Legalization of Documents Issued in the United Kingdom for Use in the UAE

Legalization of documents issued outside the UAE and to be use within the UAE normally includes the following steps:

In the country of origin of the document

1. Certification of a copy of the document by a notary / Issue of an original document by a government authority.
2. Certification / notarization of a translation into English or Arabic, if the document is executed in any other language.
3. Attestation in the relevant ministry / ministries.
4. Legalization at the UAE Embassy

In the UAE

5. Legalization in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UAE MFA certifies the seal of its foreign diplomatic mission.

Attestation of a document by the UAE MFA is usually the final step in the authentication process. The MFA checks the document for all previous certification / legalization stamps. Having satisfied itself that they are valid, the MFA makes its attestation, and only then is the document deemed to have legal effect in the UAE.

Notes: A document may sometimes have to undergo a couple of further steps depending on its proposed use in the UAE. If the document is required to be submitted to the UAE court or to another Ministry, such authorities are likely to demand an Arabic translation of the document as Arabic is the official language of the UAE. In such cases, it would be necessary to instruct a certified legal translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice to translate the document into Arabic and then submit the translation and the original document to the UAE Ministry of Justice which will certify the Arabic translation.  If, however, the document is required by a free zone authority, these additional steps will usually not be necessary as English is accepted by most free zone authorities in the UAE.

Legalization Procedure

1. A UK solicitor or notary public certifies a copy of the document. Only documents issued by official registrars are accepted in original (for example, by the Registrar of Companies – for legal entities).
2. The document is attested by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO).
3. A document issued in any of the British Overseas Territories (Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Falkland Islands, etc.) must be certified / apostilled by the government of the relevant territory before submission to the FCO.
4. A document issued in any of the British Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man) must be attested by its own Foreign Office only.
5. The document is legalized by the UAE Embassy in London.

• A power of attorney or similar legal documents must be original and signed in the presence of a UK notary public before submission to the FCO.
• Documents in a bundle are not Each document must be certified or legalized separately.
• Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&AA) must be attested separately.

Legalization Period

3-4 working days