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Diploma apostille for South Korea

By Frank MetayerUpdated August 16, 2026

If you have accepted an English-teaching position in South Korea — whether through the government EPIK program or a private hagwon — the Korean consulate and immigration office will ask you to prove two things before they issue an E-2 visa: that you actually earned your degree, and that you have a clean criminal record. Both proofs travel to Korea as apostilled U.S. documents: an apostille on your diploma or degree, and an apostille on your FBI criminal background check. Getting either one wrong is one of the most common reasons an E-2 packet stalls at the visa stage.

This guide covers the specific intersection of one U.S. document (a diploma) going to one destination (South Korea) for one dominant purpose (the E-2 teaching visa). The single most important thing to understand up front is that your two documents are authenticated by two different authorities: a state Secretary of State handles the diploma, while the FBI background check is a federal document that only the U.S. Department of State can apostille. For the broader picture, see our general diploma apostille page and our full South Korea country guide — this page focuses on making the two E-2 documents work together.

Key takeaways

South Korea is a Hague Apostille Convention member, so E-2 documents get an apostille — not embassy legalization.
An E-2 teaching visa (EPIK or hagwon) typically requires two apostilled U.S. documents: your degree/diploma and your FBI criminal background check.
The diploma is apostilled by a state Secretary of State (in the state where it is notarized); the FBI check is apostilled federally by the U.S. Department of State.
A U.S. diploma is usually apostilled as a notarized true copy or a registrar-signed/sealed copy — you rarely send the original parchment.
Order the FBI check first: Korea typically wants it recent (commonly within about six months of the visa application as of 2026 — confirm before filing), while your diploma itself never expires.

Why South Korea takes an apostille, not legalization

South Korea has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since it entered into force there in July 2007, which means a single apostille certificate is all the authentication a U.S. public document needs before it is recognized in Korea. You do not route anything through the Korean Embassy or a consulate for a second 'legalization' stamp the way you would for a non-Hague country. For an incoming teacher, that simplifies the paperwork considerably: apostille the diploma, apostille the FBI check, and the documents are ready for the visa file.

This applies equally to EPIK placements and to private hagwon contracts — the visa category (E-2) and its document requirements are set by Korean immigration, not by the individual school. If you have seen older guidance mentioning 'notarization at the Korean consulate,' that predates or misreads the current apostille process. As of 2026 the apostille route is standard; confirm the exact document list with your recruiter, EPIK, or the consulate handling your case before filing.

How to get your U.S. diploma apostilled

A diploma is not, by itself, a public record a Secretary of State can stamp directly — no state official's signature sits on file for a university's parchment. So the diploma is brought into the apostille system in one of two ways. The most common is a notarized true copy: a notary public certifies that a photocopy is a true and correct copy of your original diploma, and the Secretary of State in the state where that notarization happened then apostilles the notary's signature and commission. The second route is a registrar-signed or sealed copy — some universities issue an official copy signed by a school official that can then be authenticated in the state where the school sits.

Notary rules vary by state, and that detail matters here. In several states a notary can directly certify a copy; in copy-restricted states (California is the well-known example) the notary cannot certify a diploma copy, so instead you sign a 'copy certification by document custodian' statement in front of the notary, and that notarized statement is what gets apostilled. Either way, keep your original diploma safe — you are apostilling a notarized copy, not mailing away the parchment. And match the state of notarization to the Secretary of State you submit to; they must be the same state.

The FBI background check is a federal document

Your criminal-history proof for an E-2 visa is the FBI Identity History Summary Check — the federal, fingerprint-based background check. Korea requires this national-level FBI report specifically, not a state or local police check. Because it is issued by a federal agency, it is not apostilled by any state Secretary of State: only the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications can apostille a federal document. This is the single biggest point of confusion for first-time E-2 applicants — they get the diploma done at the state level, then try to send the FBI report to the same office and are turned away.

Because the FBI results and the federal apostille each take time, start the FBI check first — before you even notarize the diploma. Using an FBI-approved channeler usually returns results faster than mailing fingerprint cards directly to the FBI. Once you have the FBI report, it goes to the U.S. Department of State for its apostille while your diploma moves through the state process in parallel. See our FBI background check apostille and federal apostille pages for the mechanics of the federal step.

