비전 아포코리아
Document guide · Study & employment
AcceptedDepends on the issuing school
Apostille for a Korean graduation certificate: submitting it abroad
The route for a graduation certificate depends on the school that issued it. Original academic records of national universities receive an apostille without notarization, while certificates from private universities and other schools are notarized first.
This page covers documents issued in Korea. For documents issued in another country, see our guide to documents issued abroad. →
Operated by Vision Administrative Office · Representative administrative agent Lee Won-jung · Content checked 2026-10-09 · Not sure which certification you need? Find Your Path
Who this is for and request status
- A graduation certificate issued by a Korean school for submission to a Convention country — accepted (after checking the school and form of issuance)
- You are abroad and need the school certificate issued and collected first — proceeds only if the school allows proxy application and pick-up (pre-review)
- A foreign university graduation certificate for submission in Korea — certified by apostille or consular confirmation in the issuing country; see documents issued abroad
Request status — Accepted: standard procedure, we proceed directly · Pre-review: we check the document and receiving body first, then confirm whether we can proceed and quote · Information only: guidance on this page, handled by individual consultation
What to confirm before requesting: Graduation Certificate
| Item | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Issuing school | Original academic records of national universities need no notarization (since 1 June 2024); certificates from private universities and other schools are notarized and then receive a Ministry of Justice apostille. For certificates from private elementary, middle and high schools, we check the Overseas Koreans Agency criteria before advising. |
| Form of issuance | Elementary, middle and high school graduation certificates (Ministry of Education) are eligible for online e-Apostille. University graduation certificates are not on the online list, so the original is applied for in person or by post. |
| Issued in Korea vs abroad | Korean school documents are certified in Korea; foreign school documents are certified in the issuing country. A foreign degree cannot be certified in Korea. |
| Requests from abroad | Whether the school allows proxy application and pick-up, and its delegation form, differ by school. If it does not, we guide you to issue it online yourself or have the school post it. |
Issuance and what to prepare
- Where it is issued
- The school you graduated from (its online certificate service, in person or by post). Elementary, middle and high school certificates are also available on Government24.
- English issuance
- Differs by school — confirmed according to the issuing school.
- Original
- We use the original for submission bearing the school seal. Viewing copies and printouts are not used.
- What to send us
- School name (national or private), destination country and the receiving body’s instructions. Originals are collected after the quote is confirmed.
Procedure — what you do and what we do
What you do
- Tell us the school you graduated from and the language the receiving body requires (Korean or English).
- Obtain it yourself or, if the school allows, ask us to collect it on your behalf.
- Accept the confirmed quote and pay.
What Vision ApoKorea does
- We decide whether notarization is needed based on national/private status and the form of issuance.
- For documents that need notarization, such as those from private universities, we arrange notarization by proxy.
- We apply for the apostille at the Overseas Koreans Agency (national university originals) or the Ministry of Justice (notarized documents).
- If needed, we arrange translation and notarized translation and send the documents by your chosen method.
Service scope
| Service | Details | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Issuance on your behalf | Only if the school allows proxy application and pick-up | Subject to conditions |
| Translation | When the receiving body requires a translation | Available |
| Notarization by proxy | Certificates that need notarization, such as those from private universities | Available |
| Certification filing | Apostille / non-member countries: consular confirmation | Available |
| Delivery | Pick-up, domestic courier or international delivery (sealed documents stay in their envelope) | Available |
Issuing and certifying authority rests with each official body; we file applications on your behalf and do not promise approval outcomes.
Service, cost and timing
Standard service
Apostille for graduation certificates and transcripts
- Applies to
- One graduation certificate issued by a Korean school, one copy, for submission to a Convention country (need for notarization depends on the school)
- Included
- Document check, Translation, Notarization by proxy, Certification filing
- Possible extra costs
- Notarization (depending on the school, e.g. private), Issuance and pick-up from the school, Translation and notarized translation, Extra copies, International delivery, VAT
- Total
- Confirmed quote after we review your document — based on number of documents, language, pages, copies, certification scope and delivery address.
