The Incheon Overseas Chinese Association announced that fees related to passport issuance and document certification are to be adjusted upward. The association issued the notice in advance form so members would know before the change takes effect.

What changes

Services handled at the association counter include new passport issuance and renewal, overseas national registration, issuance of various certificates and document authentication. Items to which fees apply are subject to the adjustment.

The specific increase and effective date should be confirmed through the association's notice. Adjustments of this kind usually follow a change in fee schedules set by a higher authority, with the association counter applying that schedule.

Worth checking first

Where a passport expires within roughly six months, applying before the effective date may allow the existing fee to apply. Whether the cutoff runs on the submission date or the issuance date varies by notice, so confirming at the counter is advisable.

With the start of term bringing a rush of certification requests for study and employment documents, sorting out document types and copy counts beforehand and processing them together is more efficient in both cost and time.

The association has advised phoning ahead before visiting. Office hours and any temporary closures are announced separately in its notices.