Apostille Korea handles Overseas Korean Registration requests on behalf of citizens abroad The Overseas Korean Registration certificate cannot be issued online, requiring a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno, Seoul or an appointed proxy, and takes more than four days after filing.

Apostille Korea said it provides a document agency service covering the Overseas Korean Registration certificate. The company said cases continue in which the certificate cannot be issued because the applicant never completed overseas Korean registration, or in which the issuing procedure itself proves difficult. The document is essential when checking and applying for special provisions for Koreans abroad, including special university admission, military service and the national pension.

Missing the registration means the stay cannot be proven

Overseas Korean registration was introduced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protect nationals living or staying abroad and to make their activities at home and overseas easier. It applies the domestic resident registration system to life abroad, and the certificate records basic personal details along with the address in the country of stay, the purpose and status of the stay, and the date of first entry. The difficulty arises when the registration was never made. Even where an actual stay abroad can be shown, no certificate is issued if the person did not register at the local consulate. Because failing to register causes no immediate problem in daily life abroad, many people overlook it and only learn of the requirement when they return to Korea and try to obtain the certificate. Entries in the register are recorded as of the date of application, so a late registration does not bring earlier periods of stay onto the document.

The burden of the issuing procedure and the agency service

Even for those who did register, the issuing procedure remains a second obstacle. The Overseas Korean Registration certificate is not available online, so the applicant must visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno, Seoul in person or appoint a proxy. Neither option is realistic when family and acquaintances are all abroad or when the applicant lives far from Seoul. Even a successful application takes more than four days, which is hard to reconcile with an urgent submission deadline. Apostille Korea handles the issuance on the applicant's behalf, removing the need for a personal visit or a privately appointed proxy. Matters that call for the certificate, such as special university admission, entry and exit paperwork and visa applications, often extend into translation into each country's language, notarisation and legalisation, which is why the company says professional support is needed.

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Source: FNTIMES · 2017-04-20