Getting Started

Getting Started

Before coming to South Korea, here are some things that you should know:

E-2 Visa

This is the working visa that is issued to most English teachers in South Korea. This visa is valid for one year. It is advisable to get a multiple entry E-2 visa, as this will allow you to travel internationally more freely than if you obtained a single entry E-2 visa. If you have a single entry visa, you would have to visit immigration every time you wanted to leave the country.

Before you get your E-2 visa, you must receive a Confirmation of Visa Issuance Number and is also referred to as the Visa Reservation Number or Visa Confirmation Number. These are the documents required:

A clear photocopy of your passport (photo page) with more than 6 months validity left from one of the following countries (United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) or Republic of Ireland). Also, be sure to have at least one empty page in your passport.

Your original degree (a photocopy will not suffice). It must be a Bachelor's degree in any discipline from an accredited university and it MUST be the original.

3 sets of SEALED university transcripts. This means you would need to contact your university to send you these and also to make sure that they stamp the seal. 2 of these will be sent to your school in South Korea and another set will be sent to the Korean Consulate in your home country.

Criminal Background Check

Canadians: You need to order this from your local police department. It is advised that you do not need an RCMP search as they are not required and take too much time to complete. The record checks must be less than 3 months old and you can either pick them up yourself or have them sent to you. Then, you must have this notarized by a local notary public or lawyer. After this step is completed, then you must take this to the nearest Korean Consulate for Consular Notarization, or you can have it mailed. If you do send it by mail, make sure to use Xpresspost, include a return Xpresspost envelope with your address and postage paid and include a $2.20 notarization money order.

Ottawa - Korea Embassy
150 Boteler Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 5A6
T:(613) 244-5010
jurisdiction: only candidates who live in OTTAWA should process their visas here

Montreal - Korea Consulate
1 Place Ville-Marie Suite 2015, Montreal, Quebec, H3B 2C4
T:(514) 845-2555
F:(514) 845-1999
jurisdiction: Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland

Toronto - Korea Consulate
555 Avenue Rd, Toronto, Ontario, M4V 2J7
T:(416) 920-3809
F:(416) 924-7305
jurisdiction: Ontario (except Ottawa) and Manitoba

Vancouver - Korea Consulate
1600-1090 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6E 3V7
T:(604) 681-9581
F:(604) 681-4864
jurisdiction: Alberta, British Columbia, NWT, Nunavut, Saskatchewan and the Yukon Territory

Americans: This is a vital step in the visa process. You must start this early as this process can take quite a long time. Your record check must be less than 6 months old and also must be a minimum of a state clearance letter or report. We suggest going through your local police department as going through the FBI takes much longer. After you have the results sent to you, you must have this document notarized by a notary public or lawyer that is in the same state as the background check. After this is complete, you must send the notarized record check to the Authentications Office of your Secretary of State to get an Apostille Certification. Some states require an application, so please make sure to contact them first before you send them anything. Here is a link which provides addresses to your Secretary of State: http://www.statelocalgov.net/50states-secretary-state.cfm/

It is recommended that you do this step in-person or get a friend or family member to drop this off for you because if you mail it in, it can take over 2-3 weeks and they have no way of tracking your documents. There is usually a small fee associated with getting an Apostille Certification so please make sure to check with your Secretary of State.