What you need for South Korea
Why people send Canadian documents to South Korea
Each situation has its own requirements. Here are the ones we see most often, with the detail that avoids a refusal.
Teaching English: EPIK, hagwons and the E-2 visa
Whether you teach in a public school through EPIK or at a private academy (hagwon), your documents go to Korea first: the employer obtains a visa issuance certificate, then you apply for the E-2 visa at the consulate. EPIK requires the original fingerprint-based RCMP criminal record check, apostilled by Global Affairs Canada and dated within six months of your contract start. It also wants an apostilled notarized copy of your bachelor's degree and sealed transcripts.
F-4 visa for Canadians of Korean descent
A former Korean national who became Canadian can apply for the F-4 overseas Korean visa at a Korean consulate. The Toronto consulate asks for, among other things, the Canadian citizenship certificate (not the card), Korean family registry certificates issued within three months and, for applicants aged 18 to 59, an original fingerprint-based RCMP check issued within six months.
Marriage: reporting it in Korea and the F-6 visa
The F-6 spouse visa assumes your marriage has already been reported in Korea. At the Toronto consulate, the Canadian applicant provides the long-form marriage record (a certified copy of the marriage registration, not the short certificate) and, unless exempt, an RCMP check under six months old. A previously divorced applicant adds proof of divorce issued by a Canadian authority.
Studying at a Korean university
For the D-2 student visa, the Montréal consulate asks for the admission letter, a sealed transcript or your most recent diploma, and proof of funds, with no mention of an apostille. The university is another matter: it may require an apostilled diploma and transcript at admission, and it sets its own rules.
Which Canadian authority apostilles your document
The authority depends on where in Canada the document was issued or notarized, never on where you live now or where the document is going. We confirm it at the free pre-check, before you send anything.
| Document | Canadian authority | Notary first? |
|---|---|---|
| Birth, marriage or death certificate | The province that issued it (Québec, Ontario, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan), or Global Affairs Canada for all others | No |
| RCMP criminal record check | Global Affairs Canada | No |
| Degree, diploma, transcript | The province of the institution | Often, depending on the province |
| Power of attorney, statutory declaration, affidavit | The province of the notary or lawyer | Yes, the notarial act is what gets apostilled |
| Corporate documents | The province of the registry, or Global Affairs Canada for Corporations Canada | Sometimes, depending on the document |
Do you need a translation for South Korea?
South Korea has no sworn translators in the Spanish or Brazilian sense, and English is often accepted as is. EPIK asks for no translation of documents in English. For a degree issued in French, EPIK requires an official English translation from the university, with no notarization or apostille on the translation. The apostille itself must be in English or come with an official English translation, so check its language if it was issued in Québec.
Korean civil registration and the courts generally want a Korean translation. Depending on the office, a translation signed by the translator is enough, or a notarized translation done in Korea is required; the Toronto consulate, for example, asks for a notarized translation of a foreign marriage certificate that is not in English. Translate after the apostille, and confirm the format with the office receiving the document. We cover it at the pre-check.
Three mistakes that delay a file for South Korea
Avoid this
An RCMP check that expires
EPIK and the consulates count the six months from the date the RCMP check was issued, not the date of the apostille. Ordered too early, it expires before your contract starts; ordered too late, the apostille is not back in time. Time the order to your intake date.
Avoid this
A notarized copy of the RCMP check
For EPIK, Global Affairs Canada must apostille the original fingerprint-based RCMP check. A provincial apostille on a notarized copy is refused, and so is a name-based check.
Avoid this
A degree from a French-language university
EPIK states that it only accepts degrees from accredited English-language universities in the designated countries. If you studied at a French-language university, confirm your eligibility with EPIK or your recruiter before paying for apostilles.
Useful guides: RCMP criminal record check · Apostille for a Canadian degree · RCMP fingerprints from abroad · Marriage certificates
Does South Korea accept Canadian apostilles?
Does the Korean consulate still need to legalize my documents?
Does my RCMP check need an apostille for the F-4 visa?
Can I apostille my original degree for EPIK?
I am already in Korea. How do I get a new RCMP check?
Do I need a Korean translation of my documents?
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