Title
Apostille Korea obtains academic and criminal record papers abroad for multicultural residents Academic and criminal record certificates must clear confirmation, notarisation and consular legalisation in the issuing country before they can be used in Korea.
Content
Apostille Korea said it provides a service that obtains and legalises civil documents abroad on behalf of people from multicultural backgrounds. It handles the process of having home-country documents issued and certified for education, employment and marriage procedures in Korea.
- People from multicultural backgrounds need home-country documents to complete education, employment and marriage procedures in Korea.
- An academic certificate must be requested directly from the school abroad, then pass administrative confirmation, notarisation and consular legalisation.
- A criminal record certificate must be obtained separately in every country where the applicant has a record of residence.
- Document requirements and processing times differ by embassy, which makes them hard for individuals to pin down.
The road an academic certificate travels
Social attitudes towards multicultural families are shifting, with second-generation members drawing attention for the bridging role they play between two countries. Alongside that change, the issuance of overseas civil documents is singled out as an issue needing swift improvement. As the multicultural population grows, so does the number of people handling education, employment and marriage matters in Korea. Anyone from a multicultural background who wants to continue their studies in Korea must apply directly to the school they graduated from abroad and obtain an academic certificate. The document then has to pass administrative confirmation, notarisation and consular legalisation in turn before it can be submitted to a school in Korea. The paper itself is a single sheet, but the institutions it has to pass through are several.
A criminal record certificate for every country of residence
A criminal record certificate must be obtained separately in each country where the applicant has a record of residence. When someone has lived in several countries the procedure splits accordingly, which makes it a complicated and daunting process to handle alone. Having someone on the ground who can take care of the certification work improves matters somewhat. Even then, the document requirements and processing periods of each embassy are hard to establish accurately, so legalising even one straightforward document often takes a long time. Obtaining civil documents abroad and completing notarisation, apostille and consular legalisation requires an accurate grasp of each country's administrative requirements, and translation into the local language is sometimes necessary. Apostille Korea said it prepared the service in response to the growing number of foreign residents and people from multicultural backgrounds reporting these difficulties.
Frequently asked questions
What steps does an academic certificate go through?
It is issued by the school abroad, then passes administrative confirmation, notarisation and consular legalisation before submission to a Korean school.
What if I have lived in several countries?
A criminal record certificate has to be obtained locally in each country where you have a record of residence.
Is translation required as well?
Depending on the destination country and the document, translation into that country's language may be needed.
Source: 금강일보 · 2017-07-10