Foreign Criminal Record Certificate (for Stay Permits)

At a Glance

• Scope: your country of nationality, and any third country where you lived continuously for 1 year or more within the last 5 years as of the application date (manual, foreign criminal record certificate submission standards).
• Issuing authority: an official document issued by a competent authority located in the country of nationality or the relevant country of residence, covering all criminal records within that country.
• Authentication: for Apostille Convention parties, an apostille from the competent authority of the issuing country; for non-parties, consular confirmation from the Korean mission in the issuing country.
• Validity: documents issued within 6 months of the visa or change of status application date.

Who Needs It

• A person applying for an overseas Korean (F-4) visa at a Korean mission abroad, or applying in Korea for a change of status, alien registration or domestic residence report as an overseas Korean (F-4) or permanent resident (F-5).
• Exempt: persons under age 14; persons born in Korea or who entered before age 14 and have not stayed abroad continuously for 6 months or more after turning 14; persons who submitted the certificate when the visa was issued and apply in Korea for a change of status within 3 months of the visa issuance date.
• Exempt: registered foreigners (residence reporters) who submitted the certificate before and have not stayed abroad for 6 months or more. However, persons who entered more than 6 months after visa issuance, persons whose period of stay has already expired, former residents and similar persons are not exempt.
• In addition, overseas Koreans (F-4) aged 60 or older and permanent residence (F-5) applicants who have stayed lawfully in Korea continuously for 10 years or more up to the application date, among others, are exempt.

Where to Apply

• Obtain the certificate from a competent authority located in the country of nationality or the relevant country of residence. A criminal record statement issued by a foreign embassy in Korea that is not located in the country of nationality is not accepted (exceptions are embassies with issuing authority under their own laws, such as the Russian and Turkmen embassies in Korea, but authentication is still required).
• Get the apostille from the competent authority of the issuing country, or consular confirmation from the Korean mission in the issuing country. You can check whether a country is a party on the Hague Conference Apostille Convention status table.
• Submit the documents with your stay application as guided by the immigration office with jurisdiction or HiKorea.

What to Bring

• The original foreign criminal record certificate (with an apostille or consular confirmation)
• A notarized translation. Write the translator's personal details and contact information and attach a copy of their ID.
• Only if there is no criminal record, you may submit a translation, a translator's confirmation (the applicant cannot be the translator) and a copy of the translator's ID instead of a notarized translation.
• To be exempt because issuance is difficult, documents explaining why, such as the issuing country's issuance criteria (example: Canadians under age 18).

Costs

• Issuance, apostille and consular confirmation fees are not given in the Foreigner Stay Guide Manual, so this guide does not list amounts.
• Check the amounts with the authority issuing the certificate and the authority or mission authenticating it.

Procedure

• Step 1: Check your country of nationality and any third country where you lived continuously for 1 year or more within the last 5 years, and see whether you are exempt.
• Step 2: Obtain from each country's competent authority a certificate covering criminal records for the whole country.
• Step 3: If the issuing country is an Apostille Convention party, get an apostille; if not, get consular confirmation from the Korean mission in that country.
• Step 4: Prepare a notarized translation and submit it with the original as part of your stay application before 6 months have passed since issuance.

Common Sticking Points

• For the United States, a certificate from FBI headquarters is the rule; a state-issued certificate is accepted only if it covers criminal records across the whole United States.
• For Canada, only a criminal record check issued by the federal police (RCMP) based on submitted fingerprints is accepted; a name-based check is not.
• If the country lacks an authority or system to check criminal records, a certificate from the authority with jurisdiction over your place of residence can be used instead.
• If you have been sentenced in your country of nationality or the relevant country of residence for a specific violent crime under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes, an overseas Korean (F-4) visa or change of status is refused, and permanent residence (F-5) is restricted for not meeting the good conduct requirement.

This guide is general information and does not assess any individual case. Laws and fees can change, so check the original text via the official links and with the competent office.