Apostille Korea obtains the Overseas Korean Registration issued only in person The Overseas Korean Registration extract is issued only at the foreign ministry in Jongno-gu, Seoul, a burden for applicants living far from the capital or abroad.

Apostille Korea has said it obtains the Overseas Korean Registration extract, a document that cannot be issued online, on behalf of applicants. The paper is used for university admissions for overseas Koreans, immigration-related procedures and visa applications, and obtaining it requires visiting the foreign ministry in person or appointing a proxy. When it is submitted abroad, translation, notarisation and legalisation follow.

More applicants for special admissions, and the papers they need

Applications have risen sharply for the special admissions track for overseas Koreans, run by 15 major universities in Seoul for students who completed their entire primary and secondary education abroad. Last year 2,841 candidates applied at 11 major universities, and this year 3,214 applied to the track, an increase of about 13 percent. Unlike other special tracks, this one places no cap on the number of applicants, and as word spread that admission chances were relatively good, competition has averaged seven to one at each university. With more students completing all of primary, middle and high school abroad, more overseas Koreans use the track each year, and numbers are expected to keep rising as the overseas Korean population grows. Applicants should assemble school enrolment certificates for primary, middle and high school, a high school graduation or expected graduation certificate, an entry and exit record certificate, the Overseas Korean Registration extract and proof of overseas residence, and organise them for each university in advance to avoid confusion at application time. Of these, the document that most needs checking early is the Overseas Korean Registration extract.

A record that starts on the day of registration

The Overseas Korean Registration extract is a civil document that records the holder's stay abroad under Article 1 of the Overseas Korean Registration Act. The record begins from the period in which overseas registration was requested, and even if registration is made later, nothing before the application date appears. There are cases of people unable to use the special track for overseas Koreans because they never registered and no record of their stay could be confirmed, so it is worth checking with the consulate first whether registration exists. Obtaining the document is not simple either. It cannot be issued online, so the applicant must visit the foreign ministry in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in person or appoint a proxy. The burden grows for those whose family and acquaintances are all abroad, for those living far from Seoul, and above all for anyone who needs the document urgently. When the extract is used for university admissions, immigration-related procedures or visa applications, translation into the relevant language, notarisation and legalisation follow, and Apostille Korea handles those steps.

Frequently asked questions

Source: 데일리시큐 · 2017-07-28