A bank account opened with your passport: once you get your 외국인등록증, change the number and start using mobile banking

Who is this for?

• You opened a bank account with your passport during pre-employment training after you came to Korea.
• You now have your 외국인등록증.
• You are trying to sign up for the bank app, but identity confirmation does not work.
• Your transfer limit is too low, so it is hard to pay rent or send money home.

Why do I need to change it?

• Banks identify customers by their real-name ID number (실명번호). For a foreigner, this is the 외국인등록번호. Only people who have not received a registration card use a passport number.
• Most bank apps confirm your identity with your 외국인등록증. For example, KB국민은행 (KB Kookmin Bank) says that to open an account in its app, it accepts only a 외국인등록증, a permanent residence card or a domestic residence report card. It does not accept passports.
• So if the bank only has your passport number, you may not be able to sign up for the app or get a digital certificate.
• Changing your ID number does not open a new account. It only updates your information at the bank.

Steps

1. Check the bank name. The bank name is on the front of your bankbook or on your debit card. Make the change at the same bank where you opened the account.
2. First check if you can do it in the app. At some banks, you can make the change in their app for foreigners without going to a branch. For example, in a notice from March 2024, 하나은행 (Hana Bank) said that customers who have received a 외국인등록증 can change their ID number in the Hana EZ app. Look for a "실명번호 변경" (change ID number) menu in your bank's app.
3. If there is no menu, go to a branch. Check the bank's opening hours. For example, 우리은행 (Woori Bank) says it is open 09:00~16:00 on weekdays. Some banks run special branches for foreigners that are open on Sundays. If you must go on a weekday, tell your company in advance and agree on a time.
4. Say this at the counter: "여권으로 만든 계좌입니다. 외국인등록증이 나와서 실명번호를 바꾸고 싶습니다." (This account was opened with my passport. I got my 외국인등록증, so I want to change my ID number.) If Korean is hard for you, show this sentence on your phone screen.
5. Hand in your registration card and passport together. 우리은행 says that if you opened an account with your passport and then got a registration card, you should bring both. Sign the form the staff gives you.
6. Apply for mobile banking at the same time. Apply for internet and mobile banking, and for a security card or OTP. At some banks you must buy the OTP (for example, 우리은행). Ask at the counter how much it costs.
7. Ask if your account is a limited account (한도제한계좌). If it is, apply to remove the limit right there. See the "Transfer limit" section below.
8. Install the app and sign up. Download the bank's official app from Google Play or the App Store. Confirm your identity with your 외국인등록증 and your phone in your own name. If this is hard, you can ask the staff at the branch counter how to sign up. Always type your passwords and verification codes yourself.

What to bring

• Your original 외국인등록증
• Your original passport (the one you used to open the account)
• Your bankbook or debit card
• A Korean mobile phone in your own name
• Your account password (you type it yourself)
• To remove the limit, documents that show you are working: 재직증명서 (certificate of employment), 건강보험 자격득실확인서 (health insurance coverage history), 근로소득 원천징수영수증 (income tax withholding receipt), and others. The documents needed are different at each bank.

Before you go, call the branch and ask which documents you need. Then you will not need to go back as many times.

To use mobile banking

• Your phone must be in your name. You cannot confirm your identity with a phone number in another person's name.
• Your name must match everywhere. KB국민은행 says your name at the bank, at the phone company and on your ID card must be the same, including spelling and spaces. When you change your number, also check that your English name at the bank matches your registration card. If it is different, ask the counter to fix your name too.
• With a prepaid phone opened with a passport, identity confirmation may not work, depending on the plan. KB국민은행 says it is hard to sign up with a prepaid SIM. Once you have your registration card, you can also switch to a postpaid plan at the phone company. See How to open a prepaid phone with only a passport.
• To send money, you may need a security tool such as a security card or OTP. The type is different at each bank. Do not take photos of the numbers or tell them to anyone.
• Many banks have an app just for foreigners. For the types of apps and common reasons identity confirmation fails, see Bank apps and easy money transfer for foreigners.

