Last checked: October 5, 2026. Designated off-peak percentage refunds are extended through December 2026. Only the temporary 50% reduction in fixed-method refund thresholds ended with September 2026 usage.
Last updated: October 6, 2026. Replaced the mixed-period illustration and caption with a resident checklist separating current off-peak rates from expired reduced thresholds. Corrected the earlier blanket expiry statement: off-peak refunds continue through December 2026, while the threshold reduction ended with September usage. Rechecked the four boarding-time windows and category rates, and retained those verified values in the replacement illustration.
Foreign residents can use Korea's national public-transport refund program if they meet the age, residence, card, and membership requirements. The service is still reached through the K-Pass website and app, but the expanded 2026 program is officially called Everyone's Card (모두의카드).
A normal T-money card is not enough. You need a supported card, a K-Pass account, card registration, and verified residence information. The refund is then calculated automatically from eligible public-transport use.
Quick answer for foreign residents
- You must be at least 19 and registered as a resident in a participating Korean municipality.
- The membership process accepts a foreign resident registration number and has a document-upload route when automatic address verification fails.
- You must obtain a supported card and register its eligible card number on K-Pass.
- From the second month, at least 15 eligible rides in a month are required. The first membership month can receive a refund with fewer than 15 rides.
- The 2026 Everyone's Card page states that there is no monthly ride maximum for refunds.
- The system compares percentage-based and threshold-based calculations and applies the larger benefit automatically.
K-Pass and Everyone's Card: what changed?
K-Pass originally centered on refunding a percentage of eligible monthly public-transport spending. In 2026 it expanded into Everyone's Card, adding a threshold method: when eligible monthly spending exceeds the applicable threshold, the amount above that threshold is refunded.
You do not choose a method in advance. The official Metropolitan Transport Commission page says the system calculates the percentage and threshold methods and applies the larger benefit. It also says the previous maximum-use limit is gone under the expanded program.
The threshold depends on three things:
- Your verified home region: metropolitan, general regional, priority-support, or special-support area
- Your benefit category: general, youth/two-child/senior, or three-child/low-income
- Whether your use falls under the regular plan or the Plus plan that includes higher-cost metropolitan buses and GTX
For example, under the ordinary 2026 thresholds, a general user in the Seoul metropolitan area has a 62,000 won regular threshold and a 100,000 won Plus threshold. Other categories and regions have lower thresholds. Check the live official table rather than copying a coworker's number.
Regular percentage refund rates
| Verified category | Regular rate |
|---|---|
| General | 20% |
| Youth, eligible parent with two children, or senior | 30% |
| Eligible parent with three or more children | 50% |
| Verified low-income user | 53.3% |
The national youth category generally covers ages 19 to 34. A local government can expand its own category; Seoul's linked Climate Companion Pass, for example, extends its youth treatment to age 39. Low-income and multi-child rates require eligibility verification in the account. Having children or receiving a benefit does not change the rate until the service recognizes the category.
Off-peak refunds continue through December; the threshold reduction has ended
The government introduced two separate measures in April 2026. MOLIT’s September 28 extension announcement extends the additional 30 percentage points for designated off-peak boardings through December 2026, while the temporary 50% reduction in fixed-method refund thresholds applied only through September usage. The official program table, rechecked October 5, 2026, lists these boarding-time windows:
- 05:30-06:30
- 09:00-10:00
- 16:00-17:00
- 19:00-20:00
The official FAQ describes the timing as first boarding, excluding transfer boardings. Read its earlier-period table together with the September 28 extension announcement linked above, and confirm your current account category. During these windows, the current percentage rates are 50% for general users, 60% for youth (19–34), seniors (65+) and eligible two-child parents, 80% for eligible parents with three or more children, and 83.3% for verified low-income users.
This does not mean every foreign resident receives 50% on every ride. Outside those windows, standard category rates apply. Only the temporary threshold reduction ended with September usage; the off-peak percentage incentive continues through December. Check the current official program table and your verified account category.
Who can join as a foreign resident?
The current official K-Pass FAQ says foreign applicants need a foreign resident registration number and should enter it instead of a Korean resident registration number. Address verification is a separate requirement. In practice, a foreign applicant needs:
- Age 19 or older
- A registered Korean address
- A valid foreign resident number
- A supported K-Pass/Everyone's Card
- Identity verification through a method supported by the current membership screen
Tourists and short-term visitors without Korean foreign resident registration generally cannot complete the normal membership and address-verification process. Card issuers also have their own rules for credit, debit, prepaid, and mobile products; eligibility for the transport program does not guarantee approval for every bank card.
