Korean Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

First I was told that I could send my orginal degree, but now they want an apostillised copy.

So my mom has called the IL apostillising place and they told her that they do NOT apostillise copies of degree. Only originals. Even if it has been apostillised by a notary. Anyone else run into this problem?

[proopser]

Had my degree notarized first, then brought the original to the office of apostille in MN and brought the notarization with it and they gave me an apostille. Then I sent over the copy along with the apostille.

[bnrockin]

I made a copy of my diploma and sent it to my university. They put some official stamp on it certifying it or some sort and then I sent it the the dept. of state to get the stamp on it. Long-drawn out process, but got it to work.

[juchangok]

Could someone explain to me the difference between getting something apostilled and notarized?

[pangaea]

juchangok:

A notarization is a raised stamp on a document that certifies it as an original. The notary signs it also. You can usually find someone who is certifed as a notary public at a government office in your county. I had my first (unacceptable because it was local) criminal record check notarized by a clerk at the local Sheriff's office where I got the check.

An apostille is a separate document that certifies your notarized document for international use. It is 1 page and states that the document is authentic. In order to get the apostille, you must have the notary signature on your document authenticated. Basically, you get someone to notarize your criminal record check. Then you send your crc or you go in person to the County Clerk's office (in the same county it was notarized), and they will give you another piece of paper stating that the notary who stamped and signed the document is a recognized notary. Then you send or take those two documents together to the Office of the Secretary of State to request the apostille. If you send the document, you will also need to include a written request stating which country is using the document. They will not issue the apostille without the notary authentication. I forgot to do it the first time and my crc was sent right back to me with instructions to get the authentication. Yeah, it can be a pain but it shouldn't take that long.

When I got my first local check, I had it notarized at the Sheriff's office, got the authenication from the County Clerk's office across the street (the benefits of living in a small town) then sent it to the Office of the Secretary of State for the apostille and had it back within about three days. Quick and painless which is why I should have know something was wrong.

When I found out I had to get the state check, I sent my written request to the state Bureau of Investigation with the fee and requested that it be notarized also. Since the county it was being notarized in was a good 4 hours away, I also sent clear instructions for it be forwarded to the County Clerk's office for the notary authentication, then for it to be forwarded on to the Office of the Secretary of State for the apostille, then finally forwarded on to me. All the offices were located in the capital city so the mailing back and forth didn't take too long. I contacted all the offices in advance to let them know what I was doing, to find out if they could forward all my documents, and to find out what the fees were. I included the fee for the background check, the fee for the notarization, and the fee for the apostille. Some offices may only take money order payments so it's good to call before you send anything. None of the offices charged postage to forward on the next address. I got my background check with the apostille back in the mail almost exactly one week later.

Ok, I guess that gave you more information than you asked for but I hope it helps.

[naturegirl321]