a phone company store and ask them to change your name so it is exactly the same as on your registration card.

Internet-only banks (as of September 2026)

Toss Bank

• It was the first internet-only bank to start opening accounts without a branch visit for foreigners living in Korea.
• In the app, you enter your name and contact details and take a photo of your 외국인등록증 and upload it. Then sign-up continues.
• Your registration card is checked in real time through 금융결제원 (Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute) and 법무부 (Ministry of Justice).
• It has a customer help service just for foreigners.

Kakao Bank

• As of September 2026, foreigners cannot open accounts yet.
• The company said it plans to launch a debit card for foreigners in October 2026, and account opening and overseas money transfer in the 4th quarter.
• The start date may change. Check the notices in the app or at kakaobank.com yourself.

K Bank

• There is no official confirmation that it supports account opening for foreigners. Ask K Bank directly through its app or customer center. (Official confirmation needed.)

Rules change often. The notices in the bank app are more correct than what other people tell you.

Apps for foreigners at major banks

Major banks run separate apps or menus for foreign customers. We do not recommend any specific bank. Below are confirmed facts.

Bank	App / service for foreigners	Languages
KB국민은행 (KB Kookmin Bank)	Open an account for foreigners in KB Star Banking, KB Global Star account	Transaction history in Korean and English
신한은행 (Shinhan Bank)	SOL Global (app for foreigners)	16 languages including Korean
우리은행 (Woori Bank)	우리WON글로벌 (WON Global, app for foreigners)	17 languages
하나은행 (Hana Bank)	하나EZ (Hana EZ, app for foreigners)	Overseas money transfer in 16 languages

KB Kookmin Bank requirements (based on official information)

• A foreigner aged 19 or older living in Korea
• A mobile phone in your own name registered with a Korean phone company (a foreign phone company or a prepaid SIM not in your name is not accepted)
• One of these, still valid: 외국인등록증, 영주증, or 국내거소신고증 (passport and foreign driver's license are not accepted)
• An account at another bank in your own name
• If you meet these requirements, you can open an account and sign up for internet banking together in the app, without going to a branch.

Other banks have similar requirements, but the details are different. Hana Bank has some branches that are open on Sundays and gives interpreter help. In your bank app, look for the "Foreigner" or "Global" menu.

Transfer limits and limited accounts (한도제한계좌)

When you open an account, if you cannot prove the purpose of your banking, the bank puts a limit on the account. This is called a 한도제한계좌 (limited account). This rule is to stop 대포통장 (bank accounts used by criminals under another person's name).

Limits since 2 May 2024

• Internet and mobile banking transfers: 100만원 per day
• ATM withdrawals and transfers: 100만원 per day
• At the bank counter: 300만원 per day

Warning: A bank can set an even lower limit on its own. Some banks give new foreign customers a low limit, such as 30만원 per day. Check your own limit in the "Transfer limit" menu in the app.

How to remove the limit

1. Submit documents as proof in the app or at a branch. Common ones are a 근로계약서 (employment contract), a 재직증명서 (certificate of employment), and a 급여명세서 (pay slip).
2. At internet-only banks, you can take photos of the documents and submit them in the app.
3. The review usually takes 2–3 business days.
4. A record of your salary coming into that account for a few months, or a record of automatic bill payments, can also help.
5. When the limit is removed, your transfer limit goes up a lot.

If you need to pay rent or send a large amount soon, remove the limit early. On the same day, it is too late.

Sending money to friends with easy transfer apps

• Toss and KakaoPay are apps that let you send money with a phone number, without an account number.
• To use them, you need a Korean mobile phone in your own name + a 외국인등록증 + an account in your own name to connect. The transfer function opens only after you finish the identity check.
• Prepaid SIM cards for tourists are often not registered in your own name at the phone company, so the identity check fails.
• For the first few days, your transfer limit may be low.
• Always check the receiver's name before you send. If you send money to the wrong person, it is hard to get it back unless that person returns it. If you sent it by mistake, tell your bank right away that it is a "착오송금" (mistaken transfer).

Easy transfer apps are for sending money inside Korea. Sending money to your home country (overseas transfer) is a different process.

