South Korea for Nigerians

Study in South Korea

Degree students normally use the D-2 visa, while Korean-language and some non-degree courses use the D-4 visa. The Korean university issues the admission and visa-support documents, so confirm with it the programme language, accreditation and whether the course leads to the post-study status you expect.

The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) is the Korean government scholarship run by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED). As of October 2026, Nigerians apply either through the Korean Embassy in Abuja (Embassy Track) or directly to one participating Korean university (University Track), and anyone who applies through more than one track has the application disregarded, or the scholarship cancelled if it is found later. Undergraduate applicants must be under 25 and postgraduate applicants under 40, and neither the applicant nor the parents may hold Korean citizenship. Most scholars spend one year on a Korean language programme and must reach TOPIK Level 3 before they can start the degree. In recent years the undergraduate Embassy Track opened in September and the postgraduate one in February, but the dates change every year, so check the current guidelines on the Study in Korea website.

Prepare the admission certificate, tuition payment or scholarship evidence, accommodation, passport and the bank balance required by the Korean university and the Korean Embassy in Abuja.

For the Global Korea Scholarship, scanned copies are enough for the first round, but candidates who reach the second round with NIIED must send certificates that have been legalized. Because Nigeria is not a member of the Apostille Convention, a WAEC or NECO certificate, degree certificate or transcript is first authenticated by the Federal Ministry of Education, then authenticated (stamped and signed) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, and then legalized by the Korean Embassy in Abuja. The birth certificate must show both parents, because NIIED uses it to confirm the family relationship and the parents' citizenship. Start the authentication early, because the second-round deadline comes only weeks after the first-round results.

Work in South Korea

Skilled work in South Korea is mainly on the E-7 (designated activities) visa, which needs a Korean employer and a relevant qualification or work experience, and other E-category visas cover specific professions. Graduates of Korean universities can switch to the D-10 job-seeking visa. Outside specific government schemes, there is no open visa for low-skill work for most nationalities. The E-2 visa for teaching English is not generally available to Nigerian citizens, because it is limited to nationals of specified countries where English is treated as the first language, and Nigeria is not on that list even though English is an official language in Nigeria.

E-7 skilled worker visa (employer-sponsored), other E-category visas by profession, the D-10 job-seeking visa for graduates of Korean universities, and the D-8 visa for investors.

Permanent residency and citizenship in South Korea

The F-5 permanent-resident visa is not an automatic reward for spending five years in Korea. Applicants must fit a defined F-5 category and meet its residence, income, conduct and Korean-language or social-integration conditions. Some skilled workers and graduates first move through an F-2 residence category, while spouse and investor cases follow different rules.

Citizenship is hard and slow. General naturalisation normally requires about five years of residence, together with Korean-language and integration requirements. South Korea generally does not allow a person who naturalizes to retain another citizenship, so a Nigerian applicant should confirm the effect on Nigerian citizenship before proceeding.

Family Reunification in South Korea

Holders of a long-stay visa can bring dependents on the F-3 visa, and the spouse of a Korean citizen uses the F-6 marriage visa. The sponsor must evidence status, the relationship, and means of support.

Spouse and minor children (F-3 dependents); spouse of a Korean citizen (F-6).

A holder of an eligible Korean residence visa (for F-3 dependents) or a Korean citizen (for the F-6 spouse visa), who can prove the relationship and support.

No single published threshold; the sponsor must show the ability to support dependents, and the F-6 marriage visa has a basic income guideline. Confirm with Hi Korea or the Korean Embassy.

The marriage certificate and the children's birth certificates, authenticated (stamped and signed) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja and then legalized by the Korean Embassy in Abuja where the Korean authority asks for it, plus a copy of the sponsor's Korean visa or Korean identity document.

Marriage in South Korea

A marriage in South Korea is recorded by filing a marriage report at the local district, city or county office in Korea. That office checks that both the Korean and the Nigerian partner are legally free to marry. If the marriage took place outside Korea, the Korean partner may still need to report it to a Korean office.

A Nigerian applicant usually needs an international passport, a birth certificate and a single status document (a bachelorhood letter for a man or a spinsterhood letter for a woman) to show legal capacity to marry, plus the final divorce decree or the former spouse's death certificate where that applies. Ask the Korean district, city or county office that will record the marriage, and the Korean Embassy in Abuja, which of these Nigerian documents must be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, legalized by the Korean Embassy in Abuja and translated into Korean by a certified translator.

Registering the marriage in Korea and obtaining the F-6 marriage visa are separate processes. For the F-6 visa application, the couple may be asked to show that the relationship is genuine, that they can communicate in a shared language, and that the Korean spouse meets the housing and income requirements. Get the current checklist from the Korean Embassy in Abuja before you gather documents or pay for translations.

Using Nigerian Documents in South Korea

Ask the Korean university, employer or government office that will use your Nigerian document which document it needs and whether it must be legalized. For certificates and transcripts, the Korean Embassy in Abuja asks for one application form per document, an appointment booked by email, and its published requirements for academic documents and for anyone submitting on your behalf. Whether a translation is needed depends on the Korean office that will use the document.

Before the Korean Embassy in Abuja legalizes a Nigerian document, the document must first be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, which means the Ministry stamps and signs it so that the Korean Embassy and Korean authorities will accept it as validly issued in Nigeria. As of October 2026, the Korean Embassy in Abuja asks that educational certificates and transcripts carry both Federal Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs signatures that are not older than six months, together with an original letter from the school. This academic checklist does not apply to birth, marriage or other civil documents.

The Korean Embassy in Abuja provides certificate and transcript legalization by appointment after Nigerian authentication. The Korean school or authority receiving the document decides whether that service is needed for the particular application.

Translation requirements depend on the document and its purpose. Ask the Korean authority handling the matter whether it requires a certified Korean or English translation and what form of certification it accepts.

Birth certificate, single-status certificate, marriage certificate, WAEC certificate or degree and transcript, and police character certificate, depending on the purpose for which the document will be used.

Asylum & Legal Stay in South Korea

A person in South Korea can apply for refugee recognition at an immigration office or at the port of entry. The Korea Immigration Service records the application, interviews the applicant and decides whether refugee status or humanitarian stay applies. The process is separate from an ordinary Korean visa and cannot be completed from Nigeria.

Official Asylum & Legal Stay Source

Recognition rates are low, so obtain help from a Korean lawyer or an experienced refugee-support organisation early, not only after a refusal. Submit identity records and available evidence, attend the interview and keep the immigration office informed of the current address. A negative decision can be challenged, but the stated filing deadline matters.