Key Summary
- DocumentsHome country family relationship documents, certification, and Korean translation are all required.
- TargetSpouses and children under the age of 19 must report immediately, and parents, etc., must report after six months of residence in the country.
- DeadlineWe recommend reporting within 90 days from the date of acquisition of employee subscriber status.
- CoreThe key to schedule management is to start with information on documents by nationality immediately after hiring.
There are frequently asked questions. “A foreign employee requests to list a family member as a dependent. What should the company prepare?”
There are not many documents for the company to prepare directly. The problem is the family relationship documents that the employee must obtain from his or her home country. The document name and authentication method are different in each country, and if authentication or Korean translation is missing, the corporation will not accept it. If employees do not know the procedures and the company does not know the differences between countries, reporting is delayed as documents are transferred back and forth several times.
Let’s look at the order in which you should check when and what to check from the perspective of a human resources manager.
Human Resources Manager Checklist
| Step | Check | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Target family | Is it a spouse, a child under the age of 19, a parent, etc. | Immediately after recruitment |
| 2. Residency requirements | Parents, etc. report after living in the country for 6 months | Record of family entry date |
| 3. Home country documents | Information on document names and authentication methods by nationality | Immediately before and after joining the company |
| 4. Korean translation | Translation notarization or administrative translation and translation confirmation certificate | After documents arrive |
| 5. Report | Report of acquisition of dependent qualification (EDI, fax, visit) | Recommended within 90 days from the date of qualification acquisition |
Reporting of employed subscribers and reporting of dependents are separate.
Just like domestic employees, the company must report the acquisition of employee subscriber status within 14 days from the date of hiring. Dependents are reported separately.
It is being advised that if you report as a dependent within 90 days from the date of obtaining qualifications as an employee subscriber, you can be recognized retroactively to that date. After 90 days, it will be recognized from the date of reporting. Since there are many cases where the deadline is missed while waiting for documents from your home country, it is recommended to start requesting family documents as soon as your employment is confirmed.
6 month requirement applies differently for each family
From April 3, 2024, foreigners and overseas Koreans must reside in Korea for more than 6 months to become dependents. Spouses and children under the age of 19 (including spouse's children) are an exception, so they can report immediately after entering the country. If you are an employee bringing your parents, you can record the date of entry and report it after 6 months. There are exceptions depending on residency status, so if in doubt, check with the corporation in advance.
Documents and authentication methods are different depending on nationality
Chinese employees often receive a Chinese Apostille on a notary certificate of kinship obtained from a notary public office. Vietnam will become a contracting state starting September 11, 2026 and will receive an Apostille on birth certificates or marriage certificates. In the Philippines, birth and marriage certificates issued by PSA receive an Apostille. Countries that have not signed up, such as Nepal, Cambodia, and Myanmar, receive confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of their home country or from the Korean embassy in that country based on information provided by the Corporation.
A Korean translation must be added here. Submit either a Korean translation notarized by a notary public, or a translation by a foreign language translation administrator and a translation confirmation certificate. There is guidance from the regional headquarters that foreign documents are valid for about 9 months from the date of certification, so you should check that the documents you have received in advance are not too old.
To be included in notices sent to employees
The biggest reason why documents are sent back and forth multiple times is because employees do not know exactly what to request from their families in their home country. It is a good idea to include five things in your notice. This is the name of the document as it is called in your home country, the issuing organization, the certification you need to receive (Apostille or Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmation), the English spelling of your name as on your alien registration card, and when you must arrive in Korea.
The spelling of your name is especially important. Even if the romanization on your home country documents and the alien registration card are different by just one letter, you may be asked for additional documents to verify that you are the same person. The best way to prevent this is to ask for your spelling to be correct before receiving the document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Does the company have to report dependents?
Both the employee and the company can do this. If there are many foreign employees, there are fewer omissions if the company collects documents and processes them through EDI.
Q. By when do I have to report dependents?
It is being advised that if you report within 90 days from the date you became an employee subscriber, you can be recognized retroactively to that date. If you think your documents will be delayed in your home country, request them immediately after your employment is confirmed.
Q. Can I receive my parents’ documents before entering the country?
You can prepare in advance, but there is guidance that foreign documents are considered valid for about 9 months from the date of certification. Please time your issuance so that you still have time left to meet the six-month residency requirement.
Q. Can I process documents for multiple employees at once?
You can reduce requests for supplementation by collecting documents by nationality, matching the English spelling of your name with your alien registration card, and translating it all at once.
Conclusion
Registration of dependents of foreign employees' families depends on how quickly and accurately authenticated the home country documents are received. Employee inquiries will be greatly reduced by taking care of just three things immediately after hiring: providing documentation by nationality, managing parents' 6-month requirements, and confirming the 90-day reporting deadline.
Nanum Global collects family relations documents of employees of various nationalities and translates them into Korean, issues translation confirmation certificates, and notarizes the translations all at once. If you let us know the nationality of the employee and the target family, we will organize the documents to be delivered to the employee by nationality.
Do you need documentation for foreign employee family dependents?
If you let us know the nationality of the employee and the target family, we will provide document guidance by nationality and organize the Korean translation and certification schedule.
