E-2 document timeline: what you can start now and what has to wait for the offer letter
Your criminal record check and degree can be apostilled before you have a job. Your visa application and notarised contract cannot. Here's the order that wastes the least time, and the one mistake that adds six weeks.
Park English · 2026-08-30 · 4 min read
The single slowest part of getting to Korea is waiting for documents you could have started months earlier. Teachers who understand the sequence arrive eight weeks faster than those who don't.
What you can do before you apply for jobs
These three take the longest and need no employer:
1. Criminal record check Order this the day you decide to teach in Korea. In the US that's an FBI Identity History Summary. In Canada it's an RCMP certified check. The UK needs an ACRO check. All of them take three to six weeks, and all of them must be apostilled.
2. Degree apostille Your bachelor's diploma or transcript—whichever document shows your name, the degree title, and the date conferred. It goes to the Secretary of State office in whichever US state issued it, or the equivalent in your country. Processing is five business days to four weeks depending where you are. You cannot teach on an E-2 without this.
3. Degree verification (if you studied in the US) Some provinces now require a separate step: your university sends a letter directly to the Korean consulate confirming you graduated. This is new as of late 2023 and still inconsistent. Check with the consulate that will issue your visa, not with us. If they want it, add three weeks.
Do all three in parallel. The criminal check is always the slowest.
What requires an offer letter
You cannot start these until a school hires you and signs:
4. Consulate visa application You'll submit your apostilled documents, the signed contract, passport photos, and the application form to the Korean consulate nearest you. Processing is five to ten business days if nothing is missing. This is where mistakes surface—a notary stamp in the wrong place, a middle name that doesn't match across documents. Consulates do not hurry.
5. Notarised contract The hagwon will send you a contract in English and Korean. Both copies need a notary signature and often an apostille, depending on your consulate. The school handles the Korean side; you handle yours. This happens the week after you accept the job, and the consulate will not begin processing your visa without it.
6. Health check Some consulates require a health statement before they issue the visa. Others let you do it after you land. Do not pay for a medical exam until you confirm which your consulate requires.
The mistake that costs six weeks
Waiting until you have a job to start your criminal record check.
A teacher who applies in March with documents already apostilled is teaching in May. A teacher who starts the paperwork in March after getting hired is teaching in July, maybe August if something has to be redone. The job offer does not speed up the FBI.
| Document | Starts when | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal record check | Now | 3–6 weeks |
| Degree apostille | Now | 1–4 weeks |
| Degree verification | Now (US degrees only) | 2–3 weeks |
| Contract notarised | After you accept a job | 1 week |
| Visa application | After contract is signed | 1–2 weeks |
| Flight, arrival, quarantine | After visa is issued | 1–2 weeks |
Front-load everything that doesn't need the school's signature. Apostilles do not expire for E-2 purposes, though your criminal check is generally considered valid for six months from issue.
Two things we see teachers get wrong
Apostille location: Your degree apostille must come from the state where the university is, not the state you live in now. If you studied in Ohio and live in Texas, the document goes to Columbus.
Middle names: If your degree says "Michael James Smith" and your passport says "Michael J Smith", the consulate will notice. Some accept a signed statement explaining the discrepancy. Others reject the application. Get ahead of this in March, not the week before your flight.
The teachers who arrive fastest are the ones who began the paperwork before they had a job. Everything on that list except items four and five can be done in parallel with your job search, and those two move quickly once you have an offer. Start now if you're serious. Start in six months if you're not sure yet and you'll still be ahead.