The E-2 document set and the order to do it in

For a standard E-2 teaching visa, two documents carry apostilles: your degree/diploma and your FBI criminal background check. Most other items in the packet — a signed contract, a passport photo-page copy, passport-style photos, a self-health statement, and often sealed official transcripts — are submitted as-is and do not need an apostille. EPIK and individual hagwons sometimes ask for extras (for example, an apostilled transcript or an additional reference), so treat your recruiter's or EPIK's checklist as the authority for your specific placement.

A workable sequence looks like this: (1) request your FBI Identity History Summary Check right away; (2) get a notarized copy of your diploma (or a registrar-sealed copy) while you wait; (3) send the FBI report to the U.S. Department of State and the diploma to the correct state Secretary of State at the same time; (4) add Korean translations only if a reviewer requests them; (5) assemble the visa packet. Build in buffer time — federal processing windows shift, and a delay on either document holds up the whole visa.

Recency: what must be recent and what doesn't

Two different clocks apply here, and mixing them up causes real problems. Your diploma never expires and an apostille carries no printed expiration date, so an older degree is fine — you can apostille a diploma you earned a decade ago. The FBI background check is the opposite: Korean immigration wants it to reflect your current record, so it typically must be recent — commonly issued within about six months of your visa application as of 2026, and some immigration offices apply a tighter window. Confirm the exact requirement with the school or the consulate before you file, because the accepted freshness can differ by office and change over time.

The practical rule: do not apostille an FBI report that has been sitting in a drawer. If your check is older than the window your consulate accepts, order a fresh one and apostille that. This is also why sequencing matters — pull the FBI check early enough to process, but not so early that it ages out before your visa appointment.

Korean translation — when you actually need it

EPIK and Korean immigration generally accept English-language U.S. documents, so many teachers never need a translation at all. That said, the destination decides: a particular immigration office, school, or consulate may request Korean translations of certain items, and some applicants are asked for a translated document late in the process. Treat translation as conditional — arrange it only when a specific reviewer requires it, rather than assuming it up front.

When a Korean translation is required, the usual order is apostille first, then translate — the translation typically needs to reflect the apostilled document, including the apostille certificate itself. A certified translation keeps the wording defensible if a reviewer scrutinizes it. Our certified translation service can pair a Korean translation with the apostilled diploma when your school or immigration office asks for one.

Get your E-2 documents apostille-ready

Teaching in Korea? We handle both halves of the E-2 packet — the diploma at the state level and the FBI check federally — and coordinate Korean translation if your school asks for it. Start your order or contact us for a flat, all-in quote with no obligation.

Get a free quote Call 1-800-889-7850

Frequently asked questions

How long does a diploma apostille for South Korea take?+

It depends on which authority is handling each document. A diploma apostille moves through the state Secretary of State where it was notarized, while the FBI background check must be apostilled federally by the U.S. Department of State — and federal timelines in particular can shift. Because you need both documents finished before the E-2 visa appointment, the smart move is to start the FBI check first and run the two apostilles in parallel, with buffer time built in. Confirm current processing windows before you commit to a visa date.

How much does it cost to apostille a diploma for South Korea?+

It depends on the document, the issuing authority, and how fast you need it. You get a flat, all-in quote before any work begins — with no hidden fees, and no obligation.

Which authority issues the apostille — the state or the federal government?+

Both, depending on the document. Your diploma is apostilled by a state Secretary of State — specifically the state where the notarized copy is notarized. Your FBI criminal background check is a federal document, so it is apostilled only by the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications. The two documents cannot be processed by the same office, and this split is the most common thing first-time E-2 applicants get wrong.

Do I need a Korean translation of my diploma?+

Usually not for EPIK or most hagwon applications — English-language U.S. documents are generally accepted. However, the destination decides: a specific immigration office, school, or consulate may request Korean translations of certain items. Treat translation as conditional, and if it is required, translate after the apostille so the translation reflects the apostilled document, including the apostille certificate.

What's the most common mistake when apostilling documents for an E-2 visa?+

Sending the FBI background check to a state Secretary of State. The FBI report is federal and can only be apostilled by the U.S. Department of State, so a state office will reject it. A close second is apostilling an FBI check that is too old — Korea typically wants a recent check (commonly within about six months as of 2026), so confirm the window and pull a fresh report if yours has aged out.

Keep reading

Diploma apostille (general)Apostille for South Korea FBI background check apostille Federal apostille (U.S. Department of State)State vs. federal apostille Certified translation