Apostille Korea handles embassy verification letters for foreign licence conversion Buying a car in Korea and registering it in one's own name requires a Korean driving licence, not an international driving permit.

Apostille Korea said it handles the issuance of the embassy verification letter required when converting a foreign driving licence into a Korean one. The document cannot be processed inside Korea and must go through the applicant's own embassy or the foreign ministry of the issuing country.

How foreign nationals convert to a Korean licence

As more foreign nationals stay in Korea for short and long periods, vehicle use and purchases by foreigners have risen quickly. An international driving permit together with a home-country licence is enough to rent a car, but a Korean driving licence is mandatory to buy a vehicle in Korea and register it in one's own name. To register and use a car, applicants must submit a Korean driving licence along with a domestic residence report card, an alien registration card, proof of income and a seal certificate. The procedure for foreign nationals to obtain a Korean licence is set out in the Korea Road Traffic Authority's driver licence service, and holders of a licence issued by a competent foreign authority may apply to have it exchanged for a Korean one. Licences issued in countries whose licences Korea recognises require only an aptitude test, that is a physical examination, while licences from non-recognised countries also require a written examination. The authority's website lists some 140 recognised countries across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The embassy verification letter is the hardest part

The documents an applicant must assemble for the exchange include the original foreign licence, the original passport, the original alien registration card, an embassy verification letter for the licence, and an entry and exit record covering the period from the year of birth to the present. The original alien registration card is issued by an immigration office, and the entry and exit record can be obtained at a nearby community service centre. Of these, the most complicated to obtain is the embassy verification letter for the licence. Intended to confirm the authenticity of the foreign licence, it must be certified by the applicant's own embassy where the issuing country is not party to the Apostille Convention, or by that country's foreign ministry where it is. Because the document effectively cannot be processed inside Korea, many applicants spend considerable time and money assembling it. Apostille Korea provides a service that arranges the issuance and legalisation of this letter in the issuing country, and notes that formats and procedures differ by country, so requirements should be confirmed first.

Frequently asked questions

Source: DATANET · 2017-04-11