How to Notarise Korean Documents in Australia
Table of contents
Korean documents are proved in Korea, not by an Australian notary. Korea has no single birth certificate. Australian bodies usually want the right certificate from the family relation register, in the right version, with an English translation. Some also want a certified copy, which an authorised person can often make. A notary matters mainly for copies going overseas.
Key takeaways
- Korea replaced the old family head register in 2008 with a family relation register. Births, marriages and family links are proved with certificates drawn from it.
- The basic certificate usually stands in for a birth certificate. The family relation certificate shows parents and children; the marriage relation certificate shows marriages and divorces.
- Most certificates come in a general and a detailed version. Australian bodies often need the detailed one.
- DFAT will not apostille a Korean document. Any authentication of a Korean document happens in Korea.
- A Korean criminal record check can be requested from Australia, with fingerprints taken by Australian police for the postal route.
Do Korean documents need a notary in Australia?
Usually not. An Australian notary can certify that a copy matches a Korean certificate they have sighted. They cannot vouch for what the Korean register records. For Australian uses, the real work is ordering the right certificate, in the right version, and having it translated properly.
For a visa, the Department of Home Affairs generally asks for clear colour scans of the originals and English translations. It asks for certified copies only in some cases. When it does, a copy certified by an authorised person is usually enough. Check the document list for your visa on the Home Affairs immigration site. Our notary or JP guide explains who can certify what.
What DFAT cannot do with a Korean document
DFAT issues apostilles and authentication certificates only on Australian public documents and on the signatures of Australian officials, including notaries. It cannot apostille a Korean basic certificate or a Korean degree, even as a notarised copy. DFAT's page on documents it can legalise also says it does not deal with foreign education documents.
If a Korean document needs an apostille, it is issued in Korea. The Convention has been in force for the Republic of Korea since 14 July 2007, as of our last check of the HCCH status table. Check the table on the day. Australian bodies rarely ask for an apostille on a Korean certificate. The receiving authority decides, so order one only when it asks.
Why is there no Korean birth certificate?
Until 2008, Korean family records were kept in a family head register, the hoju system, centred on the head of each household. It was abolished and replaced with a register kept for each individual. Instead of one birth certificate, the register produces several certificates, each showing a different part of your record.
That is why a checklist asking for a Korean birth certificate can confuse people. For most purposes the basic certificate, which records your birth and personal details, is the equivalent. Where the body wants to see your parents, the family relation certificate does that. Many applicants send both, with a translator's note explaining what each one is.
General or detailed certificate: which do you need?
Most register certificates come in a general version and a detailed version. The general version shows current information only. It leaves out past events that are no longer current, such as an earlier marriage, a divorce or a change of family status. The detailed version shows the full history.
Australian bodies often need the detailed version, because they want the whole picture. A partner visa case officer may need to see that an earlier marriage ended, which only the detailed marriage relation certificate shows. If you send the general version and are asked for more, order the detailed one and have it translated. When in doubt, ask the body which version it wants first.
Which Korean documents come up most?
| What you need to prove | Korean document | Common Australian use |
|---|---|---|
| Your birth and identity | Basic certificate | Visas, citizenship, a child's passport |
| Who your parents or children are | Family relation certificate | Parent, child and family visas |
| A marriage, or that one ended | Marriage relation certificate, detailed | Partner visas, remarrying, name changes |
| An adoption | Adoption relation certificate | Citizenship, family claims |
| No criminal record | Criminal record certificate from the Korean National Police Agency | Character checks for visas |
| Your qualifications | Degree and transcript from the university | Skills assessments, employers, study |
How do you get Korean certificates from Australia?
Korean citizens can usually obtain register certificates online through the Korean court's family relations system. They can also apply at a Korean mission in Australia, and relatives in Korea can request some certificates on their behalf. Check the current options on the official Korean sources before asking anyone to act for you.
Some Australian bodies prefer a recently issued certificate, so check the issue date before you send one. If you are unsure whether an online print is acceptable, ask the receiving body what it accepts.
A Korean criminal record check from Australia
Home Affairs usually asks for a police certificate from each country where you have lived for a total of 12 months or more in the last ten years since turning 16. Check the current instructions for your visa. That catches many people who are not Korean: former English teachers, working holiday makers and students who lived in Korea.
The Korean Consulate General in Sydney described two routes when we last checked. NSW and NT residents could apply in person at the consulate, bringing a passport and their alien registration card or its number. Or anyone could post the application straight to the Korean National Police Agency in Seoul. The postal route needs fingerprints, taken at a local police station in Australia by appointment. The consulate also said the forms for that route must be completed by hand.
The consulate also set out which Korean mission covers which state. Queensland residents go to the Brisbane consulate and Victorians to Melbourne. The ACT, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania are covered by the embassy in Canberra. Check your mission's page before you post anything.
How should Korean documents be translated?
Every page in Korean needs an English translation, including seals, issue details and notes. A translation made in Australia should be by a NAATI-credentialled Korean translator. One made in Korea needs the translator's full name, address, telephone number and qualifications for Home Affairs. Our NAATI translation guide explains what a certified translation must show.
