Apostille for South Korea — Singapore Documents for Korean Authorities

South Korea accepts the Singapore apostille

The Apostille Convention has applied to South Korea since 14 July 2007 and to Singapore since 16 September 2021, so between the two an SAL apostille fully replaces embassy legalisation.

• Public documents are apostilled by SAL directly. These include ICA birth certificates, ROM marriage certificates, Singapore university degrees, court orders and ACRA company documents. A notary is not required.
• Private documents go to a Singapore notary public first, then SAL. These include declarations, powers of attorney, company resolutions and certified passport copies.
• Korean documents coming to Singapore are apostilled in Korea. SAL cannot apostille a Korean family relations certificate. If a Singapore authority needs one, get the apostille from the Korean side.

Unsure which group your document falls into? Our guide to public vs private documents explains the difference.

Registering a Singapore marriage or birth in Korea

When a Korean national marries or has a child in Singapore, the Korean family register (가족관계등록부) must be updated. Until it is, the family relations certificate and marriage certificate issued in Korea will not show the change. That matters for a spouse's F-6 visa, Korean passports and inheritance.

Reporting a Singapore marriage

Korean district offices list these documents for a marriage concluded abroad:

• The marriage certificate issued by the country where you married. For a Singapore marriage, that is your ROM certificate or ROMM certificate.
• A Korean translation that shows the translator's personal details and signature.
• Proof of the foreign spouse's nationality (passport).
• The Korean marriage report form and the reporting spouse's ID.

Timing: the Dongdaemun-gu Office states a marriage concluded abroad must be reported within 3 months. Korean offices keep the original certificate, so order a second apostilled original if you also need one for the F-6 visa file.

Korea's Act on the Registration of Family Relationships lets Korean nationals abroad file reports with the Korean Embassy, which forwards them to Korea through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ask the embassy or district office in advance whether it wants the ROM certificate apostilled, as practice varies.

Reporting a Singapore birth

For a child born here, the ICA birth certificate (paper or digital printout with a working QR code) is apostilled directly by SAL. It is then translated into Korean for the birth report. Korean law sets one month from the date of birth for a birth report, and it can be filed through the Korean Embassy in Singapore. Start as soon as the ICA certificate is issued so the one-month window is not missed. The digital-certificate rules are explained under birth certificate apostille; ROM certificates are covered in marriage certificate apostille.

If you are getting married in Korea rather than in Singapore, the Singapore Embassy in Seoul issues an affidavit of eligibility based on a ROM marriage-record search. See documents to get married overseas.

Korean translation requirements

Korean offices almost always want a Korean translation of an English document. Rules differ between offices:

• Translator's statement. Many district offices accept a translation by any competent translator, if it states the translator's name and contact details and is signed. This is the form listed for marriage reports.
• Notarised translation. Some offices, courts and banks want the translation notarised, either in Korea or before a Singapore notary with an SAL apostille.
• Translate the apostille too. It is safest to translate the whole package, including the apostille page. The apostille is in English with French headings.

Where we fit

We can arrange a Korean translation in Singapore with a signed translator statement. We can also have the translator's declaration notarised and apostilled if the office wants that. If the Korean office prefers translations done in Korea, we apostille the English original only and you translate there. Before translating, we check romanised names against your passport. Name mismatches are a common reason Korean filings are sent back.

Declarations signed in Singapore for use in Korea

Koreans living in Singapore often need to sign something for a Korean office, bank or family member. Common examples:

• Declaration of address change or other residence declarations
• Power of attorney for a relative handling property, a bank account or an inheritance in Korea
• Consent letters for a child's passport or travel
• Company documents: a director's declaration or board resolution for a Korean subsidiary

Two ways to sign

1. 1Singapore notary + SAL apostille. You sign before a Singapore notary public, who certifies your signature. SAL then authenticates it (SGD 87.20). The document can be in Korean with an English translation, or bilingual. Our power of attorney apostille page covers POAs in more depth.
2. 2At the Korean Embassy. Korean nationals can also have signatures confirmed at the Korean Embassy in Singapore, and that confirmation is used in Korea without an apostille. Some procedures require the embassy route. For example, a Korean national registered as living abroad who authorises someone in Korea to obtain a seal certificate (인감증명서) needs that power of attorney confirmed by a Korean mission, not a foreign notary.

Ask the Korean office which route it accepts before you book.

Apostille for South Korea price and time

For one Korean citizen signing one declaration, our all-in price starts from SGD 215, with the government-scale fees already included.

Time: SAL processes over the counter the same visit, and our standard turnaround is 1–2 working days. A Korean translation usually adds 1–3 working days. For the full fee table see apostille price. Documents can be collected from our office at 7 Temasek Boulevard, #12-07 Suntec Tower One, Singapore 038987, or couriered to a Singapore address.