Why do they want a Korean number?
Signing up for a Korean app, you will often get stuck at a step called identity verification (bonin-injeung, 본인인증). It asks for your name, date of birth, mobile carrier and phone number, and there is no option for a foreign number at all.
Identity verification is not just a text-message code. Korean law restricts websites from collecting resident registration numbers directly, so the standard became asking the mobile carrier instead: "is the person who owns this phone number really this person?" To pass, you need a number opened in your own name with a Korean carrier.
That is why travelers can't get past this step.
- Foreign numbers can't be checked against a Korean carrier's records
- Most travel SIMs and eSIMs are prepaid or data-only, so they aren't registered in your name
- Even foreigners living in Korea need a number opened with their residence card (ARC) to pass
"SMS verification" and "identity verification" are different things. SMS verification only means typing in the code sent to your number, so a foreign number often works. Identity verification also checks whose name the number is in, which makes it almost impossible for a traveler.
Which apps will lock you out?
They fall into three groups.
Apps that require identity verification. Services that move money or are legally required to confirm your real name. For a traveler, consider these off limits.
- Payment and finance apps such as Kakao Pay and Toss
- Banking apps
- Public services such as Government24
Apps that only need SMS verification. If a verification text reaches your foreign number, you can sign up. Texts sometimes don't arrive on roaming or on a travel SIM, though.
- KakaoTalk
- Kakao T (taxis): verify your foreign number by text, then link a Google, Apple or email account to sign up
- Baemin (food delivery): you can order as a guest without signing up, after verifying your foreign number by text. Pay with a foreign credit card, Alipay or WeChat Pay
Apps with a separate sign-up path for foreigners. You sign up with email or a Google or Apple account and pay with a foreign card. These are the easiest option for travelers.
- CatchTable Global (restaurant reservations)
- k.ride and TABA (taxis)
- Korail's global website (train tickets, booked as a non-member with your passport number)
Getting by without a Korean number
1. Look for a global edition
Many popular Korean services run a separate app or site for foreigners. If the Korean app blocks you, first check whether a version with "Global" after its name exists. It may have fewer features, but signing up and paying are much easier.
2. Sign up with email, Google or Apple
If the sign-up screen lets you choose email or a Google or Apple login instead of a phone number, take it. You skip phone verification entirely.
3. Naver passport verification
Since June 2026, Naver has let foreigners complete identity verification with a passport. Without a Korean number, verifying your passport on your smartphone unlocks restaurant reservations and ordering on Naver Map, and payment with Naver Pay.
Verification takes two steps.
- Photograph your passport: take a photo of your original passport with the camera in the app. Lay it flat and shoot somewhere bright without glare, or it may not be recognized. Allow camera access first
- Face verification: this checks that you are the person in the passport photo. Face the camera directly with your whole face in the frame, then move as the on-screen instructions tell you
Your passport must meet all of these conditions.
- Issued by a country other than Korea
- Not expired
- Not already verified on another Naver ID
- The name and date of birth you entered when joining Naver match the passport
If the name you gave Naver when you signed up differs from your passport, verification will fail. If you are signing up now, enter your name and date of birth exactly as they appear on your passport.
Naver passport verification works only inside Naver's services. It doesn't stand in for identity verification in other apps.
4. Use apps without an account
Features for looking things up, such as directions, searching for places and checking opening hours, mostly work without logging in. Naver Map and KakaoMap both offer search and directions without an account. For which one to pick, see the Google Maps guide.
What to do before you leave
Verification texts arrive most reliably while your home SIM is in the phone. Once you switch to a travel SIM in Korea, you may not receive texts on your usual number, so sign up for the apps you need at home.
- Install the apps you will use and finish signing up
- Try adding your foreign card to each app. If your card issuer blocks overseas payments or 3D Secure, the card may be rejected
- If you use an eSIM, keep your original SIM in and run both as a dual SIM, so verification texts still reach you while you travel
If you're still stuck
- Sort it out in person: for a restaurant you can't book by app, go and join the line; for a taxi, hail one on the street. See the taxi guide
- Ask where you're staying: hotel front desks and guesthouse staff will often book for you
- 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: help in your language
What foreigners can sign up for changes often. This guide reflects September 2026, and the other guides on this site cover how to sign up for each app.