Korean Job Discussion Forums

[greasylake]

$175 may seem like a lot to some people, especially if time is not a problem, and you have people back home to do the leg work for you. But if you are in Korea, time is an issue, and you don't have people back home to do ALL of your leg work for you, then www.apostillepros.com is well worth the money. For a diploma, they can get an apostilled copy of your diploma in you hands in a week. And by a week, I mean from first contact with them, to when it is in your hands. I dealt with them, and they are very professional. It is actually $240 because of the overseas Fed-Ex charge, but again, if you are in a time pinch, it is well worth it.

[pastafarian]

I'd like to go with greasylake's recommendation but I think I still need to get my diploma notarized somehow beforehand.

Please note that I have already made a request to the company which I am renewing with that they go through KCUE. They stated that they have already attempted to use KCUE and have been turned down. Is there any way to get a notarization from within Korea? The immigration has extended my visa but I must turn in the diploma with apostille no later than October 14th or lose my E2 status.


The US Embassy apparently stopped doing such things 27 years ago:

[millyfrend]

greasylake, you were in South Korea and you were able to obtain the apostille from South Korea? Was everything accepted?

[greasylake]

Yes, I was in Korea. I had an agency take care of it. It cost me $240, which included international fed-x, but but it was done very promptly. Yes, it was accepted by immigration.

[hogwonguy1979]

i have a notarized/apostilled diploma here from 3 years ago i think i showed it to immig 2 years when i renewed the first time after all these requirements were put in. does anybody know if i have to get another apostilled diploma or will the one i have suffice?

[Alias77]

To the poster above ~ I doubt that they can legally refuse an original document certified via the apostille process. Korea signed the international treaty and is pushing us to use its documentation form. I intend to continue using my apostilled degree. Once your document is apostilled, it remains so until it is destroyed. I posted this in another thread ( http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=187491&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=75 ) that has died out, but again for those who may have questions:

"This is the second time that immigration has pulled this ignorant crap. I jumped through all these hoops three years ago. At that time, no one in the immigration office understood what an apostille was or what it was for, except that it was something they had to look at to grant an E2. I'm absolutely sure that none of the employees today know either.

First of all, an apostille never expires. Once your document is apostilled, it remains so UNTIL you disassemble or destroy the document. This is where you need to pay attention. Apostilles are costly, time consuming, and stupid. However, if you let anyone remove the staples pinning the apostille papers together, the apostille is effectively destroyed. I have a very stern note written in Korean that is attached to my diploma with a paperclip, because the very people who demanded that we get apostilled documents have no idea and tried to take it apart the first time I ever used it. Also, if you hand it to a recruiter or anyone else, make sure you vehemently protest dismantling the document. They do not understand the gravity of the time and cost involved and simply re-stapling it is not sufficient as I will explain.

An apostille is form of authenticating documents agreed by all participanting countries at the Hague Convention of 1961. When you get an apostille, you are paying for registered notary publics (US position title) to vouch for the authenticity of the document. These notary publics at different levels of government hierarchy give their signature and stamp papers which are pinned together by THEIR staple. You are paying only for their signature and staples, which happen to equate to "verification" in international law although no research is done to verify anything."

So, long story short, if you get your documents apostilled, protect them and you will never have to do it again. It made me really angry three years ago that Korean immigration pushed this absurd international paperwork authentication garbage, yet had no concept of what they had asked for or how to treat it. I can see that it's going to mess with whole new batch of teachers, recruiters, and schools."

[young_clinton]

[Junior]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Summer Wine]

Its all pretty silly regardless.

I have all my documents certified by my government. I am apostilled up the wazoo.

Yet, I know that I will have to resubmit all those documents again when I change schools. Even though I wont be leaving Korea.

Therefore I consider the whole issue to be nothing more than a jerk off session for a bureaucracy.

If they kept my documents, added a number that would exist as long as I applied to Korean Immigration and I just provided them with the number plus any additional documentation that I had recieved since my original apostille.

I would consider it a serious and useful exercise. Though currently its a makework scheme, pure and simple.

Therefore, all these papers are a complete and utter waste of time. More useful as toilet paper than an actual understanding of our legal standing.

[runthegauntlet]

[millyfrend]

So your apostille didn't expire?

[Young FRANKenstein]

[runthegauntlet]

[millyfrend]

'Cause some accepting agency say they expire in 6 months - 1 year time.