Affidavit of Support in Dubai and the UAE

What an affidavit of support is, and who asks for it

An affidavit of support is a document in which a sponsor, meaning the person providing financial backing, declares in writing and under oath that they will cover the costs of another person, called the applicant, for a defined purpose and period. Embassies, consulates and immigration offices ask for it when an applicant cannot show enough independent income or savings of their own to satisfy a visa or entry requirement, and a sponsor is stepping in to back them.

Which authority executes the document depends on the destination. Some consulates require their own version, sworn at their embassy rather than at a UAE notary; a common example is a Philippine sponsorship affidavit for a visa application, which is executed at the Philippine Embassy or Consulate. Always check the receiving authority’s own instructions before assuming a UAE notary can complete it, because a private notary cannot issue a document that only your own embassy is authorised to take.

Documents usually needed

The exact list depends on the destination and the sponsor’s situation, but most affidavit of support applications ask the sponsor to bring:

• Passport and, for UAE residents, Emirates ID
• Salary certificate or proof of income
• Recent bank statements
• Tenancy contract or proof of accommodation, if the applicant will be staying with the sponsor
• The applicant’s passport copy and details of their relationship to the sponsor

Affidavit of support in Dubai

If your affidavit of support is one that a UAE notary can execute, the process runs like any other affidavit: we prepare the wording, arrange a legal translation if a bilingual version is needed, and our in-house notary public notarises it. The sponsor signs before the notary, who checks their ID and witnesses the signature. If your affidavit of support needs to travel further, for example to an embassy or a foreign authority, it then goes through MOFAIC attestation. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so this attestation chain, and not an apostille stamp, is the route a foreign authority expects to see on a UAE-issued document.

Affidavit of support in Abu Dhabi

The same principle applies in Abu Dhabi: where the destination accepts a UAE-notarised affidavit of support, it is prepared and signed before a notary public in the same way, then attested through MOFAIC if it needs to be used outside the UAE. Where your destination instead requires an embassy-issued sponsorship affidavit, that has to be arranged directly with your embassy or consulate, regardless of which emirate you are based in. See our page on notary services in Abu Dhabi for the notarisation side of the process.

Sample layout and what the sponsor declares

An affidavit of support typically sets out:

• The sponsor’s full details: name, nationality, address and relationship to the applicant.
• The applicant’s full details and the purpose of the trip or application.
• A statement of the sponsor’s financial capacity to support the applicant, referencing the salary certificate and bank statements attached.
• The intended duration of the support, matching the applicant’s expected stay.
• The sponsor’s signature, witnessed by the notary public.

Because the exact wording and required attachments vary by destination and consulate, we draft the affidavit to match the specific format the receiving authority has requested rather than a generic template.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a UAE notary can execute any affidavit of support. For some destinations, only your own embassy or consulate can issue the correct document, and a UAE notary is the wrong route entirely.
• Bringing a bank statement or salary certificate that is out of date. Most receiving authorities expect recent documents, so check the age limit before your appointment.
• Leaving out the applicant’s relationship to the sponsor, which most receiving authorities need stated clearly and consistently with other documents in the file.
• Skipping the MOFAIC attestation step when the affidavit is going to be used outside the UAE, then finding it is not accepted on arrival.
• Assuming an apostille is available. It is not, because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention.

Get help with your affidavit of support

Call or WhatsApp us on +971 54 380 1094, or email support@notaryservicesdubai.com and tell us which country the affidavit of support in Dubai or Abu Dhabi is going to, so we can confirm whether a UAE notary can execute it or whether your embassy needs to. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.