Apostille : Document that verifies that a document is authentic or real.
Notarization : A signature and/or seal by someone with authority to authenticate a document. At times, a notarization is necessary to get an apostille
1. USA
American citizens must get their original FBI checks apostilled by either the U.S Department of State in Washington D.C or from any State in America.They must also get a scanned copy of their Bachelor's degree apostilled by a Secretary of State's office since it's a state level document.*A notarization is not required for your FBI check but it IS REQUIRED for your degree in order to get it apostilled.*You can get your Degree notarized by a public notary near you, a bank, or state attorney's office.You can manually apostille both documents by visiting the FBI webpage and Secretary of State's website, but a much more efficient way is to use a channeling agency.We are knowledgeable about the various apostille channeling agencies out there, but our number one recommendation by far is US Authentication Services. We had the pleasure of speaking with Shalini, one of the owners of US Authentication, and they are highly professional and efficient about getting apostilles back to teachers as quickly as possible. **Fill out this order form and email it to: info@usauthentication.com to get 15% off each apostille for $55 USD! *Current Turnaround Time for federal apostille : Roughly 6~8 weeks because of understaffing of State Department officers post Covid)
*Current Turnaround Time for state apostille : Roughly 2-3 business days. (We highly recommend this route for both the FBI check and degree.)
2. CANADA
Canadians are the only ones out of the seven countries that do not require an apostille. They instead only require a notarization stamp from the nearest Korean Consulate to his/her residence in Canada. Simply mail or take your original RCMP and a scanned copy of your Bachelor's degree to the Korean Consulate.Make sure to call the Korean Consulate and ask if there is any additional document you need to bring/send to get both documents notarized. (Timeline estimation : In person - same day, Mailed - 1 week)
3. UNITED KINGDOM
UK citizens must get their original DBS and a scanned copy of their Bachelor's degree notarized by a reliable solicitor that you may know personally or from a trusted soliciting company, before getting them apostilled, or "legalized"Please refer to the following website for more info : https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalisedThere are also agencies that can expedite the process for you as well. A recommended agency :https://www.hagueapostille.co.uk/uk-apostilles-overseas-customers?gclid=CjwKCAiAyMHhBRBIEiwAkGN6fNCKtreu78HXSFqn0SkdGW0c0jR2uU_Ya1sP4rXuHYts6CCqnn6dlRoC4UQQAvD_BwE(Timeline Estimation : 1~2 weeks)
4. IRELAND
Your original Irish police check and a scanned copy of your Bachelor's degree must be notarized by a solicitor or public official before being apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.Please refer to this webpage for more details : https://www.dfa.ie/travel/our-services/authenticating-documents/(Timeline estimation : 1~2 weeks)
5. AUSTRALIA
Australian citizens must get their police check and Bachelor's degree notarized by a public a notary or lawyer before getting them apostilled by the Apostille Australian Certificate Service. Please refer to the following website for more details :https://www.apostille.com.au/order.php(Timeline estimation : 1~2 weeks)
6. NEW ZEALAND
To get your original police check and a scanned copy of your degree apostilled, you need to get them both notarized first. You will then need to mail them both off to the Department of Internal Affairs. Refer to this webpage for exact details : https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports-citizenship-and-identity/proving-and-protecting-your-identity/use-your-nz-documents-overseas/#before-you-apply(Timeline estimation : 1~2 weeks)
7. SOUTH AFRICA
You must get your original police clearance and scanned copy of your Bachelor's degree apostille, you must get them notarized by your university for the degree and by the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the police clearance.Then you will need to mail them off to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation for the apostilles.This can take quite some time in South Africa, so a better option is to use an agency. (timeline estimation : 2~4 weeks)Recommended agencies : https://apostil.co.za/pricing/?gclid=CjwKCAiAyMHhBRBIEiwAkGN6fHd4XnwaiCNMggBooD8OZqIIDJVjW1YtbRGYS5YlhB3N6djoh-JhKhoCvqcQAvD_BwEhttp://www.docassist.co.za/(Timeline estimation: within 2 weeks)**Important Note: Be sure to use a trusted courier company when mailing ALL of your documents because they can cause a significant delay.
