Korean Job Discussion Forums

[twospoonsmv]

Fom my understand you need to get your background check apostille. But I have been seeing a lot of recruiters asking for apostille degrees.

Does this mean it varies from recruiter to recruiter, school, and location. Why would they want your degree to be apostille?

[mimi belle]

I believe it's a requirement. You should get a notarized copy of your degree and then get it apostilled. They want a copy so you can keep your original degree.

Check your state's apostille office website for info.

You should get the notary and apostille from the same state if possible. (If you went to college in a different state, check that state's apostille office as well.)

[millyfrend]

They want your degree apostille because in Korea or any other country, they don't know what Florida State University, Stanford University, University of Texas degree is.

An apostille is like a chain of authentication. A state official check the document that it is what it is, a degree. The official make a copy, then you can have it apostille.

You do not have to apostille the degree in the state the degree was issued. For instance, if you graduated from University of Texas, you don't have to get the apostille in the state of Texas. It can be apostille in any state. My friend got her degree in NY and got it apostille in California. Everything was accepted.

[twospoonsmv]

[natalia930]

[millyfrend]

Some people on the forum said they are having problem with federal document, in which they can't apostille it in Texas. Basically, I think they just walked in with the FBI background check, which is wrong 'cause the Texas state office doesn't have the name of the FBI background people who signed it.

They need to have it notarized first, then they can get it apostille.

I have a friend in Texas, she will be teaching in South Korea. She will need her FBI background check apostille in Texas. I'll post her results later. Sometimes it works for some and doesn't work for others.

One thing that doesn't make any sense is the FBI just said they started to sign the FBI background check (federal document). They started to sign it this year so you can get an apostille. If that's the case, how did people get apostille before that?

This procedure became effective on January 25, 2010 and will apply only to documents finalized after that date.

For instance, Dec. 2009, you have a FBI background check in hand in Texas, remember FBI didn't sign it. How did people get an apostille on that? Of course they had to get the apostille within the state.

Anyway, my friend is going to tell me within the next few days.

[twospoonsmv]

[natalia930]

twospoonsmv, what I meant was for the background check (which is at the federal level since the FBI is doing it), I've been reading here that some states will not give the apostille because the document did not originate in that state. I am expecting to have to send my background check to DC.

[millyfrend]

Try notarizing your FBI background check first. Then you can have it apostille within the state. Don't go to state office with just the FBI background check, you'll definitely get it rejected that way.

Go there with FBI background check + notary attachment stapled to it. Then you wouldn't have to wait 3 weeks to receive it from DC.

[twospoonsmv]

[natalia930]

Read this thread: http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=191548
There's a TON of confusion right now about what the reqs are, since they are changing on Dec 31...
Also, which recruiter are you using?

[hogwonguy1979]

also kimmig WILL NOT be accepting apostilles that were done in states outside where the univ is located.

for example you live in louisiana and you went to ut, you can not get your degree apostilled in baton rouge, you have to get it done in texas.

regarding the fbi stuff a texas notary WILL NOT notarize a certified fbi check to get a texas apostille, not sure about other states but based on what i read on the fbi and state dept websites it appears that only the us state dept will apostille federal certifications

[millyfrend]

How many notary did you go to in Texas? Cause in California there are some notaries, if you give em your diploma, FBI Background Check they will not know what to do with it. They will actually mess up the notary where it gets rejected.

So make sure you go to a notary that know what they are doing regarding to FBI background check, diploma and/or transcripts.

[hogwonguy1979]

[millyfrend]

Not sure who kimmig is, I'm guess it is a teaching agency or korea immigration. They are certainly making their own rules and not following the rules of the hague convention of 1961. Or someone at korea immigration is giving you a hard time. They can be very inconsistent and tend to power trip. From person to person, whoever is working there, they have different rules. It really doesn't make any sense.

The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents is one of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. It specifies the modalities through which a document issued in one of the signatory countries can be certified for legal purposes in all the other signatory states. Such a certification is called an apostille (a French word meaning certification). It is an international certification comparable to a notarisation in domestic law.

South Korea and United States are part of the hague convention. When any state apostille a document it should be accepted in foreign country that are participant to the Hague Convention. So the diploma/degree was issued in the States, when a document (diploma, fbi background check, power of attorney etc) is affixed with an apostille it should be recognize in South Korea.

The only time, it shouldn't be apostille in other state if you take that document to the embassy or consulate in the u.s. for further attestation/authentication. Then you have to apostille within that jurisdiction. But this is not the case.

My friend, like I said before, had a degree in NY apostille while in California and it was accepted by her teaching agency and korea immigration. There are people on this forum, had their degree apostille in different states and it was accepted.

But, sorry to hear about your case. For others it have worked.