We’re seeing an unusually large number of documents to be notarised and legalised for use in South Korea at present, predominately as a result of the problems facing Hanjin Shipping. This blog is just a short description of the paperwork that our clients are encountering whilst preparing themselves for litigation in South Korea, and gives an idea of the timescales involved.
Once a representative law-firm has been appointed and it seems that proceedings are likely in court it will be necessary to draft and execute a power of attorney appointing lawyers in Korea to represent the grantor in all proceedings before the Korean courts. This power of attorney will also need to be notarised and then apostilled by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office – you can find full details for the procedure to legalise documents for South Korea in our legalisation guide.
In addition to the power of attorney, the grantor company will have to also sign a ‘certificate of corporate nationality’. This is just a short written statement concerning the name of the company, the identity of the signatory, and the registered address and country of its incorporation or registration. This document will also need to be notarised and apostilled and should be done at the same time as the power of attorney.
Once you’ve appointed lawyers to represent you in Korea, you’ll probably find that there are other documents that need notarising/legalising, too. These can include affidavits or witness statements to support litigation claims or substantiate grounds for the arrest of a vessel.
Vanner Perez Notaries are able to see clients at very short notice and expedite the notarisation and legalisation of these documents within twenty-four hours or less. Please contact us for more details.