The Paperwork Desk — Documents to Teach English Abroad: Apostille, Police Check, Costs
The documents you need to teach abroad, and what they cost
Apostilles, police checks, degree legalization: the paperwork is where most teaching plans stall, because nobody explains it honestly. This desk lays out exactly which documents each country wants, whether they need an apostille or full embassy legalization, and the real time and money it takes, straight from the issuing offices.
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The short answer
To teach English abroad you almost always need three things certified for official use overseas: your degree, a national criminal background check, and often your TEFL certificate. How they are certified depends on the country. If your destination is in the Apostille Convention (South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Spain, most of Europe, the main Latin American markets, and Vietnam since 11 September 2026), a single apostille from your home authority is enough. If it is not (the UAE, Taiwan, and Thailand until 28 February 2027), you need the longer chain of consular legalization or embassy attestation, usually plus a certified translation.
Budget four to ten weeks and start early. The documents themselves are cheap; the delay is in the authentication queues.
The building blocks, and what each costs
Almost every country's requirement is built from the same handful of steps. Get these right once and the per-country table below becomes simple. Costs are official fees checked on 17 October 2026; expediters and translations cost extra and vary.
US criminal check (FBI)
$18 officialThe FBI Identity History Summary is the check most countries accept from US citizens. Fingerprints required. Fastest through an FBI-approved Channeler, which charges its own fee. FBI source →
UK criminal check (ACRO)
fee on ACRO's pageThe ACRO Police Certificate is the UK equivalent. ACRO says the standard service can take up to 20 working days and the premium service two. Check the current fee on ACRO's own page before you order. ACRO source →
US apostille
$20/doc federalState documents are apostilled by that state's Secretary of State (fees vary). Federal documents, including the FBI check, go to the US Department of State, at $20 a document, with mailed processing that can take up to five weeks. US Dept of State →
UK apostille (FCDO)
£35 e-apostilleThe FCDO Legalisation Office issues apostilles: standard paper around £45 (up to 25 working days), the e-apostille around £35 (up to 2 working days). GOV.UK source →
National, not local, checks
source mattersCountries like South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam require a national-level check: RCMP for Canada, the AFP for Australia, the Garda for Ireland, SAPS for South Africa. A state or local police letter is usually rejected.
Consular legalization
embassy feeFor countries outside the Apostille Convention, an apostille is not accepted. Instead your documents are legalized through that country's embassy in your home country, and often need a certified translation afterward.
What each country needs
The single most useful thing to know is whether your destination takes an apostille or needs full embassy legalization, because that decides the length of the whole process. Lead times below are realistic estimates once you begin, not guarantees, and the slow step is almost always the authentication queue.
| Country | Certification route | Core documents | The country-specific step | Est. lead time | Biggest gotcha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | Apostille | Degree + national criminal check | National-level check only, both documents apostilled | 3–6 wks | The criminal check must be dated within 6 months of applying. |
| China | Apostille | Degree, TEFL, criminal check | Usually a notarized Chinese translation as well | 4–8 wks | China warns an apostille does not guarantee acceptance; a province can still reject on format or translation. |
| Saudi Arabia | Apostille + verify | Degree (often master's) | Saudi Cultural Mission verification, then apostille | 6–12 wks | Skipping the Cultural Mission step; it is the real gate and it is slow. Old guides still say embassy attestation, which is outdated. |
| Spain | Apostille | Criminal check, usually degree | Apostilled check plus a sworn (jurado) Spanish translation | 4–8 wks | A plain translation is rejected; it must be a sworn translation, which is a separate paid step. |
| Japan | Usually none | Degree (for the visa) | Criminal checks are case by case; the JET program is stricter | Varies | Paying for apostilles you do not need; most eikaiwa roles do not require them. |
| Vietnam | Apostille | Degree + mandatory police check | Apostille from your home authority, then a notarized Vietnamese translation | 3–6 wks | Guides written before September 2026 still describe embassy legalization. Vietnam joined the Apostille Convention on 11 September 2026, and its US embassy stopped legalizing documents that day. |
| Thailand | Legalization | Degree; police check | Home authentication, then Thai embassy legalization before you fly | 3–6 wks | Legalize the degree at the Thai embassy before leaving. Thailand joins the Apostille Convention on 28 February 2027, so this step changes after that date. |
| UAE / Dubai | Attestation | Degree (the critical one) | Home authentication, UAE embassy attestation, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs after arrival | 4–10 wks | Doing the chain out of order, or skipping the UAE-embassy step in your home country. |
| Latin America | Apostille | Degree, national criminal check | One apostille per document for Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Costa Rica | 3–6 wks | Chile and Peru want the visa started from outside the country, so the documents have to be ready before you fly. |
| Taiwan | TECO auth | Degree, often a criminal check | Authentication by a Taiwan (TECO/TECRO) office, not an apostille | 3–6 wks | Getting an apostille and assuming it works; Taiwan is outside the Convention and wants TECO authentication. |
Paperwork questions teachers ask first
What is an apostille and do I need one to teach abroad?
An apostille is a certificate that makes a public document from one country legally recognized in another, under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. If your destination is a member (South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Spain, most of Europe, the main Latin American markets, and Vietnam since 11 September 2026), a single apostille from your home authority validates your degree and criminal check. If it is not a member (the UAE, Taiwan, and Thailand until 28 February 2027), you cannot use an apostille and must go through that country's embassy legalization instead.
What documents do I need to teach English abroad?
Almost always three: your degree (where the visa requires one), a national-level criminal background check, and frequently your TEFL certificate. Depending on the country these need an apostille or embassy legalization, and sometimes a certified translation. A few countries also ask for a health check or copies of transcripts.