How to register
- Choose a supported card. The official policy page lists bank credit/debit cards as well as prepaid and mobile options from transport and payment providers.
- Complete the issuer's setup. A prepaid or mobile product may require account and refund-bank registration with the issuer before K-Pass registration.
- Open the official K-Pass site or app. Use korea-pass.kr, not a look-alike download or social-media link.
- Verify identity first. The current membership start screen offers a supported simple certificate, mobile-phone verification, or a joint certificate. Follow the selected method's requirements and read any required terms before agreeing.
- Register and validate the supported card. Enter the eligible card number requested at the card-verification step and complete its validity check.
- Verify residence. Enter the foreign resident registration number and complete the address check.
- Finish the membership profile. Check that the correct card and municipality appear in the account before using transit.
Buying or receiving the card is only the first step. Rides made before the membership and card registration become valid may not be credited retroactively.
If foreign resident address verification fails
If automatic residence verification fails, the current K-Pass FAQ says to complete membership, then go to MY > My Municipality (나의 지자체) and choose File Registration (파일등록). Upload the document labeled 국내거소사실확인서(외국인) in the FAQ, and follow the exact document name and issue-date requirement shown in your account.
Before paying for a certificate, check whether your immigration address is current. A recently changed address may not match the information held by the card issuer or identity-verification service. The K-Pass customer center can confirm what the account is rejecting, but immigration address changes must be handled through the proper immigration reporting channel.
Which transportation is included?
The program covers ordinary public transit such as village, city, and metropolitan buses; urban and metropolitan rail; the Shinbundang Line; GTX; and the Airport Railroad. Eligible use is not limited to the user's home municipality.
Transport that requires a separate ticket and does not participate in ordinary transit-transfer discounts is excluded. The official K-Pass page names intercity and express buses, KTX, SRT, and airport buses as examples. A regular taxi, tourist shuttle, or separately booked train ticket should not be assumed eligible.
What Seoul residents should know from September 1, 2026
Seoul launched Everyone's Card (Climate Companion Pass) on September 1. An existing K-Pass/Everyone's Card user whose Seoul residence verification is complete receives the Seoul-specific benefit automatically; the city says no card change is required.
A new user still needs to issue and register an eligible card. Seoul's former 30-day Climate Card products have ended, while visitor short-term passes continue as a separate product. The Seoul transition FAQ explains that changeover. If you live outside Seoul but commute into the city, use the benefit attached to your verified home region rather than assuming Seoul rules apply.
How to check the refund
Use the K-Pass site or app to confirm that the correct card, residence category, ride count, and eligible spending have been recorded. The way money is returned depends on the product: a credit-card statement adjustment, debit-account payment, or prepaid/mobile provider process may be used.
If the amount looks wrong, first check:
- Was the card registered before the rides?
- Did you reach 15 eligible uses, unless it was your first membership month?
- Were the trips on included public transport?
- Is the address and special category verification complete?
- Are the rides still waiting for the operator or card issuer to transmit data?
For use and refund questions, the official Everyone's Card page lists 031-427-4415. It lists Korea Transportation Safety Authority policy contacts at 054-459-7441, 7442, and 7446.
This article explains public program rules and is not a guarantee of card issuance or a specific refund. The program and card issuer determine eligibility and payment.
Related guides
- Korea Residence Card: Registration, Documents, and Fees
- Korea SIM for Residents: Residence Card, MVNO, and Verification
Official sources
MOLIT’s September 28 extension announcement — off-peak extension through December; threshold reduction ends with September usage.
- Metropolitan Transport Commission — Everyone's Card Rules, Rates, Thresholds, and Card Issuers
- K-Pass — Current Program Overview
- K-Pass — Registration Eligibility
- K-Pass FAQ — Foreign Residents and Refund Conditions. Targeted check, October 16, 2026: the foreign-resident FAQ supports the registration-number and address-document steps; the payment-criteria FAQ confirms the 15-ride rule, first-membership-month exception, and no maximum count from January 2026 usage.
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport — 2026 Half-Price Everyone's Card
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport — Temporary Benefits Continue Through September
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — Everyone's Card (Climate Companion Pass)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — Card Issuance and Registration FAQ
Targeted update, October 8, 2026: removed an outdated illustration caption to match the current image. Refund rates and eligibility were not newly rechecked in this update.
Updated October 28, 2026: Corrected the current identity-before-card registration sequence, described supported verification methods without a universal card-number length claim, and clarified first-boarding timing with the FAQ and extension notice. Individual enrollment and refunds were not tested.
 for Foreign Residents: 2026 Guide){kind=link}
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