Setting up automatic payment for bills and rent

• Electricity bill: Apply at the 한전 (KEPCO, Korea Electric Power Corporation) online branch, the KEPCO customer center 123, a KEPCO local office, or the counter at your bank. When you go to the bank, bring your ID and your electricity bill.
• Water bill: Bring your water bill notice and apply at your bank or at a 우체국 (post office).
• Rent and phone bill: In the bank app, go to the "Automatic transfer" or "Automatic payment" menu. Set the receiving account, the amount, and the date. For rent, the transfer record stays and can be proof later.

Warnings for all automatic payments

• Automatic payment usually starts from the month after you apply. You must pay the first month yourself.
• You must have money in your account by the day before the payment date. If there is not enough money, the payment fails and a late fee is added.
• Cancel all automatic payments before you go back to your home country. If you do not, money will keep leaving your account.

Paying less in ATM fees

• Taking out money at an ATM of your own bank is the cheapest. Other banks' ATMs charge a fee.
• If you take out money during business hours (usually weekday daytime), there is no fee or a small fee. At night and on weekends, there is an after-hours fee.
• ATMs in convenience stores often charge higher fees than bank ATMs.
• You may get no fees if your salary comes into the account, if you use your card often, or if you open a special account for foreigners. Check "fee waiver conditions" in your bank app.
• Fees are charged per withdrawal, not by the amount. Do not take out small amounts many times. Take it out at once.
• Account transfers in the app are free in most cases. If you do not really need cash, use transfers.
• You can compare bank fees on 금융감독원 (Financial Supervisory Service) FINE (fine.fss.or.kr).

Watch out for app scams

• Do not install apps from links sent by text message, KakaoTalk, or email. Download bank apps only from Google Play or the App Store.
• If someone on the phone tells you to install a remote control app, it is 100% a scam. Banks, police, and prosecutors never ask this.
• If a harmful app is installed, your phone calls go to the criminals. Even if you call 112 or 1332, they answer. If you already installed it, turn off the internet, delete the app, and then report it using another person's phone.
• Calls that say "We will change your loan to a low interest rate" or "Your account was used in a crime" are scams. Hang up and call the bank's main number yourself.
• Never tell anyone your password, security card number, OTP number, or verification code. Bank staff will not ask for them either.
• Use your fingerprint or face to log in to the app. Do not use your birthday or phone number as your password.

Never lend your account

• Giving your bank book, debit card, password, or OTP to another person is a crime. You will be punished whether you got money for it or not.
• 전자금융거래법 (Electronic Financial Transactions Act) Article 6(3) bans giving, receiving, or lending these access tools. If you break this law, under Article 49(4) of the same law you can get up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 3천만원.
• Part-time job offers like "When money comes into your account, just take it out and pass it on" are a method used by voice phishing (phone scam) groups.
• If your account is used for a scam, all your bank accounts are stopped together. A criminal record also hurts you when you try to extend your stay.
• If you get this kind of offer, say no and report it to 112.

Frequently asked questions

Q. I have a registration card, but the identity check in the app keeps failing. A. Most likely, the name registered at your phone company is different from the name on your registration card. Go to a phone company store and make the names match. If it still does not work, visiting a branch is faster.

Q. I use a phone in a coworker's name. Can I use the app? A. No. You need a number in your own name. Change it to your own name.

Q. I need to send more than 100만원 a day. A. If it is a limited account, you must first submit documents and remove the limit. If it is urgent, you can send up to 300만원 a day at the bank counter.

Q. The bank app does not support my language. A. Major banks run separate apps for foreigners. Download that app and try changing the language. If it is still hard, use interpreter help at a branch or call 1345.

Q. I sent money to the wrong account. A. Call your bank right away and apply for "착오송금 반환" (return of a mistaken transfer). There is also a support program for returning mistaken transfers run by 예금보험공사 (Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation). For details, call 1332.

Where to get help

• 외국인종합안내센터 (Immigration Contact Center) 1345 (many languages)
• 금융감독원 (Financial Supervisory Service) complaints and advice 1332 (voice phishing, frozen accounts, mistaken transfers)
• Police 112 (to report scams, or when someone asks you to lend your bank account)
• Financial consumer information portal FINE fine.fss.or.kr (compare bank fees)
• 한국전력 (KEPCO) customer center 123 (automatic payment for electricity bills)