Names are the most common problem. Korean names are written family name first, and one Hangul name can be romanised several ways: the same family name may appear as Lee, Yi or Rhee. Tell your translator exactly how your passport spells each name, including the order and any hyphen. The translation should match your passport, not a textbook romanisation. Where a translation also needs a notarial certificate, see our NAATI translation with notary certification service.
Korean degrees and transcripts
Korean universities usually issue degree certificates and transcripts in Korean and English on request. An English version issued by the university itself does not need translating. Australian universities, employers and assessors normally accept certified copies made by someone who has seen the originals. If a body wants a Korean qualification verified or apostilled, that happens in Korea, through the university and the Korean authorities. For Australian qualifications going to Korea, see our guide to a certified copy of a university degree.
Preparing Korean documents for an Australian application
- Read the checklist and work out what each requested document means in Korean terms.
- Order the right certificates, usually the basic and family relation certificates, detailed where history matters.
- Check the issue date, since some bodies want a recent one.
- Arrange a NAATI translation that uses your passport spelling for every name.
- Certify copies through an authorised person only if copies are asked for, and keep the originals.
Signing Korean papers in Australia
Koreans in Australia sometimes sign a power of attorney so a relative can sell property, deal with a bank or handle an inheritance in Korea. Korean property practice relies on a registered seal certificate, the ingam. Someone without one is usually asked for a signature proved another way. Some Korean bodies accept a signature notarised in Australia and apostilled by DFAT. Others prefer a confirmation at a Korean mission, which Korean nationals can often use.
Ask the Korean bank, registry or judicial scrivener which route it accepts before you sign. Where a notary is used, the notary checks your identity and that you understand the document, and DFAT then adds the apostille. For validity questions, see a lawyer. Our guides to apostilles for South Korea and overseas bank accounts cover the Australian steps, and our power of attorney page covers the signing.
Here is an illustration, not a real case
Ji-woo came to Brisbane on a working holiday visa, met her partner and is now applying for a partner visa. She was briefly married in Korea some years ago. She first orders a general marriage relation certificate, which shows no current marriage but also hides the earlier one.
Realising the case officer will want to see that the earlier marriage ended, she orders the detailed version and her basic certificate. A NAATI-credentialled translator translates both, spelling her name as her passport does. Her Australian partner, who taught in Busan for two years, posts his own handwritten record check application to Seoul with fingerprints taken at a Queensland police station.
In short
Korean documents are proved in Korea, through certificates from the family relation register: the basic certificate for birth, the family relation certificate for parents and children, and the detailed marriage relation certificate where history matters. In Australia you add a NAATI translation with passport-matched names and certified copies where asked. A notary matters mainly for Korean papers you sign here.
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Not sure what your Korean paperwork needs? Send us the instructions you were given, and we will explain each step before you book.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Korean equivalent of a birth certificate?
Korea has no standalone birth certificate. The basic certificate from the family relation register records your birth and personal details and usually serves as the equivalent. Where your parents must be shown, add the family relation certificate.
Can an Australian notary notarise my Korean certificates?
A notary can certify that a copy matches the original they have seen, but cannot confirm what the Korean register records. Most Australian bodies want the certificate itself, a translation and sometimes a copy certified by an authorised person.
Can DFAT apostille my Korean certificate or degree?
No. DFAT deals only with Australian public documents and never legalises foreign education documents. If a Korean document needs an apostille, it is issued in Korea.
Should I order the general or detailed version?
Often the detailed version. The general version shows only current details and leaves out an earlier marriage or divorce. Partner and family visa cases frequently need the full history, so ask the receiving body if unsure.
Do Korean documents need an apostille for Australia?
Rarely. Australian bodies usually accept Korean certificates with a translation. Korea has been a Convention party since 2007, as of our last check of the HCCH table, so any authentication requested would be a Korean apostille.
I am not Korean but lived in Korea. Do I need a Korean police check?
If Home Affairs asks for police certificates from each country where you lived 12 months or more in the last ten years, Korea may be one. The Sydney consulate has described an in-person route for NSW and NT residents and a postal route to the Korean National Police Agency.
Who takes fingerprints for a Korean record check?
For the postal route, the Sydney consulate said fingerprints are taken at a local police station in Australia, by appointment. The form is completed by hand and posted to the Korean National Police Agency.
My family name is romanised differently on different documents. What should I do?
Ask your translator to use exactly the spelling and order in your passport, and provide the documents that link the versions. If the receiving body asks, a statutory declaration can explain the difference.
Can a JP certify copies of my Korean documents?
For Australian purposes, usually yes. A JP or other authorised person can certify a copy for Home Affairs and many other bodies. A JP copy is not accepted overseas and cannot be apostilled, and NSW JPs are not authorised to witness documents for use overseas.
How do I sign a Korean power of attorney in Australia?
Ask the Korean bank, registry or scrivener what it accepts first. Some accept a signature notarised in Australia with a DFAT apostille; others want a confirmation at a Korean mission.
