How do I get my documents notarized and apostilled?

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notarizedWhen you’re applying for a visa to teach English in Korea, you’ll find that some of your documents must be notarized and/or apostilled. And, unless you’re a law student or the child of a notary public, you’re probably wondering what these things mean. Here’s our quick rundown that will make you an expert by the bottom of the page.

Taking Your Visa Documents to a Notary Public

A notary public is a person who is constituted by the state to make legal authorizations. In other words, it’s someone you can bring your documents to who will say, “Yup, those are real”  and sign or stamp something to that effect.

Notaries are often lawyers, but you can find them in many common institutions that are sure to be in your area. Post offices and banks often have a notary on staff and your public library should be able to point you to one. The following websites are directories of notary publics:

Having Your Visa Documents Apostilled

In 1961 a bunch of countries got together to set a standard by which each would recognize documents from the others as legal. The resulting certification is called an “apostille” and it has haunted the dreams of English-teaching-in-Korea hopefuls ever since.

teach korea tipsSpeed up your apostille. If you live within driving distance of an apostille-granting authority, you’ll save a lot of time by taking your documents to be apostilled in person. Every country has different fees and requirements, so call ahead to ask what you need to bring.

Getting an apostille is a bit pricey in some countries, but it’s usually not very difficult. The website ApostilleInfo.com is a super useful directory of all of the places you can get an apostille in your home country. Canadians, why isn’t your country on the list? Canada didn’t come to the apostille party in 1961, so instead of obtaining an apostille, you need to have your documents affixed with a consular seal from your nearest Korean embassy or consulate.