If you hold Korean nationality and live within reach of Los Angeles, this is the office your paperwork goes through. Consular work is unglamorous and exacting, and knowing what this post does before you turn up saves the wasted morning that catches most people out.
The contact details, the services usually available and the appointment process are set out below, along with the things worth knowing before you make the trip into Los Angeles.
📞 Quick Contact
- Address: 3243 Wilshire BLVD, Los Angeles
- Phone: (213) 385-9300
- Official website: https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-losangeles-ko/brd/m_4355/list.do
- Type of office: Consulate General
🛂 Services normally available
Korean consular offices generally handle the following, though not every post offers every service:
- Civil status: the paperwork that keeps two legal systems in agreement about who you are and who your family is.
- Powers of attorney: authorising someone to act for you back in South Korea — selling property, dealing with a bank, handling an estate.
- Passports: applications and renewals for Korean nationals, with personal attendance required because of the biometric data.
- Documents: legalisation and certification. Ask the office that will receive the paper which certification it accepts before paying for any of it.
📅 Before you book
Assume you need one. The exceptions are rare and tend to exist for emergencies rather than for convenience.
Check the official site for how this post takes bookings — online system, email or telephone all exist across the network. Whatever the method, it is free.
Ask about payment when you book. Cash or a money order for the exact amount is common across consular networks, and cards are the exception rather than the rule.
🤝 Worth knowing before you go
Jurisdiction decides everything and distance decides nothing. A file submitted to the wrong post is returned, however close that post happens to be.
Check that names and dates match across every document you bring. Mismatches stop files more often than missing papers do.
Public holidays close the office twice over: the American ones and those of South Korea. Check both calendars before travelling.
Common questions before you go
Which source wins if there is a contradiction?
The office’s own, at overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-losangeles-ko/brd/m_4355/list.do. No directory, this one included, replaces the official source.
Is it worth calling ahead?
Yes, and it saves wasted journeys. Call (213) 385-9300 and ask what they need and how they take payment — cards are the exception rather than the rule.
What if I lose my passport days before a flight?
That does not go through the ordinary appointment queue. Call and say it is an emergency: for imminent travel most networks issue a travel document valid for a single journey.
How do I find the office once I get there?
It is at 3243 Wilshire BLVD in Los Angeles. Allow extra time if you are arriving by public transport, because queues tend to form before opening.
Does this office handle passports?
It usually does, by appointment and with personal attendance for biometrics. Ask whether the booklet is collected at the counter or posted out.