How much does it cost to get documents ready to teach abroad?
The documents themselves are inexpensive: a US FBI check is $18 and a US federal apostille is $20 a document; a UK apostille is around £35 to £45. The bigger, variable costs are expedited services, embassy legalization fees for non-apostille countries, and sworn or certified translations, which together can run to a few hundred dollars for a full set.
How long does the paperwork take?
Realistically four to ten weeks once you start, sometimes longer for embassy-attestation countries like the UAE or verification-heavy ones like Saudi Arabia. The documents are quick to request; the delay is in the apostille, legalization and translation queues. Start as soon as you decide on a country, well before you accept a job.
Does my criminal background check expire?
In practice yes. Many countries, including South Korea, require the check to be dated within six months of your application, and some measure that from the issue date rather than the apostille date. Time it so the check is fresh when you submit, not when you order it.
All 24 destinations at a glance
Every route on the Departure Board, in local currency and approximate US dollars. Rows for Japan (JET), South Korea (EPIK), France (TAPIF) and Spain (NALCAP) use each program's own published pay and were checked on 17 October 2026. Every other range is a market estimate from recruiter and job-listing data, last reviewed on 7 August 2026, and is not an official figure. Compare and filter them all on the interactive Where Should You Teach English? board.
| Destination | Region | Pay (USD) | In local currency | Savings / month | Requirements | Hiring window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAE / Dubai | Middle East | $2,450–4,100 tax free | AED 9,000–15,000/mo | $1,500–2,500/mo | Degree + license/experience | Year-round (tax free) |
| Hong Kong | Asia | $2,300–3,850 | HK$18,000–30,000/mo | Modest, high costs | Degree, often license | Hiring now |
| Qatar | Middle East | $2,200–3,570 tax free | QAR 8,000–13,000/mo | $1,200–1,800/mo | Degree + experience | Year-round (tax free) |
| China | Asia | $2,050–3,425 | RMB 15,000–25,000/mo | $600–1,500/mo | Required | Hiring now |
| Kuwait | Middle East | $2,100–3,250 tax free | KWD 650–1,000/mo | $1,000–1,800/mo | Degree + license | Year-round (tax free) |
| Saudi Arabia | Middle East | $2,130–3,200 tax free | SAR 8,000–12,000/mo | $1,200–2,000/mo | Degree, often license | Year-round (tax free) |
| Oman | Middle East | $1,820–3,120 tax free | OMR 700–1,200/mo | $1,000–1,800/mo | Degree required | Year-round (tax free) |
| Taiwan | Asia | $1,950–2,850 | NT$62,720–91,420/mo | $500–1,000/mo | Degree or teaching certificate | Rolling |
| Japan | Asia | ~$25,400/yr (official) | ¥4.02M/yr (JET year one) | $340–680/mo | Required | Open, US closes 13 Nov |
| South Korea | Asia | $1,650–2,100 (official) | 2.2–2.8M KRW/mo (EPIK) | $385–770/mo | Required | Open (Spring 2027) |
| Vietnam | Asia | $1,200–2,000 | $1,200–2,000/mo | 40–60% of pay | Degree + TEFL | Hiring now |
| Online | Online | $10–25+/hr | $10–25+/hr | Depends on your base | Not always required | Always open (no-degree route) |
| Czech Republic | Europe | $1,050–1,700 | CZK 25,000–40,000/mo | Lifestyle, modest | No degree needed | Aug–Sep intake (no-degree route) |
| Poland | Europe | $1,000–1,750 | PLN 4,000–7,000/mo | Modest | Degree usually | Aug–Sep intake |
| Cambodia | Asia | $1,000–1,500 | $1,000–1,500/mo | Good vs low costs | Not always required | Rolling (no-degree route) |
| Turkey | Europe | $800–1,500 | $800–1,500/mo | Modest | Degree + TEFL | Aug–Sep intake |
| Thailand | Asia | $700–1,550 | ฿25,000–55,000/mo | $300–600/mo | Usually required | Sep–Oct intake |
| Indonesia | Asia | $700–1,500 | $700–1,500/mo | Good vs low costs | Degree + TEFL | Rolling |
| Spain | Europe | $900–1,125 (official) | €800–1,000/mo (NALCAP) | Lifestyle, not saving | Degree, or 2nd-year student | Closed, no date set |
| France | Europe | ~$1,137 gross (official) | €1,010.67/mo gross (TAPIF) | Lifestyle, not saving | 3 years of college, B1 French | Open to 15 Feb 2027 |
| Colombia | Latin America | $700–1,000 | $700–1,000/mo | Modest, low cost of living | Degree + TEFL | Rolling |
| Georgia | Europe | $600–1,000 | $600–1,000/mo | Modest | No degree needed | Rolling (no-degree route) |
| Mexico | Latin America | $600–1,000 | $600–1,000/mo | Lifestyle, low cost | No degree needed | Rolling (no-degree route) |
| Chile | Latin America | $600–1,000 | $600–1,000/mo | Lifestyle | Degree or TEFL | Feb–Mar intake |
More standing desks
The Visa Desk
The exact work visa each country needs, linked to the official source.
The Pay Desk
What every destination pays, local and USD, with official scales marked.
The Online Desk
Plan what you could earn teaching English online.
Where should you teach?
Compare every destination on the board.
Get the one document every country asks for
An accredited TEFL certificate is the first item on every checklist above. Get qualified, then let the Departure Board bring you each new opening and deadline before anyone else.