NAVER Adds Passport-Based Identity Verification for Foreign Visitors in Korea

NAVER is introducing a passport-based identity verification service for foreign users in Korea. The key point is not a broad legal reform or a generic payment-policy change. It is a new NAVER service flow that lets foreign users verify themselves with a passport when using NAVER services that previously depended on Korean-style identity checks.

According to Electronic Times, NAVER will apply the new passport verification service to NAVER Map from June 5, 2026. The feature targets short-term visitors and overseas residents who do not have a Korean mobile phone number under their own name and therefore have had difficulty completing identity verification inside Korean services.

What NAVER is launching

The new service allows users to verify their identity with a passport when a NAVER service requires member identity verification. NAVER Map is the first service to receive the feature, especially for situations such as booking visits to places like hospitals and restaurants through NAVER Map.

Until now, many NAVER reservation and payment-related services required users to become verified real-name members. That typically meant using i-PIN or a Korean mobile phone identity check through a Korean telecom carrier. For foreign visitors without a Korean phone number in their own name, that requirement could stop the process even if they already had a NAVER account.

With passport verification, NAVER is trying to remove that barrier. After the feature is introduced, foreign users should be able to access services that previously required NAVER real-name member verification, including store reservations and product payments, more easily.

How the passport verification works

The Electronic Times report says NAVER's passport verification uses passport authenticity checks and face authentication. NAVER is applying eKYC technology from the regtech company useB.

The verification flow uses technologies such as ID optical character recognition, authenticity checks, account verification, and liveness detection. Liveness detection is used to make sure a face authentication attempt is made by a real person, not simply by holding up a photo or video.

This matters because passport-based verification must do more than read text from a passport. It needs to check that the document is valid and that the person attempting verification matches the passport holder.

Why this matters for foreign visitors

The biggest problem for many short-term visitors has been the Korean mobile-phone-based identity check. To get a Korean mobile number under their own verified identity, many foreigners need an alien registration card. Getting that card can take about a month, which is not practical for many tourists or short-term visitors.

That created a frustrating gap. A foreign visitor could install NAVER Map, search for places, and browse information, but hit a wall when a booking or payment flow required real-name verification. Passport-based verification directly targets that gap.

For foreign visitors, this could make NAVER Map more useful not only as a map, but as a gateway to local reservations and commerce. The initial impact is expected around reservations for places such as hospitals and restaurants, and around services where booking or payment requires a verified NAVER identity.

NAVER Map first, then more NAVER services

NAVER is starting with NAVER Map, but the company reportedly plans to expand the passport verification service gradually to other NAVER services that involve payment or identity verification.

The report specifically mentions future expansion to services such as NAVER Pay, NAVER Webtoon, and NAVER's streaming platform Chzzk. That means the long-term impact may go beyond travel reservations and into broader NAVER account-based commerce and content services.

Still, users should not assume every NAVER service will support passport verification immediately on day one. The rollout begins with NAVER Map, and expansion to other services is expected to happen step by step.

Why NAVER is doing this now

The timing is connected to the growth of inbound foreign visitors to Korea. Electronic Times cites Korea Tourism Data Lab figures showing that 4.76 million foreign tourists visited Korea in the first quarter of the year, up 23.0% from 3.87 million in the same period the previous year.

NAVER has already been adjusting its services for foreign users. The company added foreign-language translation and foreigner payment features to NAVER Map two years ago, and ran the BE LOCAL campaign last year to introduce popular Korean places to foreign tourists. Passport verification is a more direct attempt to solve the identity barrier behind reservations and payments.

What foreign users should know

1. The feature is reported to start in NAVER Map from June 5, 2026.
2. It is aimed at foreign users who have difficulty with Korean mobile-phone-based identity verification.
3. The verification uses passport checks and face authentication.
4. The first practical use cases are NAVER Map reservations and services requiring verified NAVER membership.
5. NAVER Pay, NAVER Webtoon, and Chzzk are mentioned as services for gradual expansion.
6. Actual availability may vary by service and rollout stage.

Bottom line

This is the latest and most relevant development: NAVER is not merely improving translation or adding tourist content. It is introducing passport-based identity verification so that foreign users without a Korean real-name mobile phone verification route can use NAVER reservation and payment-related services more easily.

If the rollout works well, foreign visitors in Korea should face fewer barriers when trying to book restaurants, reserve medical visits, pay for products, or use other NAVER services that require verified identity.

Source

• Electronic Times: NAVER introduces passport-based identity verification for foreign users, targeting reservation and payment services