Submitting a foreign criminal record certificate to Korean immigration?

When a foreign national applies for a Korean visa or a change of status of stay, the criminal record certificate issued abroad is one of the documents immigration examines most strictly. It has to come from the right country, carry the right authentication, be recent enough on the day of filing, and be accompanied by a translation whose accuracy is certified. Our office is both a state-licensed foreign-language translation 행정사 (외국어번역행정사) and a registered immigration filing agent, so the check against the immigration standard and the certified translation are done in the same place.

What this covers

• Who has to submit: people applying for a visa at a Korean diplomatic mission abroad, and people applying in Korea for permission to change status of stay
• Which records: the record of the country of nationality, or of a third country where the applicant has lived continuously for one year or more within the five years before the application date
• Who may be exempt: for example a person under 14, or a person born in Korea with no record of staying abroad continuously for six months or more
• Authentication: an apostille obtained in the issuing country when it is a party to the Apostille Convention, or confirmation by the Korean consulate in that country when it is not
• Issue date: the certificate must have been issued within six months before the date of the visa or status-change application
• Translation with a 번역확인증명서 (Certificate of Translation) issued by a state-licensed translator

The order that works

1. Have the certificate issued in the country concerned.
2. Complete notarization and the apostille there, or consular confirmation where the country is not an Apostille Convention member.
3. Have the authenticated document translated in Korea and the 번역확인증명서 issued.
4. Submit the set with the visa or status-change application while the certificate is still within six months of issue.

A certificate going to an institution other than immigration follows that institution's rule. Ask in advance whether it wants notarization or a translation certificate.

What we handle

• Checking your case against the submission standard: which country's certificate applies, whether an exemption may apply, and whether the authentication and issue date will hold on the filing date
• Translating the certificate and issuing the 번역확인증명서, working from a file or photo sent online
• Arranging notarization of the translation (공증촉탁) when the receiving institution requires notarization rather than translator certification
• Visa advice alongside the translation, as a registered immigration filing agent
• For languages we do not translate in-house, connecting you with a partner translation 행정사 for that language

How the process works

1. Consultation and quote: send the document as a file or photo by email, KakaoTalk or Naver TalkTalk. We reply with the earliest delivery date and a quote based on character count or page count. Urgent requests cost more, and the cost can rise if the translation adds pages.
2. Purpose check: tell us the receiving institution and the purpose, whether it asks for certification or notarization, and whether it takes a copy or needs the original.
3. Translation and certification: for a 번역확인증명서 we work from the file received online. For notarization we need the original by post, the notary fee is charged separately, and the work takes one to three additional days.
4. Delivery: where online submission is accepted, we send the finished translation and certificate as files. Where originals are required, send a copy online first and the original by post, and we return the final translation together with the original by post.

What the translation certificate does and does not prove

The certificate states that the document was translated at the applicant's request and that the translation is true to the original text. It also states that the translator is not responsible for forgery, alteration or the authenticity of the source document. In other words, a translation 행정사 confirms and certifies that the translation matches the document you provided. It does not judge whether the source document itself is genuine.

Who typically needs this

Foreign nationals preparing a visa application at a Korean mission abroad or a change of status in Korea, people who have lived in a third country for a year or more in recent years, and employers or inviting parties organizing documents for a foreign applicant.

Common mistakes

• Bringing a certificate with no apostille or consular confirmation from the issuing country.
• Filing with a certificate issued more than six months before the application date.
• Leaving out a third country where the applicant lived continuously for a year or more within the last five years.
• Submitting a translation without a translation certificate from a state-licensed translator.
• Not telling the translator the receiving institution and purpose, then finding out late that notarization or the original was required.

Timeline

A 번역확인증명서 is prepared from the file sent online, and the delivery date is given with the quote. Notarization adds one to three days and requires the original by post. The six months run from the issue date of the certificate, so time the overseas issuance and authentication against the planned filing date.

Applying for a remote-work visa? See the F-1-D digital nomad visa. For other documents, see certified translation and verification certificates.