How to notarise a document in Dubai, step by step

Step by step: how to notarise a document in Dubai

1. Draft or finalise the document. The wording has to be complete before you arrive. A notary will not fill in blanks or accept a document that still has terms to be agreed.
2. Choose where to notarise it. Dubai Courts runs the government notary public service. Dubai also has licensed private notaries, who are lawyers authorised by Dubai Courts to carry out the same notarial acts. See our guide to notary public services in Dubai and private notary services in Dubai for how the two differ.
3. Translate it if needed. Notarial instruments in the UAE are generally handled in Arabic, with bilingual Arabic-English drafting common in practice. If translation is required, it has to be done by a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice, not a general translation service.
4. Book your appointment. Government and private notary offices, and the Ministry of Justice E-Notary system, work by appointment. Walk-ins are not something we can promise.
5. Bring your identification and the original document. You will need your passport, and your Emirates ID if you are a resident. Bring the original, not a photocopy or a screenshot.
6. Attend, in person or by video where allowed. The notary checks that you are who you say you are, that you understand what you are signing, and that you are signing freely. This is the core of notarisation: it certifies the signature and the signatory’s identity and free will, not the truth of the document’s contents.
7. Sign in front of the notary. Do not sign beforehand. The notary needs to witness the act of signing, which is what the notarial certificate confirms.
8. Receive the notarised document. It will carry the notary’s stamp, signature and a notarial reference. Keep the original safe and ask for extra certified copies at the same visit if you expect to need more than one.
9. Attest it if it is going abroad. A notarised document is a UAE instrument. If a foreign authority needs to recognise it, it usually needs MOFAIC attestation in the UAE, then legalisation at the destination country’s embassy or consulate. See documents attestation in Dubai for the full chain.

Choosing the route: Dubai Courts, private notary, or e-notary

You have three practical ways to get a document notarised in Dubai, and picking the right one saves a wasted trip.

• Dubai Courts notary public. The government notary service, based at Dubai Courts. This is the original route for notarial acts in Dubai and handles the full range of instruments, from powers of attorney to affidavits and corporate resolutions.
• A licensed private notary. Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai created a roll of licensed private notaries, who are lawyers authorised by Dubai Courts to carry out the same notarial acts outside the courts building. Read more in our guide to private notary services in Dubai.
• The Ministry of Justice E-Notary system. This is the federal government’s own channel for remote and electronic notarisation, run directly by the Ministry of Justice. It is not something a private business operates or can replicate. See e-notary in Dubai for what it covers and how to use it.

Notarisation of documents in Dubai works the same way whichever of these three you use: identity check, signature witnessed, official seal applied. The difference is mainly speed, location and whether you can be seen remotely.

Preparing the document and the translation question

Before you go anywhere, the document itself has to be right.

• It must be complete. No blank clauses, no sections marked “to be confirmed.”
• It must be unsigned when you arrive, unless you are asking the notary to certify a copy of something already signed and registered elsewhere.
• If it is not in Arabic, check whether the notary you are using needs a certified Arabic translation or accepts a bilingual version.
• If a legal translation is needed, it has to come from a translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice, because an ordinary translation will not be accepted into a notarial file.

Signing in person or by video

Dubai Courts has supported both personal attendance and virtual attendance in principle for notarial appointments. Where remote signing is available, the point of the video step is the same as in person: the notary needs to see your face, verify your identity documents, and watch you sign or confirm your consent in real time. If you are outside the UAE entirely, a video appointment is usually more practical than trying to fly in for a single signature. Our guide to online notary services in Dubai covers how the remote process works in more detail.

After notarisation: attestation for documents used abroad

A notary’s stamp makes a document valid inside the UAE. It does not automatically make it valid in another country. If your notarised document needs to be recognised abroad, it typically needs two further steps:

1. MOFAIC attestation. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation attests the document, confirming it was issued in the UAE through a recognised channel.
2. Embassy or consulate legalisation. The destination country’s diplomatic mission in the UAE then legalises the document for use in that country.

One thing trips a lot of people up: the UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so there is no apostille route for a UAE-issued document. The MOFAIC and embassy chain is the substitute, not an extra option. Full detail on ordering and timing is in our guide to documents attestation in Dubai.

Notarising a document from outside the UAE

If you are not in the UAE and need a document notarised for use here, such as a power of attorney for someone in Dubai to act on your behalf, the process runs through the UAE embassy or consulate in your country, or in some cases the Ministry of Justice’s remote channels once you are back in contact with the UAE system. This comes up most often with powers of attorney. Our dedicated guide on notarising a UAE power of attorney from abroad sets out that route step by step, including what the receiving party in Dubai needs to do at their end.

What a notary in Dubai can and cannot notarise

A UAE notary public, government or private, works from a register. They attest signatures on documents signed in front of them, and issue copies of documents already on their own register. If you are not sure which route your document needs, ask before booking an appointment rather than after a rejected one.

Can any lawyer notarise a document in the UAE

Not every lawyer can act as a notary. In Dubai, only lawyers who hold a private notary licence from Dubai Courts, alongside the government notary public at Dubai Courts itself, are authorised to carry out notarial acts. A regular practising lawyer who does not hold that specific licence cannot notarise a document, even if they draft it for you.