Document Legalization
Nigerian Document Legalization for South Korea
The Korean Embassy in Abuja publishes a detailed checklist for legalizing Nigerian certificates and transcripts. First ask the Korean school, employer or authority which document it needs and whether legalization is required for your application.
What South Korea actually requires
For a certificate or transcript submitted to the Korean Embassy in Abuja for legalization, use one application form per document. The Embassy asks for the original with a current Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs signature. For educational records, it also asks for a Ministry of Education signature. Both signatures on an educational record must be no older than six months.
Academic letter. Provide the original wet-signed attestation or introduction letter from the registrar or dean, or from the principal for secondary school. It must confirm that the applicant attended the school and owns the certificate. Scans and printouts are not accepted. For several certificates or transcripts, use the letter from the most recently attended school.
Academic copies. If you want the Embassy to legalize a copy of a certificate or transcript, its notice asks for a Certified True Copy stamp from the school, issuing organization or High Court, the stated education-ministry and foreign-ministry certifications, and the original for comparison. A photocopy of an official signature will not do.
Nigerian documents in English usually do not need translating for a Korean university or the Global Korea Scholarship, because NIIED accepts English and Korean. For a visa or a marriage report, ask the Korean office handling it whether it wants a certified Korean translation.
Which Nigerian documents this affects
A Korean university may ask for a degree, WAEC certificate or transcript. A family or civil-status application may call for a birth or marriage certificate. A police record or sworn statement belongs only in cases where the Korean authority asks for it. The Embassy’s especially detailed checklist concerns certificates and transcripts submitted for legalization, not a universal list for all visas.
For a marriage report in Korea or an F-6 marriage visa or F-3 dependent visa application, the documents usually asked for are the birth certificate or NPC Birth Attestation Certificate, the marriage certificate and a single status certificate for the Nigerian partner, each authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja and then legalized by the Korean Embassy in Abuja where the Korean office asks for it. Ask the district office or the Korean Embassy in Abuja for its current list before you start.
Documents for the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS)
If you pass the first round, the certificates you send must be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then legalized by the Korean Embassy in Abuja. Undergraduate applicants need the WAEC certificate and secondary school transcript. Postgraduate applicants need the bachelor’s certificate and transcript (doctoral applicants add the master’s), and from our experience should legalize their WAEC certificate too.
Every applicant also needs a National Population Commission birth certificate or Birth Attestation Certificate that names both parents. Legalize more than one copy, because you may need them again after selection.
This video explains the Global Korea Scholarship procedure and documents for Nigerian applicants.
Step by step, from Nigeria
Obtain the correct Nigerian document
Get the actual record named by the Korean school or authority. For study, ask whether it needs a certificate, transcript or both, and whether it wants the original or a certified copy. The school’s admission assessment is separate from the Embassy’s legalization service.
Authenticate at the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Educational documents such as the WAEC certificate, secondary school transcript, degree certificate and university transcript are first authenticated by the Federal Ministry of Education and then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja. Authentication means the Ministry stamps and signs the document so that the Korean Embassy and Korean authorities will accept it as validly issued in Nigeria. A birth certificate, marriage certificate or other civil document skips the Federal Ministry of Education and goes straight to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As of October 2026, the Korean Embassy in Abuja asks that these signatures be no older than six months when you bring the document for legalization.
Legalize at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Abuja
To have the document legalized by the Korean Embassy in Abuja, book an appointment by email at emb_ng_consul@mofa.go.kr. Its notice gives Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. for legalization, and you must attend in person on the day. Bring the original document with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication, one completed and dated application form for each document, a High Court affidavit stating that the document belongs to you, a copy of your international passport data page (or NIN if you have no passport), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Remita receipt whose date matches the authentication. For educational documents, also bring the original signed letter from the registrar or dean, or from the principal for a secondary school, confirming you were a student there. Do not laminate any document you want legalized. These requirements come from the Korean Embassy’s notice dated 2024, so check the current notice before you book.
A representative may submit and collect with the owner’s sworn affidavit of authorization and a copy of the representative’s international passport or NIN. Enter both the owner and representative’s name, date of birth, address and phone number on the form. The person named for the appointment must attend.
Confirm the translation requirement
Ask the Korean university or government office using the document whether it wants a certified Korean translation.
Timelines and planning
Start early, because the Federal Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean Embassy in Abuja each take their own time, and the six-month limit on the Ministry signatures means you should not authenticate too far ahead either. If your name is spelt differently across your documents, fix it first with a change of name affidavit and a newspaper publication before you authenticate anything, because a mismatch can lead to the documents being rejected. Confirm the current legalization fee and payment method with the Korean Embassy in Abuja when you book.
Common Legalization Mistakes to Avoid
- Asking for an apostille. Nigeria is not a member of the Apostille Convention, so the equivalent is Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication followed by legalization at the Korean Embassy in Abuja.
- Booking the Korean Embassy in Abuja before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has authenticated the document, or bringing Ministry signatures older than six months.
- Laminating a certificate, or bringing a scanned or printed school letter instead of the original signed one.
- Names spelt differently across the WAEC certificate, degree certificate, birth certificate and passport.
- A birth certificate that does not name both parents, when applying for the Global Korea Scholarship.
Verify with official sources
Requirements change. Always confirm the current procedure directly before you start the process or submit documents.
Need help with the documents?
Antarch Consulting offers assistive guidance where document authentication or legalization is required, and help processing documents such as the birth attestation certificate, single status certificate and police character certificate. Send us the checklist from the Korean university or office that asked for your documents.
Related guides
This page is general guidance for Nigerians, not legal advice. Document rules differ by purpose (study, work, family, marriage) and by the institution receiving your document. Confirm the exact requirement with the relevant authority before acting.