Title
Apostille Korea offers one-stop handling from document issuance to embassy legalisation A document destined for use abroad is not finished when it is issued: translation, notarisation, foreign ministry clearance and embassy legalisation follow, and handling them alone costs time and money.
Content
Apostille Korea said it handles civil documents for use at home and abroad in a single process, from issuance through to embassy legalisation. Such documents tend to be needed at short notice and require visits to the issuing offices in person, which makes preparation burdensome. When the document has to be submitted abroad, the procedure grows longer still.
- Obtaining civil documents requires visits to the issuing offices in person, which costs time and money.
- A document to be submitted abroad goes through translation, notarisation, foreign ministry clearance and embassy legalisation after it is issued.
- Apostille Korea handles the whole sequence, from issuance to embassy legalisation.
- The service combines domestic and overseas procedures on an information technology platform.
Why issuance is not the end for documents used abroad
A civil document issued by a Korean public office is not accepted abroad as it stands. It first has to be translated so that it can be read in the receiving country, and the translation has to be confirmed as matching the original through notarisation. The notarised document then receives either an apostille or consular legalisation from the foreign ministry. If the receiving country is not a party to the Apostille Convention, legalisation at that country's embassy is added on top. Delivery overseas and filing with the local authority follow. Because a different institution handles each stage, the process cannot be completed in one place, which is what makes it burdensome.
What the one-stop service takes over
Apostille Korea groups the stages from issuance to embassy legalisation into a single procedure carried out on the applicant's behalf. The applicant does not have to research which documents are needed in what order. The service covers not only Korean documents sent abroad but also foreign documents brought into Korea. Applications and progress are managed on an information technology platform, so the steps advance without visiting each office in person. Because the required legalisation steps differ by receiving country and document type, checking in advance matters. Stating the receiving institution and the purpose accurately at the application stage reduces the risk of having to reissue documents.
Frequently asked questions
Can a document issued in Korea be submitted abroad as it is?
In most cases no. It has to be translated and notarised and then apostilled or consular-legalised, and some countries additionally require embassy legalisation.
Is the service also available for foreign documents submitted in Korea?
Yes. Both directions are covered: Korean documents sent abroad and foreign documents brought into Korea.
Is there information to provide up front when applying?
It helps to state which country and which institution the document is for and the purpose of submission, because the legalisation steps required depend on the receiving body.
Source: 기업나라 매거진 · 2017-11-06