Preparing Documents for Immigration

Get the correct form

Write down your immigration status (for example D-2 or E-7) and what you need to do (first registration, extension, change of status or replacing a card). Both determine the correct paperwork.

Open HiKorea application forms. Under 체류 관련 (Stay-related), find 통합신청서(신고서), the Integrated Application Form (Report Form). The Ministry of Justice also provides Form No. 34 with Korean and English. Choose your procedure in the form's selection section and fill in the relevant details. Printed copies are available at immigration offices.

F-4 overseas Koreans: HiKorea lists a separate 재외동포(F-4) 통합신청서(신고서) under 재외동포/방문취업 관련. Use the form specified for your F-4 procedure, rather than automatically choosing the general one.

Find the supporting documents for your status

Open HiKorea's stay-manual notice. Download the latest 체류민원 (stay applications) attachment, not 사증민원 (visa issuance). It is a Korean-language .hwp file. HiKorea links to a Hancom viewer in its footer if you cannot open it.

Find your status code and the section for your procedure. For example, a D-2 student extending a stay needs the D-2 extension requirements, not the requirements for obtaining a D-2 visa abroad.

The complete procedure-specific lists for two common cases are in Getting Your Residence Card in Korea and How to Extend Your Stay in Korea. One procedure's checklist is not a substitute for the other.

Prepare documents issued abroad

Your application may require a foreign birth or marriage certificate, criminal-record certificate, diploma or similar evidence. First establish which documents the immigration office actually requests.

Apostille: For a qualifying public document from a country covered by the Apostille Convention, get the apostille in the country that issued the document. The Hague Conference directory lists offices authorized to issue it.

No apostille route: For foreign public documents from countries outside the Convention, Korean consular confirmation is the usual certification route. The Korean embassy or consulate confirms the issuing official's signature or seal. Privately issued documents may first need notarization, when a notary certifies a signature or copy. See the Ministry of Justice explanation. Not every public document needs a separate notary.

Translation: Follow the receiving office's instructions. An apostille does not certify a translation. For a public certificate, the usual sequence is obtain the certificate → get the required apostille or consular confirmation → prepare any required translation. A private document or certified translation can have a different order.

Assemble your application package

Make three columns: Required / Ready / Missing. Beside each document, note whether the instructions require an original, copy, recent issue date, translation or official certification.

Compare names, dates of birth and passport numbers across the papers. If a name has changed, prepare supporting proof when required. Check the filing office or website, fee and deadline. Keep copies of your submission and official receipt.

A booking is not an application. If paperwork is missing close to a deadline, ask immigration which filing method is accepted; a reservation does not extend your permitted stay.