🇺🇸 United States — US Embassy Seoul / USCIS / US universities

US F-1 Student Visa — Korean Documents Required

The F-1 student visa allows Korean nationals to study full-time at accredited US universities, colleges, and language schools. All student visa applicants must be accepted by their school or program before applying for the visa — the school issues a Form I-20, which you then use to apply at the US Embassy in Seoul. Korean documents come up at three points: the school's admission review and I-20, your visa interview, and visa applications by accompanying family (F-2). 8 CFR 214.3(k) has the school's designated school official (DSO) issue the I-20 only after the school has received and reviewed your transcripts or other records of courses taken and proof of financial responsibility, but it does not set the form of those documents; each school does. The Department of Homeland Security's Study in the States guidance, 8 CFR 214.2(f) and 214.3(k), and the student visa page of the official US Department of State visa application site for Korea (ustraveldocs.com/kr) do not ask for an apostille or a notarized translation on Korean documents.

Required Korean Documents

May Also Be Required

Academic Transcript

성적증명서

The form of the transcript for admission (English-issued copy, translation, scan or original, sent directly by the Korean school, sealed envelope) is set by the school you apply to, so check its application requirements and its international student office. A school or a credentials evaluation service may require the Korean school to send it directly. For the visa interview, the visa application site lists transcripts with grades among the academic documents to bring, originals preferred. The site says nothing about an apostille or a translation.

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Diploma / Degree Certificate

학위증명서

The form of the degree or graduation certificate for admission is set by the school you apply to. Get an apostille only if the school's own requirements ask for one: the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) issues it for public documents and the Ministry of Justice for notarized private documents. For the visa interview, diplomas are listed among the academic documents to bring, and no apostille is asked for.

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Basic Certificate (Birth Certificate)

기본증명서

Not on the interview document list for the F-1 student. When accompanying family (F-2) apply, the visa application site lists the detailed Marriage Relation Certificate (혼인관계증명서(상세)), Family Relations Certificate (가족관계증명서(상세)) and Basic Certificate (기본증명서(상세)) as proof of their relationship to the student; these carry an issue-date limit, so check the current wording on the site. If someone else is sponsoring you financially, bring proof of your relationship to the sponsor (the Korean-language page gives the 가족관계증명서 as its example). The site says nothing about an apostille or a translation. If your school asks for identity documents at enrollment, follow that school's instructions.

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Step-by-Step Process

1
Apply to your US school — prepare transcripts, degree certificates and financial evidence in the form the school's application requirements set
2
Once admitted, the school's designated school official (DSO) issues your Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status) — check that your name and date of birth match your passport and ask the DSO to correct it if they do not
3
Pay the SEVIS fee (Form I-901) online at fmjfee.com
4
Complete the DS-160 visa application form at ceac.state.gov
5
Schedule and attend your F-1 visa interview at the US Embassy in Seoul — bring the original I-20, the I-901 receipt, original financial documents, and your transcripts and diplomas
6
After visa approval, enter the US no earlier than 30 days before your program start date

Tips & Common Mistakes

The student visa page of the visa application site says nothing about an apostille, notarization or translation — it says original documents are always preferred over photocopies, so bring original bankbooks or original bank statements
The school sets the form of admission documents — get an apostille only if the school itself asks for one, and if the school wants documents sent directly by your Korean school, documents you obtained yourself may not be usable, so check the requirement first
If the school asks for a credential evaluation, how the evaluation service wants documents delivered is that service's own rule — check the instructions of the service the school names
Each accompanying family member (F-2) needs a Form I-20 in their own name, so tell your DSO first — documents for admission and documents for the visa interview are two separate processes, so confirm requirements with both your school and the visa application site

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the US Embassy require apostilled Korean documents for the F-1 visa interview?

The student visa page of the official US Department of State visa application site for Korea (ustraveldocs.com/kr) does not ask for an apostille. What you submit is the DS-160, your passport, a photo, the original Form I-20 and the I-901 SEVIS fee receipt; the documents it tells you to bring are evidence of ties to your home country, financial documents, and academic documents such as transcripts and diplomas. The site says original documents are always preferred over photocopies, and the Korean-language page asks for original bankbooks or original bank balance certificates. Check the current guidance on travel.state.gov as well.

My US university requires a WES credential evaluation. What Korean documents do I need?

A credentials evaluation service is a separate body from the school and the visa authorities, and it decides which documents it takes and how (English-issued copies, translations, sent directly by the Korean school, sealed envelopes). 8 CFR 214.3(k) and the Department of Homeland Security's Study in the States guidance do not set the form of documents given to an evaluation service. Check the service's own requirements for your school and degree first, and if it wants documents sent directly by the Korean school, ask the school to send them. Get an apostille only if the evaluation service or the university itself asks for one.

I am applying to a US PhD program. Which Korean documents should I apostille?

Whether you need an apostille is decided by the graduate school you apply to. 8 CFR 214.3(k) has the school issue the I-20 after it has received and reviewed your transcripts or other records and proof of financial responsibility, but it does not set the form of those documents. The form asked for (English-issued copies, originals, documents sent directly by the Korean university) can differ from school to school, so confirm with your target program's application requirements and graduate admissions office. If the school does ask for an apostille, the method is an apostille, not embassy legalization: the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) issues it for public documents and the Ministry of Justice for notarized private documents.

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