Apostille Checklist for Teaching English Abroad: Korea, China, Spain, Japan, UAE and Vietnam
You have the job offer. The school wants your degree and a background check “apostilled” and the visa appointment is in five weeks. Every country asks for a slightly different set, the FBI check has a clock on it and the degree needs a notary before the state will touch it. Here is the document list for each of the six most common destinations, in the order to request them.
- Degree, FBI check and TEFL in one order
- State and federal routes handled together
- Timed to your visa appointment
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Nearly every teaching visa comes down to a degree, a background check and a certificate
Immigration offices in teaching destinations want proof of three things: that you hold a bachelor’s degree, that you have no criminal record and, increasingly, that you have some training in teaching English. Each proof comes from a different issuer and each takes a different route to an apostille.
The degree is a private document from a university. A Massachusetts notary certifies a copy of the diploma, or the registrar signs a certification in front of a notary, and the Commonwealth apostilles the notary. Our diploma apostille service covers both routes, and the MIT, Boston College and other campus guides list what each registrar will sign.
The background check for most teaching visas is the FBI Identity History Summary, a federal document that only the U.S. Department of State can authenticate. Some countries accept a state police check instead, apostilled by that state. Korea and China want the FBI version. Spain’s assistant program accepts either.
The TEFL or TESOL certificate is a private document from a training company. Most schools want a notarized copy apostilled, and some want the certificate itself notarized by the issuer. Online course providers issue a printable certificate. The copy certification route works for those.
Three documents, two authorities, one deadline. The FBI check is the slow one and the one with the shortest shelf life. Order it first, but not too first.
What each destination asks for
Requirements change with each visa cycle. Your school or recruiter has the current list. This is what those lists have contained for our clients through 2026.
Apostilled degree and apostilled FBI check
Korea wants a notarized copy of the bachelor’s diploma with an apostille and an FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille, both issued within six months of the visa application. Sealed transcripts are often requested by the school. EPIK and private academies apply the same list. No translation is required.
Apostille replaced consular legalization in November 2023
A bachelor’s degree, a criminal record check dated within six months and often a TEFL certificate of at least 120 hours, each apostilled. Before China joined the Hague Convention, these went through the Chinese consulate. Now a state or federal apostille is the final step. Chinese translation is done in China by a licensed agency. Our China guide has the detail.
Background check and medical certificate for the visa
The North American Language and Culture Assistants program wants a background check with an apostille, FBI or state, issued within the consulate’s window, plus a medical certificate. Sworn translation into Spanish is required for the visa. Private academies sponsoring work visas add the degree. See the medical certificate guide for the wording Spain wants.
Usually no apostille
Japanese immigration accepts original diplomas and transcripts for the certificate of eligibility without an apostille, and JET and most eikaiwa chains do not ask for one. A few private schools and university positions do. Ask before ordering. Japan is the destination where people apostille documents that nobody asks to see.
Legalization, not apostille
The UAE is not a Hague member. The degree copy is notarized, certified by the Commonwealth, authenticated by the U.S. Department of State and legalized at the UAE embassy in Washington, then attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Emirates. Plan four to six weeks. The legalization guide walks through the chain.
Legalization until September 11, 2026, then apostille
Vietnam’s work permit needs a degree, a criminal record check within six months and a TEFL certificate. Through September 10, 2026 these are legalized at the Vietnamese embassy after the federal step. From September 11 an apostille is enough. Our Vietnam guide explains the switch.
Order the documents in this order
Week 1: request the FBI check
Use an FBI approved channeler with electronic fingerprinting for a result in days, or apply directly for a result in weeks. Ask for the result on paper or as the PDF with the FBI’s digital signature. The Department of State authenticates the PDF version when printed as issued. Start this first because the federal authentication takes the longest, but confirm the destination’s validity window before you do. A check that arrives more than six months before the visa appointment is wasted. The validity guide covers the windows.
Plan around the intake calendar
Korean public school programs hire for late February and late August starts, with visa appointments six to eight weeks before. Chinese international schools and universities start in late August and February. Spain’s assistant program places in the spring for an October start and wants the visa filed in July or August. Vietnamese schools hire year round with a heavy August intake. Count back from the visa appointment, not the start date, and put the FBI request four to six weeks before the appointment so it is fresh and authenticated in time. Recruiters who place teachers in volume usually send a document calendar with the offer; if yours did not, ask for the appointment window before you order anything.
Week 1: order the diploma copy or registrar letter
Bring the original diploma to our office and a notary certifies the copy the same day. If the school wants the registrar’s own certification, request it now. Registrars take one to three weeks in summer. Sealed transcripts, if requested, are ordered from the registrar at the same time and sent separately.
Week 1: sealed transcripts, if the school wants them
Korean schools and some Chinese universities ask for a sealed official transcript in addition to the apostilled diploma. Order it from the registrar in the same week as the diploma certification and keep the envelope sealed. If the school also wants the transcript apostilled, ask the registrar for a second copy with a certification signed before a notary, which is a separate document from the sealed one.
Week 2: notarize the TEFL certificate
Print the certificate, present it with proof of the course, and a notary certifies the copy. Some Chinese and Vietnamese employers ask the TEFL provider to notarize the original. The larger providers offer this for a fee.
Week 2 to 3: apostilles
The Massachusetts documents go to One Ashburton Place, same day on a walk-in. The FBI check goes to the Department of State, through our agent for the faster route. Non Hague destinations add the embassy step after that.
