FBI Background Check Apostille for South Korea

What Korea usually requires

• A national FBI Identity History Summary. Korean immigration generally does not accept state or local police checks for the E-2 visa.
• A federal apostille from the U.S. Department of State.
• A recent issue date. The check is commonly required to have been issued within six months of your visa application. Confirm with your recruiter, school or the consulate.
• A clean record, as required for teaching visas.

Your diploma needs an apostille too

The E-2 visa also requires an apostilled copy of your bachelor’s degree. A diploma is a state-level document, so its apostille comes from the state that issued it, not the U.S. Department of State. We handle both: the federal apostille on your FBI check and the state apostille on your diploma. See Apostilles for South Korea, Teach Abroad Packets and How to Apostille a Diploma or Transcript.

How we handle it

1. Request your FBI Identity History Summary with your fingerprints, directly from the FBI or through an FBI-approved channeler. We process the apostille, not the background check itself.
2. Upload a scan for review. We confirm that the report is the FBI-issued version the U.S. Department of State will accept before you send anything.
3. Send us the original from anywhere in the United States or abroad.
4. We obtain the federal apostille. Our DC Satellite Office hand-carries your report to the U.S. Department of State; please plan for approximately 10 business days.
5. Translation, if required, is added to the same order and completed after the apostille so the apostille is translated as well.
6. We return it with tracking, to you, your attorney or the consulate, anywhere in the world.

Timing your request

Order your FBI check so that it is less than six months old when you submit your visa application, and request the diploma apostille while the FBI check is processing. If your start date moves, tell us; an older check may need to be reordered.