Document Legalization for South Korea

In order for documents issued in one country to be recognized as valid in another country, they first have to be legalized.

In the case of Russia and South Korea, legalization entails having an apostille put on the original Russian document (as opposed to consular legalization).

An apostille is a stamp of a particular size and content that's placed on a document. Apostilles are stamped in the country that the particular document was issued in. Russia has recognized the apostille stamp since 1992. Korea has since 2007.

Official document legalization

Official documents refer to documents issued by state authorities or processed by a notary (certificates, Civil Registry Office statements, police records, education documents, notarial and court decisions, etc.)

Official document legalization procedure goes as follows:

• an Apostille is stamped on the original document;
• translation into the official language of the country that the document is being prepared for;
• notarization of the translation.

The translation may be attached to the original document, a notarized copy, or a copy of the document. It's always a good idea to have your host party clarify the specifics of the requirements for you.

Commercial document legalization

Commercial documents refer to documents that were issued by organizations other than state authorities. They include: corporate documents, agreements in simple written form, payment documents, etc.

Most of the time, commercial documents cannot have an apostille stamped on them. In these cases, legalization is done via the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of the Russian Federation.

The commercial document legalization procedure via the Chamber of Industry and Commerce goes as follows:

• having a copy of it notarized;
• translation into the official language of the country that the document is being prepared for;
• notarization of the translation;
• having the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of the Russian Federation place add its seal of approval to it;
• having the document certified at the consulate of the destination country.

We will be happy to help perform legalization for documents issued in any city in Russia for subsequent submission to the necessary government authorities of South Korea.

Still have questions? Write us. Give us a call. We will be happy to consult you!