If you are a non-resident foreigner who wishes to purchase real estate in South Korea, your foreign documents or notarized documents must be consular verified or attached with an apostille.
What is an Apostille?
Apostille refers to a certificate confirming and issuing the seal or signature of the document in order to be recognized in
- foreign countries
- the country in which the official document and notarized document were prepared in accordance with the 'Agreement to abolish the request for certification of foreign documents'.
Apostille-approved official documents are recognized as valid by the signatory countries of the Convention without confirmation by the Korean Consulate General.
How can I get an Apostille?
If the issuing country of your official document is a member country of the Convention Apostille, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, etc., you can obtain and attach the Apostille issued by the government of the relevant country.
Apostille or consular confirmation is required not only for official documents issued by foreign government agencies, but also for private documents notarized by foreign notaries.
What should I do if my country is not a member of the Apostille Convention?
If the issuing country of the official document is not a member of the Apostille Convention, you would need to obtain a confirmation from the Korean notary consulate in the issuing country.
Additional Information
For consular confirmation procedures or procedures for issuing apostille, please contact the Korean Embassy in your country or refer to the 'Consular Menu' on the homepage of the Korean Embassy in your country.
Apostille member countries
| Asia, Oceania (18) | New Zealand, Niue, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mongolia, Vanuatu, Brunei, Samoa, Australia, India, Japan, parts of China** (Macau, Hong Kong), Cook Islands, Tajikistan, Tonga, Palau, Fiji, Philippines, Korea |
| Europe (52) | Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Romania, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Moldova, Malta, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Armenia, Iceland, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Andorra, Albania, Estonia, United Kingdom, Austria, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Italy, Georgia, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Croatia, Kyrgyzstan, Cyprus, Turkey, Portugal, Poland, France, Finland, Hungary |
| North America (1) | United States (including Guam, Maury Islands, Saipan and Puerto Rico) |
| Latin America (30) | Guyana, Guatemala, Granada, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Dominican Federation, Mexico, Barbados, Bahamas, Venezuela, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Argentina, Antigua and Barbuda, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Peru, Paraguay |
| Africa (12) | Namibia, South Africa, Liberia, Lesotho, Malawi, Botswana, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Swaziland, Cape Verde, Brundi, Tunisia |
| Middle East (4) | Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, Israel |