Legalization of Documents for the UAE

The UAE government requires that foreign and domestic documents be legally recognized through a layered process of certification and validation. On average, over 1 million documents are attested annually in the UAE for use both locally and internationally. This includes certificate attestation in Dubai, notarization of documents in Dubai, and consular legalization processes. Whether you’re seeking certificate attestation for UAE employment or processing apostille documents in the UAE for outbound use, understanding this complex landscape is essential.

MoFA attestation refers to the final verification step carried out by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). It confirms that a document has already been authenticated by the relevant government authorities and is therefore recognized as valid within the UAE.

This attestation is compulsory for:

• Employment and work visa processing
• Sponsorship applications
• Property transactions
• Company setup and licensing
• Academic recognition

Before the UAE certificate attestation reaches MoFA, it must go through several stages: notarization in Dubai, embassy attestation, and certification by local authorities in the document’s country of origin. Without this chain of approvals, the UAE government will not recognize the document for official purposes.

MoFA attestation offers several significant benefits that ensure full legal compliance and validation:

Obtaining MoFA attestation in the UAE helps prevent potential legal complications, such as visa rejections or business licence denials due to insufficient documentation.

Before proceeding to the attestation of certificates in Dubai, it’s important to understand which types of documents fall under this requirement. Notarization serves as a pre-attestation step to verify the legitimacy of signatures, seals, and content.

These documents are typically required for immigration, marriage, or dependent visa applications:

• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Divorce decrees
• Medical reports
• Police clearance certificates
• Power of attorney

For employment, study, or professional licensing purposes in the UAE, certificate attestation for UAE recognition is needed for:

• Degree certificates
• Diplomas
• School transcripts
• Professional training certificates

Businesses must go through document notarization in Dubai and further legalization for various corporate documents:

• Memorandum of Association
• Board resolutions
• UAE Trade licences
• Company registration papers
• Invoices and contracts

Each category may require certified translation (Arabic, English) depending on the issuing country and the intended purpose in the UAE.

When UAE-originated documents are meant to be used in a foreign country, the process of legalization is reversed. This is commonly required for:

• International study or employment
• Overseas property acquisition
• Foreign business registration
• In case of document attestation for Dubai freezone company setup or offshore company formation

The legalization process typically includes:

• Notarization of documents in Dubai
• Attestation from the UAE Ministry of Justice
• Endorsement from the UAE MoFA
• Legalization by the Foreign Embassy in the UAE

Legalization of documents at the consulate of another country located in the UAE ensures your documents are accepted by the target country’s authorities and institutions. For countries that are parties to the Hague Convention 1961, consular legalization can be replaced by apostille of documents (the United Arab Emirates is not yet party to this Convention).
Please note that it may take additional attestation with the Foreign Office or analogous agency of the destination country, before your document has full legal effect there. The exact rules will depend on the particular country in question, and our dedicated professionals will be ready to specify them for you.

For foreign-issued documents intended for use inside the UAE, the process is more extensive:

• Notarization in the issuing country
• Attestation by that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Embassy attestation at the UAE consulate
• Final MoFA attestation in the UAE

Naturally, there may be some local variation and qualification to each of these stages. For instance, if you need to legalize for the UAE a document issued in the UK, it is not necessary to have it certified by a notary public: a solicitor’s certification would be just as fine for this purpose. In Hong Kong, some documents are to be certified by a notary, while others must be certified with government agencies.

Whether you’re handling certificates attestation for the UAE related to education or company formation, this multi-stage process must be completed before the document is accepted locally.

The notarization of documents in Dubai follows a clear but strictly regulated process. Whether you’re applying for certificate attestation services in Dubai or legalizing a contract for business, here are the general steps:

This step is mandatory before proceeding to any form of certificate attestation services in the UAE.

Navigating UAE certificate attestation in Dubai can be time-consuming and error-prone if done independently. That’s where we come in. As a trusted certificate attestation agency in Dubai, we simplify the entire process with speed, accuracy, and transparency.
Why clients choose our services:

We work closely with government entities, notaries, and embassies to ensure your notarized documents in Dubai are processed swiftly and in compliance with UAE law.