Week 4 to 5: translations and delivery
Spain and the UAE want translations after the apostille. China and Vietnam translate locally. Everything comes back to you in one package, sequenced the way the consulate lists it.
Teacher checklist
- Get the school’s or consulate’s document list in writing, with validity windows.
- Confirm FBI versus state police check for your destination.
- Know whether the school wants the registrar’s certification or a notarized copy of the diploma.
- Check whether the destination is a Hague member. The UAE and Thailand are not.
- Book the visa appointment before ordering the background check.
The five mistakes that cost teachers their start date
Ordering the FBI check too early
A check issued in March for a September start is stale by the time the consulate sees it. Order it so the issue date falls inside the window on the appointment date, then have it authenticated immediately.
Sending the FBI check to Boston
The Commonwealth cannot apostille a federal document. It goes back unprocessed and the round trip costs two weeks. Federal documents go to Washington. Our state versus federal guide sorts every document.
Opening the sealed transcript
A transcript in a sealed registrar envelope is worthless once opened. If the school wants it apostilled, the registrar must sign a certification in front of a notary on a separate copy. Do not open the envelope to “check it”.
Apostilling the translation instead of the document
The apostille goes on the original. The translation is made afterward and covers the apostille. Doing it the other way round produces a file the consulate returns. The translation sequencing guide explains why.
Assuming Japan needs what Korea needs
Neighboring countries with similar programs have different rules. Korea requires apostilles for everything. Japan rarely asks. Vietnam changes its rule in September 2026. Check the country, not the region.
Three teachers, three timelines
Names changed. Each shows how the sequence plays out against a real start date.
Five weeks to the consulate
A UMass Amherst graduate in Worcester had an August 20 EPIK start and a consulate appointment in mid July. She ordered her FBI check through a channeler in early June, brought her diploma to us for a notarized copy the same week, and we walked the diploma into One Ashburton Place while the FBI check went to Washington through our agent. Both apostilles were in her hands by June 30, inside Korea’s six month window, with two weeks to spare.
The TEFL provider had closed
A teacher in Newton needed a notarized TEFL certificate for a Chinese work permit, and the online provider that issued it in 2019 no longer existed. We certified a copy of the printed certificate before a Massachusetts notary, attached his course completion email as an exhibit, and the Commonwealth apostilled the copy certification. The Shanghai Foreign Experts Bureau accepted it. His degree and FBI check followed the standard route.
Six weeks of legalization
A teacher in Quincy had a UAE offer with a start date eight weeks out. Her diploma copy went through the Commonwealth, the Department of State and the UAE embassy in Washington in sequence, each step tracked. The school’s PRO completed the Ministry attestation on arrival. Had she started a week later, the start date would have moved. UAE files need the full eight weeks.
The lesson in all three
The documents are not hard. The calendar is. Every teacher who missed a start date in our files did so because the FBI check was ordered at the wrong time or a non Hague chain was started too late. Get the list, get the dates, then order.
Recruiters and schools
We handle document packages for recruiters placing teachers from Massachusetts and New England, with one contact and a spreadsheet of status for each candidate. Reach out through the contact page for a per candidate rate.
What a teacher document package costs
State fees are $6 per Massachusetts apostille and $20 per federal authentication. Our Massachusetts service starts at $149.95 per document with notarization included, and our federal service at $249.95 per document with the Department of State fee and courier both ways included. Embassy legalization for the UAE, Thailand or Vietnam before September 11 is quoted per embassy. Translations are per page. Every quote is itemized before you pay. Documents issued outside New England are routed through our sister service, Apostille Depot, which covers all fifty states.
See the full pricing page and the cost guide.
Get an itemized quoteFrequently asked questions
Which documents need an apostille to teach English abroad?
Most countries want a notarized copy of your bachelor’s degree, a criminal background check and often a TEFL certificate, each apostilled. Korea and China ask for all three. Spain’s assistant program asks for the background check and a medical certificate. Japan rarely asks for any.
Do I need an FBI check or a state background check?
Korea, China and Vietnam want the FBI Identity History Summary. Spain accepts FBI or state. The FBI version is federal and authenticated by the U.S. Department of State. A Massachusetts state police check is apostilled by the Commonwealth.
How long is the background check valid?
Most consulates want it issued within six months of the application and some within three. Time the request so the issue date falls inside the window on the appointment date.
Does Massachusetts apostille my diploma?
Yes, once a Massachusetts notary certifies a copy or the registrar signs a certification before a notary. The Commonwealth apostilles the notary’s signature. The state fee is $6.
Does Japan require apostilled documents for teaching?
Usually not. Japanese immigration accepts original diplomas for the certificate of eligibility, and JET and most private chains do not ask for apostilles. Confirm with your employer before ordering.
What about the UAE?
The UAE is not a Hague country, so the degree goes through state certification, federal authentication and UAE embassy legalization, followed by Ministry attestation in the Emirates. Plan five to eight weeks.
Can my TEFL certificate be apostilled?
Yes. A Massachusetts notary certifies a copy and the Commonwealth apostilles it. Some employers want the provider to notarize the original instead. The larger providers offer that service.
How long does the whole package take?
Two to three weeks for Hague destinations when the federal step runs through our Washington agent. Five to eight weeks for the UAE, Thailand and, until September 11, 2026, Vietnam.
Related services and guides
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Send us the school’s list and the appointment date. We sequence the FBI check, the degree and the certificate so everything arrives inside the window.
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