To get an E2 work visa in South Korea, one requires a state level criminal record check or criminal background check (CBC) with apostille stamp. I searched the internet and found many ways to obtain a CBC. I picked one, and it was wrong. Then, I figured out how to do it right. I’ll share that with you now. My hope is that it alleviates your stress and prevents you from wasting time, money and energy.
1. Go to your local police department in person to get your criminal background check. They will fingerprint you, and then you can come back within the next 9 days to pick up your CBC. It is important that they notarize that document. I received mine at the Oregon State Police Identification Services office located at 3772 Portland Road NE, Building C, Salem, OR 97303. Their phone number is 503-378-3070. The fee was $58.
2. When a document is to go to a foreign country, it is often necessary to have the notarization or official certification authenticated. Some countries call this an apostille. There is usually only one place in each state that is able to do this for you. Hopefully you don’t have to travel too far. To find your location, go to apostille.net. I went to 255 Capitol St. NE, Ste 151, Salem, OR 97310. Their phone number is 503-986-2200. Wait was ten minutes. The fee was $10.
3. For yourself, make a copy of your degree and the CBC. Take this and a set of passport size photos ($4.95 at Costco) with you to Korea.
4. Fedex the following items to your recruiter or school in Korea: (1) Your original degree (you will get this back from your school director after the visa processing), (2) One Sealed University Official Transcript, (3) a set of passport size photos, (4) Signed Contract (provided by school or recruiter), (5) Signed Self-medical form (provided by school or recruiter), (6) State level Criminal record check with apostille, and (7) a copy of your passport. Email your recruiter or school director the Fedex tracking number. The fee was $48.18.
From my experience, recruiters and schools were not helpful. They don’t know how to obtain any of these documents. They just want you to send the documents to them as fast as you can. In their defense, if you can’t get this items in order, you are going to have difficulty surviving in a foreign country. If you have questions about the American process, please ask me and I will try to help. Good luck!
Good post. Could you please explain the wrong method that you chose and the cost or result?
I initially sent my fingerprint card to the FBI in West Virginia. I don’t remember the cost, but this could not be notarized by the State, so I ended up just tossing the report they sent back to me and starting over, with the process I explained above.
This is becoming increasingly popular for people working in Korea. The UK apostille servies have seen a marked increase in enquiries.
Thank you for posting this. This process is so complicated, so I appreciate that I can learn from your experience!
I used http://www.hagueapostille.co.uk/ as they were sensibly priced. There are others to choose from so check google if you don’t want to use this website.
Is this UK only? I completed my process in the USA. Thank you for the link though. Maybe it will help someone else.
I appreciated the step-by-step process because it makes it much easier to follow. The section on obtaining an apostille for background check is incorrect. You need to send the background check with fingerprint card to the FBI in West Virginia. They will return it to you approximately 6 weeks after they received it. Ensure you check the FBI’s website on this and follow the instructions exactly or you will be waiting even longer. The FBI will notarize the fingerprint check only if you request it. (I am still waiting for my application to come back and they received it on April 28). Then you need send or take it to the US State Department in Washington D.C. Other shortcuts, like taking it to your state’s State Department, might work but you would be risking it. Thanks again for explaining the procedures.
Brian, I did this process a year ago and it worked for me. I think maybe the process has changed since I did it. How has your experience been? Finished yet?
I just finished with applying for the Spring of 2012, and wrote the updated version of what you have to do now to get your background check to be accepted now for Korean public school.
http://kimchiteaching.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/apostille-criminal-background-check/