Asked for criminal record certificates from four countries, and every procedure was different Documents such as the FBI Check and the RCMP record differ even in name, and as a rule the applicant must apply in person on the ground.

Apostille Korea said it provides a service that obtains overseas criminal record certificates on the applicant's behalf. Requests for a certificate from each country of residence keep arising in visa, permanent residency, immigration, employment and study applications.

The applicant who had to gather papers from four countries

In early July a woman surnamed Lee, aged 28 and living in California, interviewed with a multinational company based in Korea. The company rated highly the language skills, experience and academic record she had acquired while living in various countries with her father from childhood, and asked her to submit, as additional verification, criminal record certificates from every country where she had stayed for six months or more. Four countries were involved. Because such certificates must in principle be applied for in person on the ground, and because each country has its own application process and required papers, even the preparation stage looked daunting. Unfamiliar administrative procedures and the time each issuance takes leave applicants in this position repeatedly.

From fingerprinting to embassy authentication

FBI Check, COC and the RCMP record, also referred to as personal background reports, are the representative overseas criminal record certificates, and Korea's criminal investigation record reply and China's non-criminal record certificate are of the same nature. The first step in obtaining an overseas criminal record certificate is completing, on the ground, the fingerprint form and application used to verify the applicant's identity, a step that requires authentication by the relevant national authority. Some papers must also undergo additional verification by an administrative body in that country. Even once issued, the document must pass notarisation and authentication by the foreign ministry and the embassy before it can be used internationally. Because a criminal record certificate contains information treated as the most sensitive category of personal data in every country, the issuance process is complex and demands precision. Handling issuance, notarisation, apostille and embassy authentication alone, across countries that each do it differently, is far from straightforward.

Frequently asked questions

Source: CCTV NEWS · 2017-07-18