Anyone may use Seoul Metropolitan Library on site, but taking a physical book home requires a library card. If you are a foreign visitor or resident, check the membership category and original identity-and-address documents before expecting to borrow. The library’s use guide separates entry from checkout; an online account alone does not complete card issuance.
Go in to read even if you cannot borrow
The use guide says the library is available for everyone. You can plan an on-site visit without treating a borrowing application as an entry ticket. Ask staff before assuming that a particular room, computer, special collection or service follows the same access rule.
If your aim is to take a book away, pause at the next step. The guide says materials can be checked out only after a library card is issued. Being allowed inside, creating a website account and receiving a card are three different states.
Match your borrowing route to your membership category
The library’s card-issuance guide lists Seoul residents and registered aliens among membership categories. Its registered-alien document row calls for an original alien registration card or overseas Korean resident card that verifies identity and address. It also has work- and school-linked categories, with different online-card permissions.
Do not assume every mobile card permits physical-book checkout. The guide says an online card authenticated through a Seoul company or school, or an overseas-Korean category, can be limited to electronic materials; a physical card and further document check may be needed for restricted services. Read the category shown in your own application before selecting a book to borrow.
The library’s English pages describe passport documents differently. The use guide says a passport alone is not accepted as the listed ID because it does not show a current address. The membership guide separately lists a Korean passport with additional address evidence. Neither statement gives a short-term visitor automatic borrowing eligibility or proves that any passport-and-address combination will be accepted for a foreign visitor. Ask the library which current category and original documents apply to your case.
If registration or document proof stalls
Use the official membership page to identify whether your route is Seoul residence, qualifying work or study, or another listed category. Bring original documents that show the required identity and address when you visit; photos or copies are not a safe substitute for the original-document rule shown on the site.
If the online account or identity check does not work, ask staff at the library’s Digital Collections desk on the second floor which registration route and documents apply before trying to borrow. Staff advice is a way to identify the right process, not a promise that online verification or eligibility can be bypassed. If you live outside Seoul, these English pages do not settle your borrowing category; ask the library which current document and card route applies.
If you only need to read on site, keep the visit separate from the card problem. If you need a physical loan, wait until the library confirms the card and the applicable borrowing permission.
Seoul Metropolitan Library’s English use and card-issuance pages checked October 6, 2026 KST. Membership categories, accepted documents and service permissions can change; use the library’s current instructions for your application.