US Green Card — Korean Documents Required

Required Korean Documents

May Also Be Required

Step-by-Step Process

1. 1

   Your sponsoring family member or employer files the immigrant petition (Form I-130 or I-140) with USCIS

2. 2

   Upon approval, the case transfers to the National Visa Center (NVC) for document collection

3. 3

   Obtain your Korean documents by the names and versions in the US Embassy Seoul immigrant visa instructions (detailed '상세' certificates, police certificate '외국 입국체류 허가용') and attach English translations

4. 4

   If your case is processed online at NVC through the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC), upload the required documents to CEAC

5. 5

   NVC forwards the case to the US Embassy in Seoul once all documents are approved

6. 6

   Complete the medical examination at a designated hospital, then attend the immigrant visa interview at the US Embassy in Seoul — bring the originals of the documents you uploaded to CEAC

7. 7

   Upon visa approval, enter the US as a legal permanent resident — your green card will be mailed after entry

Tips & Common Mistakes

• The US Embassy Seoul instructions ask for the 기본증명서(상세), 가족관계증명서(상세) and 혼인관계증명서(상세) issued within the past year — these must be prepared separately from anything filed with the petition, so check the issue dates against your interview date
• The police certificate must be the 범죄·수사경력 회보서 for '외국 입국체류 허가용' (permit to enter and stay in a foreign country), issued in English — the version for checking your own record ('수사자료표 내용 확인용', which includes lapsed sentences) cannot be submitted
• If you are 16 or older, the embassy asks for a police certificate from your country of nationality if you lived there for more than 6 months, from your country of residence if you were there for 6 months or more, and from any other country where you stayed 12 months or more after age 16 — check the US State Department's Reciprocity Schedule for how each country issues one
• Translations do not need to be notarized — the embassy instructions say only that the translator is responsible for translating the original accurately, and documents filed with USCIS need a full English translation with the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3))
• Keep originals and copies apart — documents uploaded to CEAC must be brought to the interview as originals, while USCIS takes legible copies (originals the form instructions did not ask for are not automatically returned and may be destroyed)
• Applicants who served in the military submit a military record (병적증명서) — it must show the complete record of service, including any convictions before military tribunals; check the US State Department's military records page for how to obtain one

Frequently Asked Questions

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