South Korea Introduces New Residence Cards for Foreigners with Enhanced Features

The Ministry of Justice in South Korea announced on Tuesday that it will be issuing a new type of identification card for foreigners staying in the country for more than 90 days, beginning this Saturday. This marks the first redesign of the Residence Card, previously known as the Alien Registration Card, in 12 years.

The updated Residence Card will include a larger, full-color photograph of the cardholder, which is a 35% increase in size compared to the current black-and-white photo. Additionally, the photo will be relocated from the left side to the right side of the card.

In a progressive move, the new version will no longer display the cardholder's binary gender as "M" (male) or "F" (female) in the top right corner. Instead, the holder's gender will be indicated by the seventh digit of their registration number, with "5" or "7" denoting men and "6" or "8" representing women.

The redesigned card will also feature a QR code in the bottom right corner, enabling the cardholder's information to be easily scanned and accessed digitally.

Starting in April, first-time Residence Card recipients and foreign residents who have lost their IDs or changed their visas will receive the new ID cards. While reissuance of the card is not mandatory for existing cardholders, those interested in obtaining the updated version can do so for a fee of 30,000 won.