Short answer: A Family Relationship Certificate (FRC) is an official document proving how family members are related to each other — commonly needed by Indians in Korea for , dependent visas, and similar submissions. There are two main ways to get one: (1) through the Indian Embassy in Seoul via its consular service partner, DU Digital ICAC, or (2) through your home state’s revenue department in India, issued by a Tahsildar or equivalent local officer, sometimes available online. Whichever method you use, the certificate must be apostilled afterward before Korean institutions like NHIS will accept it.

Method 1 — Through the Indian Embassy in Seoul (DU Digital ICAC)

Since June 2025, consular services for Indians in South Korea — including family relationship certificates — are handled through the India Consular Application Centre (ICAC), operated by DU Digital Global, on behalf of the Indian Embassy in Seoul.

Step by step

  1. Register an account on the DU Digital ICAC portal for South Korea.
  2. Check the current requirements before you start. Document checklists can change, so confirm the latest list on the ICAC website or by contacting them directly before you gather documents.
  3. Fill out the government application form for the Family Relationship Certificate service and submit it online.
  4. Book an appointment for your visit to the ICAC in Seoul.
  5. Gather your documents. In general, you’ll need:
    • All family members’ original passports, plus copies of the first, second, and last pages (the spouse’s/family member’s name must appear on the passport where relevant)
    • Original and copy of your Alien Registration Card (ARC)
    • Original and copy of your marriage certificate (an apostilled marriage certificate is required if the spouse’s name isn’t already shown correctly on supporting documents)
    • Children’s birth certificates — original or apostilled version
  6. Attend your appointment in person (mandatory personal attendance — no third-party submissions, except in permitted cases like minors or medical necessity) and pay the applicable fee at the centre.
  7. The certificate is signed by an Indian consular officer at the embassy as part of this process.
  8. Collection: you can typically collect the finished certificate after 2–3 business days, or arrange postal delivery instead of a second in-person visit.

Method 2 — Through your home state’s Revenue Department in India

Alternatively, a Family Member Certificate (FMC) can be issued locally in India by the Tahsildar or Mandal Revenue Officer (or equivalent local revenue authority) with jurisdiction over your family’s registered address. Some states now offer this as an online application, so a family member in India may not need to visit the office in person.

Example — Andhra Pradesh: Andhra Pradesh residents can apply for a Family Member Certificate through the state’s citizen services portal (apseva.ap.gov.in), under Revenue Department services. This route is useful when family members are already in India and can apply directly, rather than routing everything through the embassy in Korea.

Case study — reinstating lapsed NHIS coverage with a state-issued FRC

One of our clients had family members who had stayed in India for an extended period, which caused their Korean NHIS dependent coverage to lapse. To reinstate it, they:

  1. Applied for a fresh Family Member Certificate through their home state’s revenue department portal (Andhra Pradesh, via the state’s online citizen services system).
  2. Had the newly issued certificate apostilled by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
  3. Had it delivered to South Korea.
  4. Submitted it to their local NHIS branch — the certificate was accepted, and their dependent coverage was reinstated.

This is a real example of the state-issued route working end-to-end for an NHIS case, and it shows why the certificate needs to be freshly issued and freshly apostilled — not an old copy — when you’re using it to fix a lapsed registration. See our guide for more on this.

The step that applies to both methods: apostille is mandatory

Whether you get your Family Relationship Certificate through the Indian Embassy/DU Digital ICAC in Seoul or through your home state’s revenue department in India, the certificate needs to be apostilled by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) before it’s valid for use in Korea — see our guide. This applies every time you get a new version of the certificate — an old apostille on an old certificate won’t cover a freshly issued one.

We handle the apostille for you

We apostille Family Relationship Certificates and marriage certificates remotely from a scan and courier the original to South Korea. Message us on and we’ll confirm the route, price, and ETA.

FAQ

Do I need to go through the Indian Embassy, or can I get an FRC directly from India? Both are valid — the embassy/DU Digital ICAC route is convenient if you’re already in Korea, while applying through your home state’s revenue department in India can be faster if family members there can apply on your behalf.

Is the Family Relationship Certificate the same everywhere in India? No — it’s issued by each state’s own revenue authority, commonly the Tahsildar or Mandal Revenue Officer, so the exact process, portal, and turnaround time vary by state.

Do I still need an apostille if the certificate was signed by an Indian consular officer in Seoul? Yes. Signature by a consular officer doesn’t replace the apostille requirement — the certificate still needs MEA apostille to be accepted by Korean institutions like NHIS.

How long does it take to get an FRC through the Indian Embassy in Seoul? Typically around 2–3 business days after your appointment and submission, with postal delivery available as an alternative to a second in-person visit.

My family’s NHIS coverage lapsed after a long stay in India — will an old Family Relationship Certificate work to reinstate it? Generally no — NHIS will usually want a freshly issued certificate with a fresh apostille. See our guide for this specific scenario.

Next steps with VerifiedApostille

Prefer to have someone else handle the apostille end to end? Start a chat from — we’ll share a written route, all-inclusive quote, and ETA to South Korea.