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 legalisation: 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 legalisation, and the real time and money it takes, straight from the issuing offices.
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 and most of Europe), a single apostille from your home authority is enough. If it is not (Vietnam, Thailand, the UAE, Taiwan), you need the longer chain of consular legalisation 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 7 August 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)
approx £55–95The ACRO Police Certificate is the UK equivalent. Standard service takes around 10 working days, premium around 2. Confirm the current fee at the source before you rely on it. 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 legalisation
embassy feeFor countries outside the Apostille Convention, an apostille is not accepted. Instead your documents are legalised 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 legalisation, 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 notarised 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 programme is stricter | Varies | Paying for apostilles you do not need; most eikaiwa roles do not require them. |
| Vietnam | Legalisation | Degree + mandatory police check | Vietnamese embassy legalisation, then translation, then a step inside Vietnam | 4–8 wks | Some steps can only be finished after you arrive in Vietnam; the police check must be recent. |
| Thailand | Legalisation | Degree; police check | Home authentication, then Thai embassy legalisation before you fly | 3–6 wks | Legalise the degree at the Thai embassy before leaving; doing it after arrival is far harder. |
| UAE / Dubai | Attestation | Degree (the critical one) | Home authentication, UAE embassy attestation, then MOFAIC after arrival | 4–10 wks | Doing the chain out of order, or skipping the UAE-embassy step in your home country. |
| 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 recognised in another, under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. If your destination is a member (South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Spain and most of Europe), a single apostille from your home authority validates your degree and criminal check. If it is not a member (Vietnam, Thailand, the UAE, Taiwan), you cannot use an apostille and must go through that country's embassy legalisation 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 legalisation, 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 legalisation 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, legalisation 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.
More standing desks
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Get the one document every country asks for
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