The PASS app and digital certificates

Korean online services require an authentication method. Setting one up early saves you when something is urgent.

What is available

1. PASS app — an identity verification app from the three carriers, making phone verification simple.
2. Joint certificate — the former "public certificate", widely used for banking and government services.
3. Financial certificate — stored in the cloud, so changing phones is easy.
4. Simple authentication (private certificates) — issued by Kakao, Naver, Toss and others.
5. Mobile ID

Steps

1. Install your bank app or the PASS app.
2. Verify your identity. A phone in your own name is required.
3. Issue a certificate. Creating a financial certificate in your bank app is the simplest route.
4. Set a password and store it safely.
5. Test it on Gov24 or HiKorea.

What you need

• A phone in your own name
• Alien Registration Card
• A bank account (for a financial certificate)

Where to go

• Your bank app · the PASS app
• Gov24 www.gov.kr · HiKorea www.hikorea.go.kr
• 1335 Korea Communications Commission
• 1345 · 1577-1366 interpreted advice

Questions people ask

Do certificates expire? Yes. Renew before expiry, or you must reissue.

What if I change phones? A joint certificate must be transferred; a financial certificate is in the cloud and can simply be reloaded.

Does it work with an alien registration number? Yes. The name spelling must match your card exactly.

Can I have several? Yes. Services require different types, so having two or three is convenient.

Take care

Never share your certificate password. A certificate acts like your seal — if someone else uses it, contracts and transfers are valid. Being told to install a certificate from a link in a text is fraud.

Related

phone-verification · mobile-banking · mobile-phone

Source

Korea Internet & Security Agency www.kisa.or.kr / As of 2026-08