- Government fee
- KRW 1,000 per apostille (electronic revenue stamp; Overseas Koreans Agency, checked 2026-10-09) — separate from our fee
- Processing starts
- After you accept the confirmed quote and payment is confirmed; steps that need the original start on the day the original arrives
- Timing
- Our processing, government processing and delivery are quoted separately. We do not present government processing time as the total completion time.
- Delivery
- Pick-up, domestic courier or international delivery (shipping cost included in the quote by destination and method)
Cancellation and re-processing
If something has to be redone, we separate the cause as below. Who bears the cost in each case, and the cancellation and refund terms, are written in the confirmed quote and agreed before payment.
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Our processing error | Redo needed because of our mistake, such as a translation error or missing document |
| Change in your materials | The document, destination country or number of copies changes after the request |
| Additional requirement from the receiving body | The receiving body asks for another document, translation or certification |
Graduation Certificate: frequently asked questions
Can a private university graduation certificate get an apostille without notarization?
No. The Overseas Koreans Agency accepts documents issued by national and local governments and original academic records of national universities (since 1 June 2024) without notarization, and asks that other documents be notarized first. A private university graduation certificate is notarized and then receives a Ministry of Justice apostille.
Where do I get an English graduation certificate?
From the school you graduated from. Whether and how it issues English certificates differs by school, so we confirm it according to the issuing school. If English issuance is not possible, the certificate is translated and the translation notarized.
I am abroad. Can you obtain my Korean university graduation certificate for me?
Only if the school allows proxy application and proxy pick-up. Whether it does, and its delegation form, differ by school, so we check first; if it does not, we help you use the school’s online issuance or have it posted to you.
How long does the apostille for a graduation certificate take?
According to the agency, in-person applications at the Overseas Koreans Agency for up to 10 documents per applicant are completed within an hour to the next morning depending on the time of filing, and postal applications usually take 7–10 days. Documents that need notarization add the notarization schedule, and our processing and delivery times are given separately with the quote.
Can I send it together with my transcript?
Yes. Graduation certificates and transcripts from the same school can be notarized and certified together if requested at once. Please also tell us the number of copies and whether a sealed envelope is required.
Simple request: Graduation Certificate
Your request has been received
Reference number
- Current status
- Received automatically — not yet reviewed by our staff.
- We will reply by
- Reply time
- Our staff will check and reply during business hours, Monday to Friday 09:30–17:30 (Korea time).
Next steps
- Our staff review the receiving body’s requirements and your document. If we need more information, we will ask first.
- We send a confirmed quote (scope, possible extra costs and a step-by-step schedule).
- If you accept the quote, we tell you how to pay (we send a payment link). Your request is confirmed once payment is confirmed.
- We update you at each stage: intake, review, filing for certification, completion and delivery.
If you contact us again by phone or email, please quote this reference number so we can continue with the same request. No cost is incurred before you receive and accept a quote.
Replies may be prepared with the help of machine translation.
Chat with us on KakaoTalk or WeChat
If you prefer a messenger, scan a QR code. On a phone, tap the QR code to open the app. If you already have a reference number, please include it.
Sources — official materials and date checked (2026-10-09)
- Overseas Koreans Agency — Apostille issuance procedure (eligible documents, notarization, proxy application, fees, processing time) [Korean] — www.oka.go.kr
- Overseas Koreans Agency — Overview of apostille and consular confirmation [Korean] — www.oka.go.kr
- e-Apostille (apostille.go.kr) — documents eligible for online issuance [Korean] — www.apostille.go.kr
- Notary Public Act, Articles 2, 31, 57 and 57-2 [Korean] — www.law.go.kr
- Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Uruguay notice (2025-01-15) — notarization of company and private-school documents, separate notarization of translations [Korean] — overseas.mofa.go.kr
Points we could not confirm in official materials are not stated as fact and are marked 'to be confirmed for your receiving body and issuing country'. We update this page when official guidance changes.