🇺🇸 United States — USCIS / US Citizenship and Immigration Services

US H-1B Visa — Korean Documents Required

The H-1B specialty occupation visa is one of the most common US work visas for Korean professionals. The petition (Form I-129) is filed with USCIS by your sponsoring US employer, not by you, and Korean documents come up at three points: the employer's petition, your visa interview at the US Embassy in Seoul, and visa applications by accompanying family (H-4). The Form I-129 instructions ask for legible photocopies and, for any document in a foreign language, 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)). The form instructions, 8 CFR 214.2(h) and the work 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. The employer's immigration attorney will specify exactly what is needed; the Korean documents below are the ones that come up at each point.

Required Korean Documents

May Also Be Required

University Diploma

학위증명서

The Form I-129 instructions ask for evidence of the required degree in one of three forms: a copy of a US bachelor's or higher degree, a copy of a foreign degree with evidence that it is equivalent to the US degree, or evidence of education, specialized training and experience equivalent to the US degree. A Korean graduate files a legible copy of the school-issued degree certificate (졸업증명서 or 학위증명서), with a full English translation if it is in Korean, plus the equivalency evidence. The form instructions do not say which document proves a foreign degree's equivalence, so follow the employer's attorney — 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iii) lists an evaluation by a reliable credentials evaluation service that specializes in foreign educational credentials as one way to show equivalence through education, training and experience, and names no particular evaluator. The evaluation goes with the degree copy; it does not replace it. No apostille is asked for. If you qualify on a US degree, a Korean degree document may not be needed at all.

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Academic Transcript

성적증명서

8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iv) says school records filed with the petition must show periods of attendance and courses of study and be executed by the person in charge of the school's records. File a legible copy of the school-issued transcript, with a full English translation if it is in Korean. How a credentials evaluation service wants documents delivered (scans, sent directly by the school, sealed envelopes) is that service's own rule, so check with the service your employer's attorney uses. No apostille is asked for.

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Basic Certificate (Birth Certificate)

기본증명서

Not on the petition document list or the interview list for the H-1B worker. When accompanying family (H-4) apply at the US Embassy in Seoul, an unmarried child under 21 brings an original detailed Basic Certificate (기본증명서(상세)) and a spouse an original detailed Marriage Relation Certificate (혼인관계증명서(상세)); the Korean-language version of the visa application site also lists the detailed Family Relations Certificate (가족관계증명서(상세)). The site says nothing about an apostille or a translation for these. If family members change or extend H-4 status inside the US on Form I-539, they file a copy of evidence of their relationship to the H worker (such as a birth or marriage certificate) with a full English translation.

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Criminal Background Check

범죄·수사경력 회보서

Not on the H-1B document list in the Form I-129 instructions or on the work visa document list of the visa application site. Prepare it only if USCIS or the consular officer asks for it as additional evidence, in the form the request states. No apostille is asked for.

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Step-by-Step Process

1
Your US employer's immigration attorney files the H-1B petition (Form I-129) with USCIS — you do not file this yourself; you prepare the Korean documents the attorney asks for and send them
2
Order your degree certificate and transcripts from your Korean university, make legible copies, and attach a full English translation with the translator's certification to any document in Korean
3
Prepare evidence that your Korean degree is equivalent to a US bachelor's or higher degree (such as a credential evaluation) — follow the evaluation service's own instructions on how to deliver documents to it
4
After USCIS approves the petition, complete the DS-160 and book your visa interview at the US Embassy in Seoul — you need the receipt number of the approved petition
5
If this is your first work visa, the visa application site says it may save time to bring evidence of your job qualifications, including university diplomas, and original letters from current and previous employers; accompanying family (H-4) bring original family documents such as the 혼인관계증명서(상세) and 기본증명서(상세)

Tips & Common Mistakes

File legible copies with USCIS, not originals — if you send originals the form instructions did not ask for, USCIS may destroy them
The H-1B petition approval notice (Form I-797) is not a visa — you still need the visa from the US Embassy
The form instructions do not ask for a notarized translation or a translator with a particular credential — the translator certifies that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate, and adds a signature, printed name, date and contact information (Form I-129 instructions, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3))
Family documents for H-4 applicants (혼인관계증명서(상세), 가족관계증명서(상세), 기본증명서(상세)) must be issued within 3 months of the visa interview date (visa application site) — order them after the interview is booked, and check the current rule on the site
If the occupation needs a state or local license, you must hold it before the petition is approved (8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(v)) — when a state licensing board, a state agency, a court or a school separately asks for a Korean document to be authenticated, 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

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to apostille my Korean diploma for every H-1B application?

No. The Form I-129 instructions, 8 CFR 214.2(h), 8 CFR 103.2(b) and the work visa page of the official US Department of State visa application site for Korea (ustraveldocs.com/kr) do not ask for an apostille on Korean documents. The petition takes a legible copy of the degree document with a full English translation carrying the translator's certification. The interview needs the receipt number of the approved petition, and the site lists university diplomas among the documents it may save time to bring if this is your first work visa. Check the current guidance on travel.state.gov and your employer's immigration attorney's document list as well. Separately from the visa process, if a US state licensing board, a state agency, a court or a school asks for a Korean document to be authenticated, 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.

My Korean degree is not directly in the H-1B specialty field. Can a credential evaluation substitute for the diploma?

No. The Form I-129 instructions ask for a copy of the foreign degree and evidence that it is equivalent to the US degree, so the evaluation goes with the degree copy rather than replacing it. If the degree alone does not fit the position, the instructions also allow evidence of education, specialized training and experience equivalent to the required US degree, and 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iv) says statements from current or former employers must describe your expertise in specific, factual terms. A document in Korean needs a full English translation with the translator's certification. The form instructions and the visa application site do not ask for an apostille on employment or career documents. If another US body separately asks for a company-issued document to be authenticated, it is notarized first and then apostilled by the Ministry of Justice.

How far in advance should I start preparing Korean documents for my H-1B visa interview?

There is no fixed period; it depends on how quickly your university issues certificates, the volume of translation, the evaluation service's own processing and whether you are abroad. Long documents such as transcripts take longer to translate. The visa application site sets an issue-date limit on family documents for H-4 applicants, so documents ordered too early may have to be issued again; plan the order of preparation around the interview date. If another US body has asked for an apostille, check the current processing time with the Overseas Koreans Agency (public documents) or the Ministry of Justice (notarized private documents). Apostille First can manage document issuance and translation while you are abroad.

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