Title
With 1.74 million foreign residents, document legalisation remains a barrier to settlement A criminal record certificate issued abroad only takes effect in Korea after local notarisation followed by an apostille or consular legalisation.
- Связанные страны
- 한국
Content
Apostille Korea said that migrants and multicultural residents settling in Korea are losing time and money to the legalisation of documents issued overseas when they seek employment, register a marriage or have foreign academic credentials recognised. According to Statistics Korea figures for 2015, about 1.74 million foreign nationals lived in the country, roughly 4 percent of the total registered population of 51.33 million. Institutional support, however, has not expanded to match that growth.
- Statistics Korea recorded about 1.74 million foreign residents in 2015, roughly 4 percent of the registered population of 51.33 million.
- Employment in Korea generally requires a criminal record certificate, and foreign nationals who have lived abroad must obtain it in person from an authorised body in the country of residence.
- A document issued abroad takes effect in Korea only after local notarisation and either an apostille or consular legalisation.
- Document requirements, processing times and costs differ from embassy to embassy, so even a single certificate can consume considerable time and expense.
A structure that sends applicants back to the issuing country for one document
Together Day, marked on 20 May, was designated in 2007 to build a society where Korean nationals and foreign residents live side by side, and this year reached its tenth anniversary. Statistics Korea figures for 2015 put the number of foreign residents at about 1.74 million, roughly 4 percent of the total registered population of 51.33 million. Multicultural residents and migrants nevertheless still face discriminatory attitudes, wage problems and gaps in administrative support. Rates of education, marriage and employment among these residents are rising quickly, but the institutional framework supporting them has not kept pace. A clear example is the criminal record certificate commonly required when applying for a job. Korean nationals obtain the domestic version without much difficulty, while foreign nationals with a history of residence abroad must collect the document in person from an authorised body in the country where they lived beyond a certain period.
From notarisation to apostille and consular legalisation
Travelling abroad to obtain the certificate does not end the process. For a document issued overseas to take effect in Korea it must be notarised locally and then carry either an apostille or consular legalisation. The same sequence applies to foreign academic credentials and to family relationship and marriage records. Having an agent on the ground who can handle the legalisation work eases the burden, but the document requirements, processing periods and costs set by each embassy are hard to establish with precision. As a result, even a single straightforward certificate can take a long time and cost a great deal to legalise.
Frequently asked questions
Can a criminal record certificate issued abroad be used in Korea as it is?
No. Issuance alone gives it no effect in Korea. It must be notarised in the issuing country and then carry an apostille or consular legalisation.
Is the criminal record certificate the only document that needs legalisation?
No. The same sequence applies to recognition of foreign academic credentials and to family relationship and marriage documents.
Why is it hard to find out the procedure in advance?
Each embassy sets its own document requirements, processing times and costs, which makes them difficult to confirm precisely. That is why legalising a single document often takes considerable time and expense.
Source: 넥스트데일리 · 2017-05-22