United Kingdom (UK)
United States (US)
Canada
South Africa
India
Australia
New Zealand
China
Russia
Germany
France
Spain
Netherlands
Vietnam
United Arab Emirates
Italy
Poland
Thailand
Türkiye
Algeria
The Paperwork Desk: every document you need to teach abroad
Apostilles, police certificates, degree rules and medical checks for the eight destinations on our board, each traced to the government or programme page that owns the requirement. Costs and waiting times for your UK and Irish documents sit up top, so you can sequence the whole file before a deadline catches you out.
The Paperwork Desk
Your documents from home, priced and timed
Every teaching file starts with the same two documents, a police certificate and an apostille. Here is what they cost, how long they take and where they come from, before a single visa form is opened.
Checked 7 August 2026
Destination by destination
What each country wants in the envelope
The core documents, the freshness deadlines and the official page that owns each rule. Apostille, legalisation and attestation labels are checked against the convention status table.
- Apostilled national police check, dated within 6 months of contract start
- Apostilled degree plus sealed university transcripts
- Two original signed reference letters, dated within 2 years
- UK and Australian passports also need an apostilled birth certificate
- A TEFL of at least 100 real time hours counts as Level 2 proof
- Degree in hand by the designated arrival date
- Passport, one photograph and the visa application form
- Certificate of Eligibility obtained by your sponsor in Japan
- JET lists no police or medical certificate on its eligibility page
- Degree plus a PGDE majoring in English, and a TEFL at certificate level
- Evidence of no criminal convictions from every country you have lived in
- Non local qualifications go through HKCAAVQ assessment, not an apostille
- Your employer files the contract and company papers with Immigration
- Nationwide police clearance issued within 6 months
- Degree, plus a TESOL, TEFL or CELTA of at least 120 hours
- No more than two thirds of the course by distance learning
- Documents authenticated by Taiwan missions, NT$400 in 2 working days
- Consular legalisation today, apostille accepted from 11 September 2026
- Health certificate issued within 12 months
- Criminal record certificate issued within 6 months
- Degree plus 3 years of relevant experience for the expert route
- Two colour photos, 4 by 6 cm, and a notarised passport copy
- Thai translations notarised by your own embassy or a notary organ
- Degree and teaching certificates, plus the school approval letters
- Teachers’ Council of Thailand letter for academic schools
- Medical certificate issued within 1 month, photos within 6 months
- Criminal record from every country of the past 5 years, apostilled, with sworn Spanish translation
- That certificate must be issued within 6 months of your application
- Medical certificate on the international health regulations wording
- Two photos, a passport with a year of validity, and your Nombramiento letter
- TAPIF asks for three years of higher education and B1 French, with no police or medical list
- The salaried route runs on a contract approved by the labour authority
- Validate the long stay visa online within 3 months of arrival
- Residence permit fees are €19 for assistants and €269 for employed workers
Quick answers
Paperwork questions we hear most
What is an apostille?
A single stamp issued under the 1961 Hague Convention that makes a public document, such as a degree or a police certificate, valid in another member country without further embassy steps. 130 countries take part. In the UK it comes from the FCDO Legalisation Office at £45 on paper, or £35 as an e-Apostille where the destination accepts one.
How long does a UK police certificate take?
ACRO issues the standard certificate for £65 within 20 days, or £115 within 2 days on the expedited service. Time it carefully, because Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Spain all want the certificate issued within 6 months of your application or contract date.
Does my degree need an apostille to teach in Korea?
Yes, for EPIK the degree is apostilled and travels with sealed university transcripts, and the police check is apostilled too and dated within 6 months of contract start. UK and Australian applicants add an apostilled birth certificate.
Which countries do not accept an apostille?
The UAE runs on attestation through its foreign ministry, and Taiwan authenticates documents through its own missions. Vietnam accepts apostilles from 11 September 2026 and Thailand from 28 February 2027, so until then both still need the older legalisation chain.
Rules and fees change without notice. Every claim on this desk links to the official page it came from, and we correct this page in place between editions. Confirm with the embassy or programme before you pay for anything.
Checked at the source, corrected in place
Every requirement on this page links to the government or programme page that owns it, with the date we last checked. When a fee or a rule moves, we correct the desk and say so. That is the standard our Editorial Charter holds every desk to.
