Yes, eligible foreign visitors can use Passport Verification for supported NAVER bookings without Korean mobile-phone identity verification. You still need a NAVER account, a valid eligible passport and a business that accepts foreign bookings. Payment and cancellation conditions depend on the reservation.
What we tested: Our original walkthrough reached the Passport Verification consent screen. We did not submit a passport or facial image, pay, or complete a reservation. The steps beyond that point are explained from NAVER’s official documentation, not a completed test booking.
First, what actually changed?
June 2025: NAVER opened more bookings to foreign visitors
NAVER SmartPlace announced that foreign visitors would be able to make supported reservations and orders beginning June 19, 2025.
The changes included:
- overseas-card payment support at participating businesses
- automatic translation of booking information into English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese
- a business setting that allows merchants to accept or reject bookings and orders from foreign customers
Official source: NAVER SmartPlace foreign booking rollout
June 2026: Passport Verification removed another major barrier
NAVER announced Passport Verification on June 9, 2026, saying the feature had launched on June 4.
Foreign users with passports issued outside South Korea can use Passport Verification with supported NAVER Booking, NAVER Order, and payment services without Korean mobile-phone verification.
Official source: NAVER Passport Verification announcement
What you need before you start
You need a NAVER account.
Official source: How to create an individual NAVER account
For Passport Verification, NAVER says your passport must:
- be issued by a country other than South Korea
- still be valid
- not already have been used to verify another NAVER ID
- show a name and date of birth matching the information registered on your NAVER account
NAVER also requires the original physical passport. You photograph it directly through your phone during verification rather than uploading a saved image.
Official source: Foreign Passport Verification
Step 1: Set NAVER Map to English
The exact interface can differ slightly depending on your operating system, app version, and region.
In the U.S. App Store version we tested, there was no permanent MY tab in the bottom navigation.
Instead:
- Open NAVER Map.
- Tap your profile avatar at the top right of the search bar.
- On your account page, tap the gear icon at the top right.
- Scroll to App & Display.
- Tap Language/언어.
- Select English and confirm.
On iPhone, Language may instead open your device’s Settings → NAVER Map → Preferred Language. If that menu is missing, NAVER advises adding a supported language under Settings → General → Language & Region.
Official source: NAVER Map language settings
Step 2: Open the Booking section
In the version of NAVER Map we tested, Booking appears directly in the bottom navigation.
Tap Booking.
You can then search specifically for places that support NAVER Booking.
When we searched for a salon, the results showed businesses with a small green N Book badge beside the listing.
You can also find bookable businesses through ordinary NAVER search. NAVER’s official instructions say search results may display a Reserve, Book, Order, or Booking link when that business supports NAVER Booking.
Official source: How Users Make Bookings
What to look for
NAVER listing only: You can find the business, but that does not automatically mean NAVER Booking is available.
N Book badge or Book/Reserve button: The business supports NAVER Booking.
No Book button: Do not assume you can make a reservation through NAVER.
Step 3: Choose what you want to book
Tap the business and then tap Book.
The next screens depend on the type of business. In the salon example we tested, NAVER first showed individual stylists with separate Book buttons.
Other businesses might instead show restaurant reservation types, activities, treatments, admission products, packages, or different service providers.
Step 4: Choose your date and time
Once you select the relevant booking option, NAVER displays the available calendar and appointment times.
Choose the correct date → time → party size or provider, where applicable.
Do not assume that selecting a time means you already have a confirmed reservation. Check the booking status after the process is complete.
Step 5: Select the service or menu
Some businesses then ask you to choose the exact service.
Our test salon displayed individual treatments with prices and descriptions. Check what is included, the listed price, whether the price can change, cancellation terms, and service duration where shown.
Then tap Next.
Step 6: Choose Passport Verification
This is the key screen for foreign tourists.
When we continued through the booking flow, NAVER displayed:
“Please verify your identity and age to use the service.”
Under Foreign tourists or foreigners abroad, NAVER offered:
- Passport
- Other ID
Under Registered foreigners and overseas Koreans, NAVER offered:
- Mobile Phone or i-PIN
For a short-term foreign visitor without Korean credentials, choose Passport.
Official source: Foreign Passport Verification
Step 7: Review the passport-verification terms
After choosing Passport, NAVER shows the Passport Verification consent screen.
The screen we reached explained that camera access is required to:
- scan your passport
- photograph your face
- complete identity verification
We stopped our test here.
We did not submit a passport or biometric image.
Read the actual consent notices in NAVER before deciding whether to continue. Do not share passport details, facial-verification images or verification codes in public screenshots or messages to a business. Use NAVER’s own verification flow for those details.
What happens after this point?
NAVER’s official documentation explains the remaining process.
Photograph your physical passport
NAVER says to place your passport on a flat surface in a well-lit area and avoid reflections. The passport must be photographed directly through your device camera.
