Apostille San Francisco
Taking new files today(415) 439-0289
Apostille for South Korea · from California documents
South Korea.
South Korea.
Hague since 2007.
No consulate step.
The Consulate General of Korea in San Francisco states that consulates in the U.S. do not provide apostille services: a document issued and certified by a state government is apostilled by that state, a federal record by the Department of State. Korea has been a Hague party since 2007. Family-relation registration, marriage, visas and employers each publish their own document list. We confirm it, then check the certified copy underneath before the fee.
At a glance
RouteHague apostille · California Secretary of State
ConsulateConsulate states it does not apostille; state records go to the state, federal to the Department of State
DocumentsBirth, marriage, death certificates · FBI background checks (federal route) · degrees and transcripts · powers of attorney · corporate documents
TranslationKorean translation requirements are set by the receiving office; we confirm before filing.
Price$180 mail-in · $450 same-day · $650 for 3
Before you send anything
What the counter accepts for South Korea.
Each line is a real rejection we screen for in the $45 Document Check.
01Certified copy from the county recorder or CDPH, not a hospital or informational copy.
02Current signing official. The Secretary of State authenticates only signatures it has on file.
03Notarized first if it is a power of attorney, affidavit or copy certification.
04Public record: no notarization. Private document: notarize first. The consulate’s own guidance draws the line: a birth or death certificate certified by the state is sent for the apostille with no advance notarization, while a private document or affidavit with your signature is notarized first and then apostilled by the notary’s state. Korean authorities publish their own document lists for family registration, visas and employment; we confirm which items need the apostille before anything is filed.
$6503 documents · one emergency trip · filed together
Registration and visa sets
Birth, marriage and background records for registration and status of stay, filed together in one Sacramento trip.
Returned tracked, with status updates, to South Korea or wherever you are. Price confirmed before any work begins.
Asked on nearly every South Korea call.
01Does the Korean consulate in San Francisco still need to legalize it?
No. The Republic of Korea has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 14 July 2007. The Consulate General in San Francisco states that consulates in the U.S. do not provide apostille services: a private document or affidavit is notarized and then apostilled by the notary’s state, a state-issued record such as a birth or death certificate is apostilled by that state with no notarization, and a federal record such as an FBI check goes to the Department of State. Korea’s own e-Apostille service describes apostilled documents as recognised with the same force as local documents between Convention countries.
02Do I need a Korean translation?
The receiving office sets this, and it varies between a district office, an immigration office, a university and an employer. We ask before filing so the translation, if one is needed, is done to the standard that office will accept. Translation is Quoted per document by page and language before anything starts; delivered certified with a signed certificate of authenticity.
03My FBI background check is in the same file. Does it go to Sacramento too?
No. An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal record, so its apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, not the California Secretary of State. We run both routes in parallel and assemble the finished set for Korea, so one shipment leaves with everything in it.
04I live in Korea already. Can you do the whole thing without me?
Yes. Order the certified copy from the county or the state and have it shipped to our office at 416 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, or mail us what you already hold. We check it, file it, and ship the finished apostille tracked to your address in Korea. International delivery is quoted per destination before we start, and we can keep you updated by WhatsApp if you prefer.