Korea splits apostille duty in two: MOFA stamps administrative documents, the Ministry of Justice stamps court and notarial documents — and much of it can now be done online as an e-apostille.
Overview
Korea has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 2007, and unusually it designates multiple competent authorities: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues apostilles on administrative documents, while the Ministry of Justice handles documents from courts and prosecutors, notarial acts, and official certificates on privately signed documents; the National Court Administration and the Overseas Koreans Agency are also listed as competent authorities in the HCCH register (updated March 2026). The apostille fee is KRW 1,000, and Korea runs one of the world's most developed e-apostille systems at apostille.go.kr, where eligible government-issued certificates can be apostilled electronically. Documents going TO Korea must be apostilled in the issuing country (or consular-legalised by the Korean mission if that country is not a Hague party), and immigration offices generally require a Korean translation. Coming FROM Korea, most civil documents are issued in English-capable formats via Government24 (gov.kr) before apostille. Verified against hcch.net, apostille.go.kr and overseas.mofa.go.kr as of June 2026.
Who Issues Apostilles on Korean Documents
The practical rule: government-issued certificates go to MOFA; anything notarised or emanating from the justice system goes to the Ministry of Justice. The published fee is KRW 1,000 per apostille.
| Document type | Competent authority | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative documents | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Family relation certificates, resident registration extracts, business registration, school and university records issued by public institutions |
| Court, prosecutorial and notarial documents | Ministry of Justice | Criminal/investigation record reply sheets routed via notarisation, court judgments, prosecutor-issued documents, notarial acts, certified private documents |
| Court-administered records | National Court Administration | Listed as a competent authority in the HCCH register — court registry documents |
| Overseas-Korean services | Overseas Koreans Agency | Added to the HCCH competent-authority list following its June 2023 establishment; operates with apostille.go.kr |
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues apostilles in Korea — is it just the foreign ministry?
No — Korea designates multiple competent authorities under the Hague Convention. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs apostilles administrative documents (civil certificates, public school records, business registration), while the Ministry of Justice apostilles court and prosecutorial documents, notarial acts and certified private documents. The HCCH register (updated March 2026) also lists the National Court Administration and the Overseas Koreans Agency. The published fee is KRW 1,000. If your document is privately issued — a company letter, a private diploma — it must be notarised first, and the Ministry of Justice then apostilles the notarisation.
Can I get a Korean apostille online?
Often, yes. Korea runs an e-apostille service at apostille.go.kr: documents that can be issued electronically through Government24 (gov.kr) — such as family relation certificates and many agency-issued records — can be apostilled electronically and verified online by the receiving authority. The catch is authentication: the portal relies on Korean e-government identity verification, so it works best for residents with a Korean digital certificate. People outside Korea normally appoint an agent with power of attorney to obtain paper apostilles at the MOFA consular service centre or Ministry of Justice counters.
My country isn't in the Hague Convention — how do I authenticate documents for a Korean visa?
You use consular legalisation instead of an apostille: the document is certified up your national chain (usually notary, then foreign ministry) and finally legalised by the Korean embassy or consulate accredited to your country. Only then will Korean immigration accept it. Before going down this longer road, check the HCCH status table — membership has expanded recently, with mainland China party since November 2023 and Canada since January 2024, so guidance written before then may wrongly send you to the legalisation queue when a single apostille now suffices.
Do my documents need to be translated into Korean, and by whom?
For submissions to Korean immigration offices, pair foreign-language documents with a Korean translation. Korea has no sworn-translator register: the accepted format is a translation plus a signed translator's certification of accuracy, and for higher-stakes uses (court, banks, some ministries) a notarised translation from a Korean notary office. Any competent translator may translate — including translation companies — because it is the certification and, where required, the notarisation that carries the legal weight. Going the other way, request English-format certificates from Government24 where available and you can often skip translation entirely.
How recent do my apostilled documents need to be?
The apostille itself has no expiry, but Korean immigration imposes freshness windows on the underlying documents: criminal record certificates are generally accepted only if issued within six months of submission, and financial or civil-status evidence may have similar windows per the checklist for your visa category. Order the document as close to filing as practical, apostille it immediately, and submit the set together. If processing delays push a certificate past its window, immigration may request a re-issued and re-apostilled version — a common cause of E-2 and F-6 file supplementation requests.
Which of my documents will actually need an apostille for a Korean application?
It depends entirely on the category checklist. Typical patterns: E-2 conversation instructors need an apostilled national-level criminal record check and an apostilled degree; E-7 needs the degree (and sometimes experience letters) authenticated; D-8 needs corporate and investment documents; F-6 marriage visas need civil-status and criminal record documents; F-5 permanent residence needs a home-country criminal record certificate. Short-stay visas and K-ETA need none. The Korea Immigration Service and the Korean mission for your country publish the binding checklist — verify there before spending on apostilles, since requirements shift by nationality and category.