Complete facial verification
NAVER then compares your face with your passport photograph. Face the camera, keep your entire face inside the frame, and follow the movement instructions displayed on screen.
Continue the booking
Once verification succeeds, you return to the supported booking or ordering flow.
Step 8: Pay with an overseas card if required
Some bookings require no advance payment. Others use Npay for a deposit or full payment.
NAVER currently lists these international card networks as supported for the foreign-card registration route:
Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, and Discover.
Official source: Supported overseas cards
Foreign members using Npay for NAVER Booking currently have a monthly payment limit of ₩5,000,000.
Official source: Payment limit for foreign members
Step 9: Check that the booking is confirmed
NAVER stores ordinary booking history in MY Place.
Search for NAVER MY Place or 마이플레이스, then open Bookings.
Sign in with the same NAVER ID used for the booking. You can view upcoming, previous, and cancelled bookings. A booking request or booking in progress status is not a confirmed reservation: the business may still be checking availability. Open the reservation details and check for confirmation before visiting. Contact the business if the status is unclear.
Official source: How to Check Booking History
If you see Mark as Used (For Staff), do not press it yourself. It is intended for venue staff.
What if you need to change the reservation?
Unpaid bookings can sometimes be changed directly if another slot is available.
Bookings paid through Npay, or scheduled for Npay payment after the visit, generally need to be cancelled and booked again.
Official source: How to Change a Booking
To cancel a confirmed booking paid through Npay, open the reservation in MY Place → Bookings → Upcoming bookings and choose Cancel Booking. Review the displayed cancellation fee and refund amount before confirming. Cancellation can be irreversible, and a business’s policy may allow no refund. If the cancellation button is missing, contact the business or use NAVER’s cancellation help rather than assuming the reservation has been cancelled.
Official source: How to Cancel a Booking
Can you book for somebody else?
NAVER allows visitor information to be added for another person or group in supported bookings.
Official source: How to Enter Visitor Information
Bookings are generally tied to the booking holder, although individual businesses may allow another visitor after checking the reservation details.
Official source: Using a Booking for Someone Else
What to do if the booking does not work
Passport Verification solves one identity-verification barrier, not every booking problem. Start with the message or screen that is stopping you.
No Book button, no time slots or an inactive booking page
A business listing is not proof that online booking is available. Look for Book or Reserve on the listing. If a service or time is unavailable, try another offered date or provider. An inactive page can mean the business has closed bookings or the service is sold out. Contact the business about another booking method if needed.
A merchant can also disable foreign-customer bookings. Verification cannot override that setting. See NAVER’s booking availability guidance and its foreign-booking settings announcement.
Your passport cannot be verified
Check that the passport is valid, issued outside South Korea, and has not already verified another NAVER ID. Your NAVER account name and date of birth must match it. Use the original passport and your device’s camera, with camera permission enabled, good light and no reflections. Follow the facial-verification instructions shown by NAVER. If the problem persists, use the Customer Center linked from NAVER’s passport-verification help.
Your card is rejected or a Korea Member restriction appears
For an unsupported-card error, check the network against NAVER’s supported overseas cards. Cards issued in South Korea cannot be registered through that overseas-card route. For a bank authentication failure, check with your card issuer rather than assuming passport verification failed.
Some services require Npay Korea Member status, which has different eligibility requirements. A passport-verified account does not automatically qualify. Read NAVER’s restriction guidance before making account changes; deleting an account is not a routine troubleshooting step. Ask the business whether another permitted payment or reservation method is available.
You selected a time but cannot find a confirmed booking
Open MY Place using the account you booked with and check the reservation status. A request awaiting the business’s approval is not a confirmation. If there is no booking record or the status is unclear, contact the business before traveling there. See NAVER’s booking-history instructions.
Bonus: NAVER Map has a Things to do section for foreign tourists
Foreign visitors may also see a Things to do shortcut inside NAVER Map’s Booking area.
Official source: Things to do in NAVER Map
Why this matters
NAVER Map has long been one of the most useful tools for finding places in Korea.
For foreign tourists, the gap between finding a place and actually reserving it is now much smaller.
A supported booking can look like:
Find the business → tap Book → choose the service → select a date and time → verify with your passport → pay if necessary → confirm the reservation
No Korean resident registration number.
No Korean bank account simply to make an ordinary reservation.
And, in supported Passport Verification flows, no Korean phone number for identity verification.
That means the next time you find exactly what you want on NAVER Map, the Book button is worth trying.
Official booking and verification guidance rechecked: October 20, 2026. The app walkthrough describes our original September 2026 test, not a new end-to-end booking. NAVER interfaces vary by operating system, app version, account type, and region. Businesses control their own reservation availability, foreign-customer settings, payment requirements, and cancellation policies.
