How to Get a Prepaid Phone with Only Your Passport

When does this apply to you?

• You just arrived in Korea and do not have your Residence Card yet. After you apply for registration, it takes a few weeks to get the card.
• During that time, you still need a phone number for your company, family calls, map apps, and bank appointments.
• If your permitted stay ends in 60 days or less, the law does not allow you to get a regular (postpaid) mobile phone. In this case, you can still use a prepaid mobile phone.

What to bring

• Your original passport (bring the original, not a copy)
• Something that shows you entered Korea (the entry stamp in your passport, or your electronic entry record). Some companies check this.
• Money for the SIM card and your first top-up (cash or card)
• A phone to put the SIM in. If it is the phone you used in your home country, it must be unlocked (not locked to one phone company).

You do not need a Residence Card. The Residence Card is needed when you sign up for postpaid.

Where can you open a line?

1. Phone company counters at the airport — Incheon Airport, Gimpo Airport and other airports have phone company and SIM counters in the arrival and departure halls. Show your passport and you get a SIM on the spot. Check the location, opening hours and products on the airport website and each phone company's information. (official confirmation needed)
2. Local phone shops and sellers — Budget phone (알뜰폰) shops in areas where many foreigners live sell prepaid SIMs. Go in person with your passport.
3. Online self-activation — Some budget phone companies have online sign-up pages for foreigners. You upload a photo of your passport and do a face check. They send the SIM to you, and you activate it yourself. Always apply on the company's official website.

Which companies let you open a prepaid line with only a passport is different for each company and changes often. It is better to learn how to check than to choose one company in advance. At 알뜰폰 허브 (Budget Phone Hub, www.mvnohub.kr), run by 한국정보통신진흥협회 (Korea Association for ICT Promotion), you can compare companies and plans. To know if a company has a prepaid product for foreigners, and if a passport alone is enough, the best way is to ask the company's customer center or shop directly.

Steps

1. Choose a company and a product. Compare data amount, whether calls are included, and the use period.
2. Show your passport and fill in the form. Always go yourself. Do not open a line in another person's name.
3. Get the SIM and put it in your phone. The SIM price is different for each product. Check the price first.
4. Do your first top-up. Check the top-up amount and the use period.
5. Check that the line works. You get a number that starts with 010. Test calls and text messages on the spot.
6. Install the company app. In the app you can see your balance, remaining data and use period.

It usually takes less than an hour. You can use it the same day.

How plans work and how to top up

• With prepaid, you top up money, and your balance goes down each time you use calls, texts or data.
• There are also fixed prepaid plans that include some GB of data and calls. They have a set period, such as 30 days.
• The money you top up has a use period (expiry period). After this period ends, you may not be able to use it, even if money is left.
• If you do not top up for a long time, your line can be cancelled and the number taken back. The length of time is different for each company. When you sign up, always ask: "How long can I go without topping up before I lose my number?" (official confirmation needed)

Here is how to top up.

1. Convenience store — Buy a prepaid top-up card and enter the number written on it. Some stores can top up right away at the counter if you tell them your phone number.
2. Phone company app or website — Top up with a card or bank account.
3. Customer center call — Follow the instructions to top up.
4. Visit a shop — You can top up with cash.

There is one more thing to check. Depending on the company, a prepaid product may not work for phone identity verification (본인인증). Bank apps, government apps and delivery apps often ask for identity verification. Before you sign up, ask: "Can I use this product for identity verification?"

Switching to postpaid after you get your Residence Card

1. Get your Residence Card.
2. Ask your current company if you can switch to postpaid. If you change from prepaid to postpaid at the same company, you can often keep your number.
3. If you want to move to another company, apply for number porting (번호이동). With number porting, you change company and keep your number.
4. To sign up for postpaid, you usually need your Residence Card and a bank account or debit card in your own name.
5. Check first if you can get back the prepaid balance you have left.

The conditions for switching, and whether you can keep your number, are different for each company. It is safer to check with the customer center before you switch. (official confirmation needed)

Never do these things

• Opening a line in your name and giving it to someone else (lending your name) — This breaks Article 30 of the 전기통신사업법 (Telecommunications Business Act). The punishment is up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to 5천만원.
• Opening a line in someone else's name (using another person's name) — This breaks Article 32-4 of the Telecommunications Business Act. The punishment is up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 1억원.
• Selling a SIM you opened — A phone made this way is called a 대포폰 (burner phone in someone else's name). These phones are used for voice phishing crimes (phone scams).
• If a foreigner gets a criminal punishment, it can badly hurt their visa status and their chance to come back to Korea.
• "I will pay you for each SIM" or "Just lend me your name" are always offers to do a crime. Say no and report it to 112.

Common scams and overcharging

• People calling out to you at airports and bus terminals — Someone who is not at an official counter comes to you and says "I'll give you a cheap deal." Only open a line at a place with a sign and a receipt.
• Places that only tell you prices by mouth — Ask them to show you the SIM price, top-up amount, use period and data amount on paper or on a screen.
• Asking you to leave your passport with them — Your passport should only be checked, then given back right away. Do not let other people keep your passport.
• Places that do not give a receipt and sign-up record — If there is a problem later, you will have no proof. Always get them.
• Sign-up links sent by messenger or social media — The SIM may be opened in someone else's name. If you use that SIM, you can also be investigated.
• Asking for too much money in advance — If they ask you to pay for several months in advance, think again. The basic rule for prepaid is to top up a little at a time.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I really open a line with only my passport? A. You can sign up for a prepaid plan with your passport. A postpaid plan needs a Residence Card.

Q. Do I get an 010 number with prepaid too? A. Yes. But some products are data only. Check that calls and texts work before you buy.

Q. Do I need to buy a phone too? A. If you have a phone, you only need to buy a SIM. A phone locked to a phone company in your home country may not work.

Q. My company says they will open a line for me. A. The basic rule is that you open the line yourself, in your own name. If the phone is in the company's name, you lose the number when you change companies.

Q. Prepaid seems more expensive than postpaid. A. If you use a lot of data, prepaid can cost more. When you get your Residence Card, compare postpaid plans and budget phone plans with no contract.

Where to get help

• Immigration Contact Center (외국인종합안내센터) 1345 (many languages)
• 알뜰폰 허브 (Budget Phone Hub) www.mvnohub.kr (한국정보통신진흥협회, plan comparison)
• 방송통신위원회 (Korea Communications Commission) www.kcc.go.kr
• Each phone company's customer center (the number is on your sign-up papers)
• Police 112 (if someone asks to borrow your name or offers you a 대포폰)