Visa & paperwork
What documents an E-2 teaching visa needs, in what order, and how long each step takes — apostille, criminal check, degree verification, F-visa options.
25 articles — newest first
Getting an FBI background check when you live outside the US
You can't walk into a US consulate in Korea and get fingerprinted for this. Here's how to request an FBI Identity History Summary by mail or through an approved channeler, and what each route actually takes once you're already overseas.
11-08Apostille tip: Check whether your state or province issues apostilles for your diploma
Your diploma's apostille comes from the office tied to where the school is, not where you live now. Here is exactly which office that is for every US state and Canadian province.
11-03Your Background Check Expires Before Your Visa Interview: How to Time It
Korean immigration treats your national criminal record check as good for six months from the date it was issued, not from the day it gets apostilled, so order it too early and it can go stale before your consulate appointment.
10-27Name mismatches between passport, diploma, and criminal record: how to fix them before they stall your visa
A maiden name on your diploma, a married name on your passport, or a dropped middle name can stop your E-2 file cold. Here's which document bridges which mismatch, and when to fix it.
10-22Your E-2 documents expire before your flight: how to sequence them so nothing goes stale
Your criminal record check has a six month clock that starts the day it's issued, not the day you apply. Order it too early and it dies before your consulate appointment. Here's the order that keeps it alive.
10-18Apostille vs. Hague Convention: why a Korean degree doesn't need the same chain twice
Your diploma only needs an apostille if it was issued outside Korea by a Hague-member country. A Korean degree, or a document already inside Korea's system, follows no such chain at all because it's never leaving the country.
10-15Your E-2 visa issuance number isn't a visa yet
A visa issuance number means Korean immigration approved your E-2 paperwork, but you still don't have a visa. You take that number, your passport, and a consulate application (in person or sometimes by mail) to get the actual visa sticker.
10-11Notarization vs. apostille: which one Korea actually needs
A notary stamp alone does not satisfy Korean immigration. For your E-2 degree and criminal record check, Korea requires an apostille, and knowing the order (notarize, then apostille) saves you a second trip and a second fee.
10-06Criminal record checks for E-2 visa: which countries need FBI clearance vs. local police
Every E-2 country needs a national-level criminal record check, not a local one. Here is exactly which agency issues it for the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
10-02The one E-2 document you can only get after you land in Korea
It's the medical exam for your Residence Card: a drug and health screening at a designated hospital, due within 90 days of arrival, that can't be done before you touch down.
09-27Degree verification letters: the quick check that keeps your E-2 on schedule
Most E-2 applicants apostille their diploma and stop there. Some consulates also want a sealed transcript, or, if your diploma isn't issued yet, a graduation letter from the registrar. Confirm which one applies to you before you book your appointment.
09-26The paperwork tree: what you actually need once you know your visa
Your document list depends entirely on which visa category you're using to teach: E-2 needs an apostille, a criminal check, and degree verification; most F-series visas (F-2-7, F-4, F-5, F-6) need none of that to start work.
09-21Get your diploma apostille right the first time for a Korean E-2 visa
Diploma apostilles get rejected because an apostille only certifies a signature, not the content of the document; an unnotarized photocopy of your degree has no signature on it to certify, so the notary has to come before the apostille office, not after.
09-17Your passport decides how long the E-2 paperwork takes
The criminal record check, the apostille, and the overall timeline for E-2 paperwork depend heavily on your home country. Americans use the FBI, Canadians gained apostille access only in 2024, and each route can run six to twelve weeks before you touch a contract.
09-14Your visa application and your school's hiring file need different paperwork
The apostilled diploma, sealed transcript and criminal record check that E-2 applicants dread are immigration requirements, not universal ones. F-visa holders skip most of them but usually still need a background check for the school itself.
09-09How long your E-2 documents stay valid before you have to start over
Most E-2 paperwork isn't valid forever. The criminal record check is generally good for around six months from issue, not from when you started your job search, and once it expires you redo the whole thing: fee, apostille, wait time and all.
09-05Moving from E-2 to F-2-7 or F-6 doesn't carry your old paperwork with it
Changing from an E-2 to an F-series visa (F-2-7 points system, F-5 permanent residency, or F-6 marriage visa) requires a separate document set filed through your local immigration office, and your original E-2 apostilles, criminal check, and degree file do not automatically transfer.
09-03What an F-4 or F-6 visa lets you do in a Korean classroom
F-2, F-4, F-5, and F-6 visa holders can generally teach English in Korea without E-2 sponsorship, which means no apostille chain and no degree verification through the embassy, but hour limits and job eligibility still depend on the specific visa subtype.
09-01E-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.
08-30Processing order for E-2 documents: what you can do at the same time and what has to wait
Some E-2 documents can be prepared in parallel, and some depend on others being finished first. Here's what actually starts the clock, which office waits for which piece of paper, and where people lose two months by starting everything at once.
08-26Apostille your documents in your home country, not Korea: timing and why it matters
You cannot apostille a document in Korea if it was issued somewhere else, and rushing this step after you have a job offer costs you weeks. Start the criminal record check and degree apostille before you apply, or plan on waiting.
08-24F-visa holders can skip the apostille: who can teach without the full paperwork
E-2 visa applicants need an apostilled degree, criminal check, and health form. F-2, F-4, F-5, and F-6 visa holders can work legally at hagwons without any of those, but proving your qualifications to the employer still matters.
08-03The criminal record check: why it's the first E-2 document to order
Of every document in the E-2 process, the national criminal record check is the one most likely to delay your start date, because it is the only one you cannot hurry once it is in a queue.
07-21How long does it take to go from applying to standing in a Korean classroom?
The gap between sending your first application and starting work in Korea is set almost entirely by your documents, not by the hiring. Interviews and offers can happen in a week or two; the criminal background check, the apostille and the visa issuance are what decide your start date. Teachers who begin their paperwork before they have an offer routinely start a month or more ahead of teachers who wait.
07-15E-2 visa documents for Korea: the checklist every new teacher needs
An E-2 teaching visa normally needs a bachelor's degree, a national criminal background check, sealed transcripts and a passport, with the degree and the background check apostilled. Gather them in that order, because the apostille step is what takes the longest.
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