How to Sign Up for Coupang with Your Residence Card (ARC)
Written by Daebak Price Editorial Team · Published · Updated
Coupang (쿠팡) is the most-used shopping app in Korea. Many items come with Rocket Delivery (로켓배송): order at night, and they arrive the next morning. This makes it easy to buy everyday things. But many foreigners get stuck when signing up. If you get ready in the order below, most problems can be solved.
What You Need
- Residence Card (ARC, 외국인등록증) — the physical card or the mobile Residence Card (모바일 외국인등록증, issued since January 2025)
- A Korean phone number in your own name — tourist SIMs, prepaid SIMs, or foreign numbers may not work for identity verification (본인인증)
- A way to pay — a debit card (체크카드) from a Korean bank is the safest choice
To get a phone number, you often need a bank account. To open a bank account, you often need a Residence Card. So it is easiest to get ready in this order: Residence Card → bank account → phone → Coupang.
1. Install the App and Choose a Language
Install “Coupang” (쿠팡) from the App Store or Google Play. Since May 2025, Coupang has been testing an English version of the app. Check if you can change the language in the app settings. Even in English, product names are often shown in Korean.
2. Sign Up (회원가입)
Enter your email, password, name, and phone number.
Type your name exactly as it is written in English on your Residence Card. If the order, spacing, or capital letters are even a little different, identity verification in the next step may fail.
3. Identity Verification (본인인증)
Verify your identity with your phone number. Your name must match the name registered with your mobile carrier (통신사). If verification keeps failing, go to a store of your mobile carrier and check how your English name is registered.
4. Delivery Address
Entering your address in Korean is the most accurate. Get your company or dormitory address in Korean, save it, and paste it in as it is. In the address search box, typing the road name address (도로명, for example: ○○로 12) makes it easy to find.
5. Payment
- Korean bank debit or credit card: The fewest problems.
- Coupay (쿠페이, linked to a bank account): You need a Korean bank account.
- Card issued outside Korea: Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
If You Get Stuck
- Is the name you entered on Coupang exactly the same as the English name on your Residence Card?
- Is the phone in your own name? (If it is in your company’s or a friend’s name, verification will not work.)
- If it still doesn’t work, ask through the Customer Center (고객센터) menu in the Coupang app.
Buying Coupang Products From This Site
Tap the buy button on any deal card to open the product page on Coupang. Log in to Coupang and place your order there.
This guide is based on public information as of September 2026. Coupang’s sign-up process may change.
Frequently asked questions
Why does identity verification keep failing when my details look correct?
Usually the name does not match exactly. The name you type on Coupang must be the same as the English name on your Residence Card and the name registered with your mobile carrier, including order, spacing, and capital letters. Ask at your carrier's store how your English name is registered.
Can I use a prepaid SIM or a foreign phone number?
It may not work. Tourist SIMs, prepaid SIMs, and foreign numbers may fail identity verification. A phone in your company's or a friend's name will not work either, so you need a number in your own name.
Can I pay with a card issued outside Korea?
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. A debit or credit card from a Korean bank has the fewest problems.
Should I enter my address in English or Korean?
Korean is the most accurate. Get your company or dormitory address in Korean, save it, and paste it in as it is.