Attesting Korean Documents (FAQs)

Yes - South Korea is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Korean documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When Korean documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.

For further information about Apostille certification in South Korea, see:
South Korea Apostille Services

Apostilles in Korea can be obtained to authenticate documents issued by central or local government agencies, including:

• Certificates of Family Relations
• Criminal record and police background checks issued by the National Police Agency
• University diplomas, certificates of graduation and enrolment
• Driving records issued by the National Police Agency
• Passport Records
• Certificates of Business Registration issued by the National Tax Service
• Certificates of Origin, free sale, health certificates and GMP certificates
• Court documents

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in South Korea, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Korean apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Korean documents, see:
South Korea Apostille Services

To apostille a South Korean Criminal Record Check Report takes 1 – 3 workings days.

Korean Apostille Stamps can be verified online:
Verify an Apostille

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Korean document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit a Korean birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in South Korea certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in South Korea and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because South Korea is a member of the Apostille Convention, Korean documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If a Korean document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Korean authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in South Korea or non-resident embassy accredited to South Korea).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in South Korea including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
• ISAREY reviews on Google

South Korea Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of Korean documents certified with Apostille stamps:

• Korean Criminal Record Check with Apostille (PDF)

See What does an Apostille look like?

Apostille stamps to authenticate Korean Certificates of Family Relations can be obtained from the Overseas Koreans Agency.

If you need a South Korean Criminal Record Check Report for certification by Apostille, a certificate can normally be obtained from the Korean embassy or consulate. However, we can also obtain a certificate for you in Korea (available in English or Korean). It takes about 1 – 2 weeks, and then another 1 – 3 days to obtain an Apostille.

Applications in Korea: Persons requiring a criminal record certificate for the purpose of foreign visa or residency applications should request a Criminal (Investigation) Records Check Reply (범죄· 수사경력 회보서). Applications in Korea may be submitted online on the Korean Police (in Korean) website. Applicants (or an authorized representative) will then need to visit a Korean Police Station (in Korean) to process the application.

Applications from outside Korea: From outside Korea, requests for a Criminal(Investigation) Record Check Report should be made through a South Korean Embassy (applicants will need to visit the embassy in person).

Depending on the requirements of the foreign authority requesting the police certificate, the certificate must indicate that all records have been searched, including any lapsed records (실효된 형 포함). You should specifically request a search on your entire record: Criminal Records (including lapsed criminal sentences), and investigation records.

Degree certificates and diplomas required for submission to the authorities of the United Arab Emirates must be authenticated by the Overseas Koreans Agency (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and then attested by the UAE embassy in Seoul.

Korean university degree certificates and diplomas required for submission to the authorities of Saudi Arabia can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Overseas Koreans Agency or Ministry of Justice (private universities). Since Saudi Arabia joined the Apostille Convention, attestation by the Saudi embassy in Seoul is no longer required.

Korean university degree certificates and diplomas required for submission to the authorities of Mainland China can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Overseas Koreans Agency or Ministry of Justice (private universities). Since China joined the Apostille Convention, attestation by the Chinese embassy in Seoul is no longer required.

Korean Apostille Stamps to authenticate General Educational Development certificates can be obtained from the Overseas Koreans Agency.