Criminal record certificates

First establish whose criminal record certificate is required.

Two kinds

1. Korean criminal record certificate — issued by Korean police, covering your time in Korea.
2. Home-country certificate — issued by your own authorities, then apostilled or legalised. See apostille-documents.

Which is required depends on the purpose — visa, employment, naturalisation.

Getting the Korean one

1. Visit a police station's civil affairs desk.
2. Present your ID (alien registration card, passport).
3. State the purpose — it determines what is recorded on the certificate.
4. Pay the fee.
5. Collect it. Say in advance if you need an English version.

Getting the home-country one

1. Check the issuing method with your home authority (police or justice ministry).
2. Ask whether your embassy in Korea can handle it. See embassy-contacts.
3. After issue, obtain the apostille or consular legalisation.
4. Check with the receiving body whether translation and notarisation are needed. See document-translation-notary.

Where to go

• Your nearest police station civil affairs desk
• 182 police civil affairs call centre
• Your embassy in Korea
• 1345 Immigration Contact Centre (confirming requirements)
• The body requesting the document

Questions people ask

Can someone else collect it for me? In principle you must apply in person. Proxy collection has requirements such as a power of attorney — check with the police station.

Is there an expiry? The receiving body often sets a period from the issue date. Check first and don't obtain it too early.

Does a record block a visa? It depends on the case. Check your own situation with 1345 or legal advice. See free-legal-aid-visa.

I need it in English. Check with the police station in advance whether an English version can be issued.

Take care

Always confirm whether the receiving body wants the Korean certificate, the home-country one, or both. Getting it wrong costs time and money twice over. Home-country documents take weeks to issue and apostille.

Related

apostille-documents · document-translation-notary · naturalization-overview · f5-requirements · embassy-contacts

Source

Korean National Police Agency www.police.go.kr / As of 2026-08