For a domestic flight to Jeju, a screenshot of your passport is not accepted boarding identification. If you are visiting Korea with a passport, keep the valid original with you for the flight in both directions. Incheon Airport’s domestic ID guidance explicitly excludes photographs, screenshots and photocopies. Receiving a mobile boarding pass does not turn a passport image into an accepted ID.
Official airport and airline guidance checked October 25, 2026. The practical recommendation below is for overseas visitors, especially adults aged 19 and over. Residents using another recognized ID and families using age-specific documents should check the applicable list for their own party.
What is in your hand at the airport?
| What you have | How to treat it | Before leaving your accommodation |
|---|---|---|
| Valid original passport | A listed form of domestic-flight ID, including for foreigners | Keep it accessible in your personal bag |
| Passport photo, screenshot or photocopy | Not an accepted replacement for the original ID | Retrieve the original or confirm another recognized document |
| Mobile boarding pass | Evidence for the flight; you still need the required identity check | Prepare the boarding pass and accepted ID separately |
| A Korean residence card or another listed ID | The official list includes alternatives to a passport | Match your exact document to the list; do not assume every foreign ID qualifies |
| An approved digital ID service | A specific verification method, not an image stored in Photos | Confirm your eligibility and the actual service before relying on it |
The airport list also excludes documents whose stated validity has expired. See the full accepted-ID list for adult, under-19 and digital-document categories. This is a boarding-ID check; it does not establish immigration permission for your itinerary.
Online check-in does not finish the airport checks
A booking confirmation, a boarding pass and an identity document serve different purposes. Do not interpret an airline’s failure to request a passport upload during booking as permission to travel without an accepted ID.
Korean Air’s domestic boarding procedure tells passengers to present a boarding pass and photo ID before security. It also requires the original ID or identity document. When a mobile boarding pass cannot be issued, the airline directs passengers to its airport check-in counter.
Our packing check: put the original passport and phone together in the bag that stays with you, then open the reservation and compare the passenger name. Resolve a mismatch with the airline or ticket seller before travel; a generic article cannot decide whether a particular spelling difference will be accepted.
Keep the passport out of checked baggage and any suitcase you hand to a delivery or storage service. Repeat this check when leaving Jeju, not only when leaving Seoul or Busan.
Can a biometric gate solve a missing-passport problem?
Do not plan on registering at the airport with only a passport screenshot. Korea Airports Corporation’s biometric-service FAQ says foreign nationals registering for domestic use need a Korean mobile phone in their own name, a residence card and a passport, and must use a staffed registration desk. It also says the first use requires an ID check.
The same FAQ distinguishes Incheon’s SmartPass facial-recognition service from the KAC palm-vein system used at other airports, including Gimpo and Jeju. Having set up SmartPass for Incheon does not establish that you are registered for the other system.
For a short-term visitor without those registration documents, carrying the original passport is the straightforward plan. A phone that displays a boarding pass is not proof that its owner has an approved digital ID or biometric enrollment.
Leave time to fix a problem before the cutoff
Korean Air currently lists these domestic-flight deadlines:
| Step | Published cutoff | Example for a 12:00 departure |
|---|---|---|
| Check-in | 30 minutes before departure | 11:30 |
| Boarding | 10 minutes before departure | 11:50 |
Source: Korean Air’s domestic procedure. The 12:00 flight is a hypothetical calculation, not a timetable or an airport-arrival recommendation. These deadlines are airline-specific; check your operating carrier and booking. Allow time for counter queues, security and reaching the gate.
If the original document is missing, contact the airline as soon as you discover it. State your nationality, age, route, departure time and the exact documents you have; ask whether a listed alternative applies and what ticket-change deadlines you face. Do not assume staff can waive the ID requirement or that a refund is automatic.
A useful question to show staff:
제주행 국내선에 탑승하려고 합니다. 이 신분증 원본으로 탑승할 수 있나요?
I am taking a domestic flight to Jeju. Can I board using this original ID?
For the rest of the journey, check the Incheon-to-Gimpo airport change, Jeju Air’s carry-on weight rule, and where to stay on Jeju without a car.