Title
Criminal record certificates for visas and residency: legalisation, not issuance, is the real gate Applicants are sometimes asked for a certificate from every country where they stayed more than six months, running from fingerprinting through notarisation to an apostille.
- Связанные страны
- 미국, 캐나다
Content
Apostille Korea said it provides an agency service for obtaining criminal record certificates abroad. The document is compulsory when applying for a visa or permanent residency for marriage, work or study, but procedures differ from country to country and are hard for an individual to handle alone.
- Criminal record certificates such as the FBI Check in the United States, the RCMP in Canada, NBI Clearance and COC must be submitted with visa or residency applications.
- Applicants have been asked to supply certificates from every country where a stay of six months or more is on record.
- Local police procedures for identity verification, including fingerprinting, must be completed first, along with documents attesting to the applicant's identity.
- Depending on the purpose and where the document is filed, the process continues through notarisation, apostille confirmation and consular legalisation.
A certificate demanded for each country of residence
A man surnamed Kim who had completed his university studies in London was hired by an IT company in the United States. As he prepared to close out his years abroad and move to the United States, the US embassy asked him to submit criminal record certificates from Korea and the United Kingdom, where records showed stays of more than six months. Startled by a document he had never heard of, he contacted both countries in turn and then spent considerable time working through complicated issuing procedures. Criminal record certificates, a category that includes the FBI Check in the United States, the RCMP in Canada, NBI Clearance and COC, must be submitted by anyone applying for a visa or permanent residency for marriage, employment or study. They set out any criminal record arising during the applicant's stay in that country and, because they carry highly sensitive personal information, they are among the harder civil documents to obtain.
What remains after the certificate is issued
Obtaining the certificate locally requires first completing identity verification at a local police station, including fingerprinting, and assembling documents attesting that the applicant's identity has been confirmed. In many cases the document must also be notarised locally so that it can be confirmed as valid for international use. Depending on the purpose of issuance and where it will be filed, the process can continue through notarisation, apostille confirmation and consular legalisation, which leaves an individual handling it prone to false starts. If a document is missing or does not match the stated purpose the application is refused, and since the submitted papers cannot be recovered the preparation begins again. Even an applicant who is on the ground and able to proceed in person will lose considerable time and effort without a full grasp of each country's administrative steps and document requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Is a certificate from one country enough?
Not necessarily. Applicants have been asked to submit certificates from every country where a stay of six months or more is on record.
What has to be prepared before issuance?
Identity verification at a local police station, including fingerprinting, along with documents attesting that the applicant's identity has been confirmed.
Are documents returned if the application is refused?
No. The submitted papers cannot be recovered, so the whole preparation starts again.
Source: 전자신문 · 2017-05-31