Transfer limit and limited accounts (한도제한계좌)

• If you could not hand in a document proving why you need the account when you opened it, it may be a limited account (한도제한계좌).
• Since May 2024, the daily limits for a limited account at regular banks are: internet and mobile transfer 100만원, ATM withdrawal 100만원, ATM transfer 100만원, and counter transactions 300만원. Internet-only banks have different rules.
• Check your account's actual limit in the transfer limit menu of the bank app or at the counter.
• If you hand in documents showing that you work, you can apply to remove the limit. It is easiest to apply on the same day you go to change your ID number.
• The bank may ask for more documents. Some banks call your company to check that you work there. So the limit may not be removed right away. Apply well before the date you need to pay rent or send money.
• For more about limited accounts, see Opening a bank account and getting a debit card.

Be careful

• Check the stay period on your registration card. KB국민은행 says you cannot use an expired ID card to sign up for the app. If you extended your stay or got a new registration card, ask your bank if you need to tell them too.
• Do not give your bankbook, card, password or OTP to anyone. All of these are forbidden: giving them away or receiving them, lending or borrowing them for money or a promise of money, and lending them when you know they will be used for a crime. Keeping or passing on another person's bankbook or card for money is also forbidden (Electronic Financial Transactions Act, Article 6, Paragraph 3). If you break this rule, you can get up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 3천만원 (Article 49, Paragraph 4).
• Be careful of people who say "I will change your number for you" or "I will remove your limit for you." If they ask for your bankbook, card, a photo of your registration card, or your password, do not give them. Do your bank business yourself.
• If someone on the phone asks for your account number, card number or internet banking details, do not answer. 금융감독원 (Financial Supervisory Service) also gives this advice.
• Do not install a bank app from a link in a text message. Download apps only from the official app store.
• Keep your bankbook and card yourself. Do not leave them with your company or coworkers.
• For common scams and what to do if you are a victim, see Voice phishing, loan scams and account rental: how not to be fooled.

Frequently asked questions

Q. If I don't change my ID number, can I still use my account? A. Each bank is different on whether the transactions you can do now will be blocked right away. But you may have problems signing up for the app, getting a digital certificate, or removing the limit. It is best to change it as soon as you get your registration card.

Q. If I change the number, does my account number change too? Do I need to tell my company again? A. Changing your ID number does not open a new account. It only updates your information. Still, check at the counter by asking, "계좌번호는 그대로입니까?" (Is my account number the same?) If it does change, tell your company the new account number.

Q. I work on weekdays, so I have no time to go to the bank. A. First, check if your bank app has a menu to change your ID number. Also ask the bank if there is a special branch for foreigners that is open on Sundays. If you have to go to a branch, tell your company in advance and agree on a time.

Q. I want to open a new account in another bank's app. A. Some banks ask for a Korean account number you already have when you open an account in their app. For example, KB국민은행 says it requires a 외국인등록증, identity confirmation with a phone from a Korean phone company, and a Korean bank account number for identity checks. So it helps to change the ID number on your current account first.

Q. A coworker says, "My account is blocked, so please receive money in your account for me." A. Say no. If your account is used for a crime, you may be investigated. If someone asks you to do this, you can report it to 112.

Where to get help

Organization	Phone / website	What they help with
Your bank's branch or customer center	The number in the bank app or on the bank website	Changing your ID number, signing up for mobile banking, removing the limit. If you are a victim of voice phishing, first call the call center of the bank you sent money from or the bank that received it to stop the payment
외국인종합안내센터 (Immigration Contact Center)	1345	20 languages (including Nepali), weekdays 09:00~22:00. After 18:00, only Korean, English and Chinese
금융감독원 (Financial Supervisory Service)	1332	Help with money and banking, reporting voice phishing (can connect you to a bank call center)
Police	112	Report people asking to rent your account, report scams