Immigration Documents
Definition
An Apostille is a standardized certification attached to a public document (such as a criminal background check, birth certificate, or diploma) that verifies the document's authenticity for use in foreign countries — including Korea.
The Apostille Convention (Hague Convention of 1961) is an international treaty that simplifies the legalization of documents between member countries. When a document issued in a member country needs to be recognized in another member country, an Apostille stamp or certificate is attached by the competent authority in the issuing country. For Korean visa purposes, Apostilles are commonly required for: criminal background checks (FBI check for US applicants), diplomas and academic transcripts, birth and marriage certificates, and professional licenses. Non-member countries (notably China) must go through a more complex embassy legalization process instead.
Many Korean work visa categories (E-2, E-7) require a criminal background check with Apostille from your home country. Getting this wrong — for example submitting an un-apostilled document — leads to visa rejection. Apostille processing times vary significantly by country and state/province; some US states take 4–6 weeks. Building Apostille lead time into your visa timeline is essential. An immigration consultant can advise exactly which documents need Apostilles for your specific visa category.