Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OnTheOtherSide]

Hello people. Happy Easter!

I am curious if anyone has any tips or shortcuts for getting documents apostled faster? I am now at the point in which the only thing left in my paperwork process is to get my criminal background check apostled.

From what I understand, I must get my documents apostled at the Office of the Secretary of State. I currently live in San Diego and the this office is in Sacramento, so the only way in which it will be possible to get it done there will be through snail mail. Which I fear could take weeks to get processed and sent back. More waiting

As an American, from California, do I really need to send it to Sac to the Secretary of State? Or is there some local agency who can do it faster? A friend of mine who taught in Thailand a few years ago told me that the local police department did it all for him??? This is contradictory to everything I have read online about this process, but he is adament that he got it all done in one day all the local Police Department. And when I told him that I was looking at waiting weeks to get the apostle, he looked at me like I was crazy and told me it can be done in one day. Is there really such a shortcut?

I am itching to get over there to Korea with you all and join in on the party, so i'm hoping to get this all done faster. Any info would be mucho, mucho appreciated. Thanks a lot folks.

[MollyBloom]

How appropriate for Easter!

[afsjesse]

I highly doubt you have to go to the Sec. of state in Sacramento. There should be a Sec. of State branch near you. Granted I'm from michigan and there are local state branches in near by towns, I reckon its the same for each state. Just get it done there. Being you in San Diego, there ought to be a couple.

Check it out.

[OnTheOtherSide]

Thanks for the tip. I see that they have a regional office right here in San Diego, they keep it buried and hard to find on the site but I got it.

I'll give them a call tommorrow too and find out the details of the process. But maybe for the sake of enlightening our readers, and me in the meantime, someone could tell me, if I walk in with my crim check, would they apostile it for me the same day? Or is it a waiting game even if a I go in person? Have any of you had an experience at one of these regional offices? If I needed to get a copy of my diploma notarized could they easily do that too? I had planned on sending in my original copy, but if it is no problem to get a copy of it notarized I would rather just do that.

Thanks. You Dave's people rule.

[bogey666]

I'll tell you what I did in Chicago, and the perhaps you can extrapolate if possible unto your own situation.


First if all, I went to Chicago Police HQ, located on 3500 S. Michigan, and you go in and get a criminal background check, actually get it under the window that says "Visa check" (I explained very carefully to the clerk that it wasn't for a US document, but a FOREIGN visa and for Korea)

no matter. you get the same document (I think) - basically a letter with a nice CPD seal on it that says your record is "clean".

then I had to stop by the Daley Center (City Hall) to get ANOTHER stamp that basically certified that the CPD stamp was official/aka "good".

then I went to the IL Sec of State's office (there is one on 17 N. State, room 1030, or something like that) and they did the "apostille" (another fancy stamp)

CPD letter cost me $5, and the apostille cost me $2. Time spent? around 2 hours, probably less.

essentially I would recommend you get the same Police Document I did, at the San Diego Police Dept (if you have resided in SD recently/for quite some time)

and then google State of Califonia Apostille, and you should be able to find a list of offices/sites which will do this for you. (and if lucky there'll be an office in San Diege proper, otherwise you'll have to mail it in to Sec. of State)

This worked for me in the Illinois e.g. Good luck.

[OnTheOtherSide]