A Naver account is not the hard part. Identity verification is. Many shops and pop-ups in Korea hold tables on Naver Booking. That step used to stall visitors who had no Korean phone number.
What Naver launched
Naver introduced Passport Verification on June 4, 2026. The company announced it on June 9. Foreign users who cannot finish Korean mobile-phone verification can prove identity with a passport, on a smartphone.
Naver’s press note says you do not need a Korean number for this path, and you do not have to open a support ticket to start it. Naver Help says the same flow is for reservation and ordering services, with more services to come.
Match your account to the passport
Create a Naver account first. Naver Help is strict on the data: the name and date of birth on the passport must match what you entered when you signed up. Use the passport spelling. Do not invent a nickname in those fields.
Eligible passports
Naver Help lists four rules. The passport must be issued by a country other than the Republic of Korea. It must not have expired. It must not already have verified another Naver ID. It must be yours, with the same name and date of birth as the account.
Bring the original document. A photo of a passport on another screen is not the method Naver describes.
How to verify
The official help article does not name a public menu path. Naver’s press note points to bookings and payments through Naver Map. Start there, or follow the Passport Verification prompt when Booking asks for identity. Check before you visit if the live app labels differ.
Allow camera access in your phone’s app permissions. Photograph the passport yourself, on a flat surface, in good light, with no glare. After the photo, Naver runs facial verification against the passport picture. Look at the camera. Keep your whole face in the frame. Follow the on-screen moves.
Then book
After verification, Naver says you can use Naver Booking, Naver Order, and payments through Naver Map. The shop still has to offer Booking. If there is no reserve button, this feature will not add one.
A venue can still check ID at the door. Passport verification gets you onto Naver Booking. It does not replace a venue’s own entry rule.
If it fails
Retry in brighter light. Confirm the passport is unexpired and unused on another Naver ID. Confirm the account name and date of birth.
If it still fails, Naver Help says to contact the Customer Center. That is a fallback. The June 2026 path was built so most travelers would not need it. Language support is still being prepared, so some screens may stay in Korean. Check before you visit.