If you are preparing your documents to study Korean in Korea, you may have already heard that an apostille needs to be provided on some documents. But what is an apostille? In this article we explain in detail what it is and how to get an apostille for studying in Korea.
What is an apostille for studying in Korea?
An apostille, originally a French term, is a stamp designed to prove the authenticity of certain public documents abroad. It is required to certify that a document has legal and juridical value even outside the country from which it was originally issued.
The apostille for studying in Korea must be issued in one of the countries that signed the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention, and this includes the United States.
Korean universities usually require an apostille on your proof of graduation, diploma or degree, and on any report cards or class transcripts, to declare the validity of such documents. For this reason, when you prepare documentation for applying to a Korean language course in Korea, you will be asked to have such documents apostilled.
How to get the apostille for studying in Korea in the USA or in the UK
Who does the apostille in the USA?
In the USA, the apostille for studying in Korea is issued by individual state secretaries of state offices. For Washington, DC or other US territories, the apostille is issued by a similar government agency.
Many states and territories allow you to receive the apostille on a notarized true copy of your documents in order for you to keep original documents for your own records. Therefore, you will need to first notarize a true copy of your documents before submitting them for the apostille. Note that notarization and the apostille are two different processes.
The apostille is issued by the same state or territory as the institution that issued the documents. For example, if you received your diploma from a school in Kansas, you need to receive the apostille from the Kansas secretary of state’s office.
Depending on the state or territory’s procedure, you may be required to visit the secretary of state’s office in person to receive the apostille. However, many will allow you to submit the request for the apostille by mail.
Who does the apostille in the UK?
In the UK, the apostille is completed by the Legalisation Office.
The documents that must be apostilled to apply for Korean language school will likely have to be certified by a UK ‘public official’, such as a UK notary or solicitor.
The UK issues both a paper apostille and an electronic e-apostille. Please check with your student coordinator if the school you are applying to will accept the paper apostille or e-apostille. Some schools may only accept the paper apostille.
You can confirm the process and what documents qualify for the apostille here.
How much does the apostille cost and how long does it take to get it?
The cost of an apostille in the USA varies depending on the type of document and how many documents you need apostilled. The cost is normally between USD 5 ~ 10 per document. Please check with your specific secretary of state’s office for their rate schedule.
The cost of a paper apostille in the UK is GBP 45 while the e-apostille is GBP 35.
For the USA, regarding the timing, it varies greatly because it all depends on the state or territory where you apply for the apostille to study in Korea. Therefore, we recommend that you apostille your documents as soon as you decide to enroll in a language course in Korea and after we have provided you with the list of necessary documents.
For the UK, the timing is currently quoted as up to 15 business days for the paper apostille (plus shipping time) and up to 2 business days for the e-apostille.
Contact us well in advance of the actual registration period for the term you are interested in. Read our article on application timelines to get an idea of all the steps needed to enroll in a Korean course in Korea. The apostille for studying in Korea is especially required for enrollments with a D-4 student visa of at least 6 months, but sometimes some schools require it for short-term enrollments without a visa as well. So it is never too early to gather information.
We hope we have clarified your doubts about the apostille, otherwise contact our student coordinators. Keep following us on our blog at Go! Go! Hanguk for content on living and studying in Korea, as well as helpful tips and detailed information on applying for a student visa to study Korean in Korea.
