비전 아포코리아
Document guide · Study & employment
AcceptedPrivate document (issued by a company)
Apostille for a Korean Certificate of Employment: submitting it abroad
A Certificate of Employment issued by a company is a private document, not a public one. It therefore cannot receive an apostille directly: it is first notarized at a notary office, and that notarized document then receives a Ministry of Justice apostille.
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 Certificate of Employment issued by a Korean company for submission to a Convention country — accepted (apostille after notarization)
- Employment certificates issued by national or local governments or public institutions — public documents receiving an Overseas Koreans Agency apostille (issuer checked before acceptance)
- A foreign company’s employment certificate for submission in Korea — notarized locally and certified in the issuing country
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: Certificate of Employment
| Item | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Issued by a private company = private document → notarization, then Ministry of Justice apostille. Issued by national or local government = public document → Overseas Koreans Agency apostille. |
| Signature and seal | Notarization requires the signature of the representative (or an authorized person) and the company seal. Notarization here is the authentication of a private document, which confirms the signature and seal. |
| Contents | Check that the period of employment, job title and duties match the purpose (visa, recognition of experience) and your other documents. |
| English issuance | If the company can issue the certificate in English, a translation may not be needed. If only a Korean version exists, it is translated and the translation notarized separately. |
Issuance and what to prepare
- Where it is issued
- Your current employer (HR or general affairs). There is no official online issuance route.
- Notarization
- Required. Neither the Overseas Koreans Agency nor the Ministry of Justice designates particular notary offices; any notary office can do it.
- Proxy
- Notarization can be requested by a proxy, with documents proving the proxy’s authority (sworn authentication cannot be done by proxy).
- What to send us
- A copy of the certificate (name and signature part), destination country and the receiving body’s instructions. Originals after the quote is confirmed.
Procedure — what you do and what we do
What you do
- Obtain a signed and sealed Certificate of Employment from your company (in English if possible).
- Check how the receiving body wants translation and copies handled.
- Accept the confirmed quote and pay.
What Vision ApoKorea does
- We check the contents, signature and seal.
- We arrange notarization by proxy (if a translation is needed, the translation is notarized separately).
- We apply for a Ministry of Justice apostille on the notarized document.
- We send the documents by your chosen method.
Service scope
| Service | Details | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Issuance on your behalf | Not offered — the company issues this document | Not offered |
| Translation | Korean certificate into the destination country’s language | Available |
| Notarization by proxy | Notarization of the original · translation notarized separately | Available |
| Certification filing | Ministry of Justice apostille / non-member countries: consular confirmation | Available |
| Delivery | Pick-up, domestic courier or international delivery | 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
Notarized translation + apostille for employment and career certificates
- Applies to
- One Certificate of Employment issued by a Korean company, one copy (1–2 pages), translation into one language, for submission to a Convention country
- Included
- Document check, Translation, Notarization by proxy, Certification filing
- Possible extra costs
- Translation language and pages, Extra copies, International delivery, Embassy legalization for non-member countries, 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 |
Certificate of Employment: frequently asked questions
Why must a Certificate of Employment be notarized first?
The Overseas Koreans Agency treats documents written by national and local governments and notarized documents as eligible for an apostille, and asks that documents written by private parties be notarized before application. A company-issued Certificate of Employment is a privately written document, so notarization comes first.
If the company issues it in English, is a notarized translation unnecessary?
If the company issues it in English and the receiving body accepts English, a translation may not be needed. Even then, the English certificate itself must be notarized and then apostilled.
How long does the apostille for a Certificate of Employment take?
The notarization schedule is followed by Ministry of Justice apostille processing and delivery. We do not present government processing time as the total time; our processing, government and delivery times are given separately with the quote.
Does a civil servant’s certificate of employment need notarization?
An employment certificate written by a national or local government is a public document and is eligible for an Overseas Koreans Agency apostille without notarization. Please tell us the issuing body when you make the request.
I am abroad. Can the notarization be done on my behalf?
Notarization can be requested by a proxy, but documents proving the proxy’s authority are needed. We explain the delegation documents after you make the request. Sworn authentication, in which you swear to the truth of the contents, cannot be done by proxy.
Simple request: Certificate of Employment
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
- 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
- Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Italy notice (2024-01-30) — apostille after notarization of the translation [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.