Document attestation for the UAE: how it works and what it costs

If a document was issued outside the UAE and a UAE authority needs to rely on it, it has to be attested. That means a stamp from the foreign ministry of the country that issued it, then from the UAE embassy or consulate in that country, then from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). An apostille on its own will not do, because the UAE has not joined the Apostille Convention.

Attestation confirms that the signature and seal on a document are genuine. It does not check what the document says, and it is not the same as having a degree recognised. This guide covers which documents need it, the order of the steps, translation, what MOFA charges as of October 2026 and where files usually stall.

Which documents need attesting?

Most people meet attestation in one of these situations:

MOFA sorts these documents into personal and commercial classes, and the class decides the fee. Personal documents include degrees, transcripts, birth and marriage certificates, good conduct certificates and personal powers of attorney. Commercial documents include commercial registrations, memorandums of association, board resolutions, financial statements and commercial powers of attorney.

If you are bringing your family, our guide to the family visa lists the certificates each person needs, and the Golden Visa for skilled professionals depends on an attested degree. For a branch or subsidiary of a foreign company, see choosing a legal form in Dubai before you order documents from head office, because the structure decides which ones you need.

The attestation chain for documents issued abroad

MOFA's rule for foreign documents has three official stages, and many countries add a local step before the first one.

1. Local verification, where your country requires it. Some foreign ministries will only stamp a document after a notary, the issuing body or a regional authority has verified it.
2. The issuing country's foreign ministry. It confirms the signature and seal of the official who verified the document before it.
3. The UAE embassy or consulate in the issuing country. You apply through MOFA's online channels where the mission offers that, or in person. Each mission sets its own procedure and hours, so check its page on MOFA's website.
4. MOFA in the UAE. You apply on MOFA's website or the UAE MOFA app with UAE Pass, and a courier collects the original from you. MOFA's own customer centres are closed, so this stage is online only.
5. Legal translation, if the receiving authority needs it. See the section on translation below.

Steps 1 to 3 have to happen in the country that issued the document, and that is the part people underestimate. Do them before you move. Once you are in Dubai, you depend on a relative or an agent at home and on the embassy's appointment system. MOFA lets anyone submit on your behalf, but the original still has to pass through every stage in order.

Does an apostille work for the UAE?

No. The Hague Conference's status table for the Apostille Convention, last updated on 30 June 2026, lists 130 contracting parties, and the UAE is not one of them. Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are, which is why people assume the whole region has moved to apostilles. The UAE still uses the embassy chain above.

If your country issues apostilles, ask the UAE embassy there what it expects to see before it adds its own stamp. Do not assume an apostille replaces any step in the chain.

Translation into Arabic

MOFA accepts documents in Arabic or English, or with an official translation. Arabic is the UAE's official language, though, and some authorities ask for an Arabic version even of English documents. GDRFA Dubai, for example, lists a marriage certificate translated into Arabic for some family files.

Use a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice, and have the attested document translated, not the bare original, so the stamps are covered too. Ask the receiving authority whether it needs a translation before you pay for one: a visa file, a court case and a company registration can each have different requirements.

Sending UAE documents abroad

The process runs the other way for documents issued in the UAE, such as a birth certificate for a child born here or a UAE degree you need at home.

• Digital documents. MOFA attests certain UAE-issued certificates digitally only: birth and death certificates, police clearance certificates, educational certificates, medical reports and marriage certificates. You upload the original digital document, which must carry a QR code or another verification feature, and MOFA completes digital attestation within two hours during working hours.
• Paper documents. These are attested first by the UAE body that issued them, for example the Ministry of Health and Prevention or the local health authority for a birth certificate, then by MOFA through a courier.
• The destination country. For some countries, MOFA's application can include the UAE embassy's stamp in the destination country. Otherwise, the destination country's own embassy in the UAE may need to legalise the document as a separate step.

What it costs and how long it takes

MOFA's attestation fees, as of October 2026:

• AED 150 for each personal document
• AED 2,000 for each commercial document

A degree certificate and its transcript count as two documents, and MOFA says commercial contracts may count as several, depending on their content. Courier charges are separate, and so are the fees charged in the issuing country and by the UAE embassy there, which you should check on the embassy's website.

On timing, MOFA's courier route takes one to three business days inside the UAE, and digital attestation is completed within two hours during working hours. The stages abroad are usually the slow part, and they are the part you cannot speed up from Dubai.

Say you are bringing your wife and two children to Dubai, and all three certificates were issued abroad. That is three personal documents, so AED 450 in MOFA fees, plus the home-country and embassy charges, couriers and any translation. If one certificate spells a name differently from the passport, it may need correcting at the issuing body and going through the chain again.

Common mistakes

• Laminated documents. MOFA rejects them. Never laminate a certificate you may one day need attested.
• A missing earlier stamp. MOFA requires each document to carry the attestations of the relevant authorities before you submit it, and files with missing attestations are rejected.
• Wrong choices on the online form. The issuing authority, document type and destination country must match the document. A wrong choice gets the application rejected, and rejected applications cannot be amended, only submitted again.
• Relying on an apostille. It is not accepted in place of the embassy chain.
• Starting after the move. The stages in your home country are far harder to arrange from abroad.
• Names that do not match. Check that the spelling on every certificate matches the passport before you begin.

If you are not sure which documents your file needs, or in what order, book a free consultation. Our PRO services team handles MOFA attestation and legal translation in the UAE and can coordinate the steps in your home country. For the other counters involved in UAE paperwork, see our guide to Amer, Tasheel and typing centres.

Sources

• UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Documents attestation service
• UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Attestation FAQs
• UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Attestations fees guide
• Hague Conference on Private International Law: Apostille Convention status table
• UAE Ministry of Justice: Registration of legal translators
• UAE Government portal: Recognition of qualifications obtained abroad