How Do I Get and Authenticate a Korean Police Certificate?

Are “criminal record certificate,” “police clearance” and “PCC” the same document?

For Korea, they all refer to the Korean National Police Agency’s Criminal (Investigation) Records Check Report. Search terms vary, so first confirm the exact document name and purpose your receiving authority requires.

Even if you search for a “no criminal record certificate,” the report states whatever the check returns. It is not proof that no record exists, and we cannot promise any particular result.

What is the difference between the self-check report and the one for overseas submission?

Korean law lets you apply for your own report for two purposes — checking your own record, or permission of foreign entry and stay — and the scope differs. Do not submit a self-check report abroad instead of the immigration/stay report; use outside the purpose set by law is prohibited.

Checks that Korean institutions run directly under other laws (e.g., domestic employment or naturalization) are outside this service. Overseas work, visa, permanent residence and citizenship authorities each set their own document name and validity period, so we confirm the receiving authority’s requirements first.

Official sources — Act on the Lapse of Criminal Sentences Art. 6(1)4, (3), (4); Enforcement Decree Art. 7-2(2), (3) (Korean Law Information Center, text in force 2026-10-02). Checked 2026-10-07.

How does the route change with nationality and where you live?

Where you can apply, and whether a proxy can apply, depends on whether you are a Korean national and whether you are in Korea now. “To be confirmed” means we could not confirm an official rule; we proceed only after checking with the receiving office.

IRCC asks foreign nationals for a Korean police certificate if they lived in Korea for six months or longer in a row since age 18. If your stay was shorter, check first whether you need one at all.

Official sources — Gov24 “Criminal record check application” (content updated and checked 2026-09-14); IRCC “Police certificates: South Korea” (date modified 2026-07-16); Korean Embassy in the USA notice (updated 2026-01-17). Checked 2026-10-07.

Proxy application, proxy pickup and application support — what is the difference?

Whether a police station accepts a POA notarized and apostilled locally instead of consular confirmation is not stated in official guidance — to be confirmed. Official sources — Gov24 required documents (updated 2026-09-14); Korean Embassy in the USA (updated 2026-01-17). Checked 2026-10-07.

Is the authentication route the same for reports issued in Korea and at an embassy?

No. Where the apostille is issued, and how long it takes, depends on where the report was issued.

How long do issuance, authentication and delivery each take?

Many authorities only accept reports issued within a set number of months, so we plan the issue date back from your deadline.

What Vision ApoKorea can handle

We do not: promise any check result, substitute a self-check report for overseas submission, take digital certificate passwords, OTPs or account passwords, or apply by proxy when the requirements are not met. For other Korean documents you do not have yet, see Korean Document Retrieval Support.

Key Summary

Public documents are generally recognized as authentic on their own, so they proceed directly to the next step (apostille/consular authentication) without notarization. Exact requirements can vary by document and country, so we recommend checking with Find Your Path or a consultation.

Common Situations Requiring This Document

• Overseas work visas
• Study abroad visas
• Overseas immigration screening

Where do I get a criminal record check report, and in what order is it authenticated?

Issuing authority

It is issued by the Korean National Police Agency. Log in with identity verification to the Police Agency's criminal record check report system (crims.police.go.kr), apply under the ‘Foreign Entry/Residence’ menu and print the report. If you are outside Korea, you can also apply in person at the Korean diplomatic mission (embassy/consulate) in your country of residence.

Step-by-step order

1. Obtain the criminal record check report through the Police Agency system (‘Foreign Entry/Residence’) or a Korean diplomatic mission
2. If the destination country is a party to the Apostille Convention, apply for an apostille at the Overseas Koreans Agency (no notarization needed, as it is a public document issued by the Police Agency)
3. If the country is not a party to the Convention, obtain consular confirmation, then legalization by that country's embassy in Korea
4. Translation and certified translation if the receiving institution requires them

Typical timeline

Applying for the report through a Korean diplomatic mission takes about 2 weeks (14 days), as it goes through a Police Agency background check (per the Embassy in the UK and the Consulate General in Istanbul). For the apostille, in-person applications at the Overseas Koreans Agency return up to 10 documents per applicant within 1 hour on average, mail takes 7–10 days, and the government fee is KRW 1,000 per document.

Official sources — Overseas Koreans Agency, “Apostille Issuance Procedure” (public documents issued by government bodies are filed without notarization); Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul, “Criminal Record Certificate Issuance Guide” revised 2024-04-19 (online issuance via crims.police.go.kr ‘Foreign Entry/Residence’; about 14 days when applying in person at a mission); Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United Kingdom, “How to Apply for a Criminal and Investigation Record Report” revised 2024-03-21 (no mail applications; free of charge). Checked 2026-10-02.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Submitted Countries