Services
Document Attestation in Dubai, From Lawyer to MOFAIC
Document attestation in Dubai is the chain of official checks that confirms a signature, seal or copy on your document is genuine, so a bank, ministry, university or embassy in another country will accept it. Notary Services Dubai handles this directly, with an in-house notary public at our Business Bay office for the notarisation step. Depending on the document, that chain can run through a lawyer or notary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC), and sometimes an embassy. Which steps you need, and in what order, depends on where the document was issued and where it is going.
Quick answer
Quick answer
- Attestation confirms a document’s signature, seal or copy is genuine so it can be used officially, usually abroad or by a foreign authority in the UAE.
- The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so there is no apostille route into or out of the country. Documents instead follow a legalisation chain.
- A UAE document going abroad is typically notarised or legally attested first, then attested by MOFAIC, then sometimes by the destination country’s embassy in the UAE.
- A foreign document coming into the UAE is attested in its home country, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by MOFAIC once it arrives.
- MOFAIC attestation fees are AED 150 for personal documents and AED 2,000 for commercial documents.
- Our own service fee and turnaround depend on the document.
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What we cover under documents attestation
Need documents attested in Dubai? See the lawyer, notary, embassy and MOFAIC steps for personal and company papers, and let us handle it for you.
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Notary Services Dubai provides notary attestation support in Dubai for personal and commercial documents. We prepare your paperwork, notarise it where needed, and take care of the MOFAIC and embassy steps so your document is accepted the first time. This page is the starting point for our full range of notary services in Dubai; use it to find the exact process for your document, then follow the link to that document’s own page.
Attestation, legal certification and notarisation: which one you need
These three words get used loosely, so it helps to separate them before you start.
- Notarisation is when a notary public or private notary confirms a signature was made in front of them, or certifies a copy against the original, and applies a seal. A private notary in Dubai is a lawyer licensed by Dubai Courts to act as a notary and carry out notarial acts.
- Legal attestation by a lawyer covers document types where a lawyer’s certification is accepted in place of, or alongside, notarisation.
- MOFAIC attestation is a government stamp on top of notarisation or legal certification. It confirms the signatures and seals already on the document are genuine, and it is usually the step a foreign country or a UAE authority asks for once earlier certification is done.
Most documents leaving the UAE need notarisation or legal attestation first, then MOFAIC. Most foreign documents entering the UAE need their home country’s attestation chain, then a UAE embassy or consulate stamp, then MOFAIC once the document is here. We guide you through whichever combination your document needs.
Personal documents
Personal document attestation covers the certificates that follow you through visas, marriage, study and family matters abroad. Each has its own detail, so we have a separate page for the common ones:
- Degree certificate attestation, for study, work visas and professional licensing abroad
- Marriage certificate attestation, for family visas, name changes and legal recognition in another country
- Birth certificates, for family visas, school enrolment and inheritance matters
- Medical certificates, for insurance, employment and some visa categories
- Power of attorney attestation, when a POA signed in the UAE needs to be recognised abroad, or a POA from abroad needs to work in the UAE
If your document is going to a specific country, the process can differ in small but important ways. Our Canadian immigration documents attestation and Indian notary and document attestation pages cover two of the most common destination-specific routes.
Commercial documents
Businesses need attestation for trade, licensing, banking and legal matters that cross borders. Common commercial documents include:
- Commercial invoices and certificates of origin, often needed for export shipments and customs
- Company incorporation documents, board resolutions and memoranda of association
- Trade licences and Chamber of Commerce certificates
- Bank statements and tenancy contracts (Ejari), for company setup and financial applications
MOFAIC attestation for commercial documents costs AED 2,000, compared with AED 150 for personal documents. MOFAIC also runs an Electronic Document Attestation System (eDAS) for some commercial documents, which is a digital route rather than a paper apostille or stamp.
Documents from abroad: the chain into the UAE
If your document was issued outside the UAE and needs to be used here, MOFAIC’s own guidance sets out the chain: the document is first attested by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then by the UAE embassy or consulate in that country, and finally by MOFAIC once it reaches the UAE. There is no apostille shortcut, because the UAE has not joined the Hague Apostille Convention. A document apostilled in another Hague member country still needs this chain to be recognised in the UAE.
MOFAIC also requires the original document to be in Arabic or English, or accompanied by a legally certified translation, and the document must not be laminated. If your document is in another language, you will usually need translation by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice before MOFAIC will attest it.
What makes a document get rejected
A document can be turned away at any stage of the chain, and it is rarely because the underlying information is wrong. The common causes are procedural.
- Wrong order of steps. MOFAIC will not attest a document that has not already been notarised or legally certified where that step is required, and an embassy will not legalise a document MOFAIC has not yet attested.
- Lamination. MOFAIC will not attest a laminated document, so certificates that were laminated for protection often need a fresh, unlaminated copy first.
- Missing or mismatched translation. A document in a language other than Arabic or English, without a translation from a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice, is commonly rejected at the MOFAIC or embassy stage.
- Name mismatches. A spelling difference between the document and your passport or Emirates ID, even a minor one, can hold up notarisation or attestation until it is resolved.
- Out of date certification. Some receiving authorities only accept attestation completed within a recent window before submission, particularly for documents such as police clearance certificates.
We check for these issues before you go to an appointment, so a document is not sent for attestation only to be sent back, wasting a trip and a fee.
How we help
How we help
There are three ways to get the notarial step done with us: in person at our Business Bay office with our in-house notary public, through our online notary public services, or on a home visit. Notary Services Dubai prepares, drafts and translates your documents and tells you which route your specific document needs, and our in-house notary public carries out the notarial act itself. We handle the MOFAIC attestation submission and, where a document needs it, guide you through embassy or consulate legalisation. MOFAIC and the relevant embassy carry out their own attestation steps independently. You bring the original document and valid ID; we manage the sequence so nothing is submitted out of order or rejected for a missing step.
Fees
Cost and timing
MOFAIC attestation fees are fixed at AED 150 for personal documents and AED 2,000 for commercial documents, under the MOFAIC published fee schedule. Notarisation or legal attestation fees before that stage depend on the document and the notary or lawyer involved. Embassy legalisation fees, where required, are set by the destination country’s embassy and vary by country.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a document attested by MOFA?
MOFAIC, formerly known as MOFA, attests documents through its official attestation service once the document already carries a genuine signature or seal, usually from a notary, lawyer or an issuing authority. You submit the original document, and for foreign documents it must already carry the issuing country’s foreign ministry and UAE embassy attestation. We prepare and submit MOFAIC attestation on your behalf.
What documents need to be attested for Dubai?
Any document a Dubai authority, bank, university or employer asks you to prove is genuine may need attestation, commonly certificates, powers of attorney, company documents and academic qualifications. Foreign documents almost always need attestation before a UAE body will rely on them; UAE documents need attestation when they are going to be used abroad.
Where can I get documents attested in Dubai?
Notarisation or legal attestation happens through a notary public, a private notary or a licensed lawyer. MOFAIC attestation is done through MOFAIC’s own service, and embassy legalisation is done through the relevant embassy or consulate. Our in-house notary public handles the notarisation step, and we manage the MOFAIC and embassy steps for you rather than you visiting each office yourself.
What is certificate attestation in Dubai?
Certificate attestation is the process of getting an official confirmation that a certificate, such as a birth, marriage or degree certificate, and the signatures and seals on it, are genuine, so it can be relied on outside the country or system that issued it.
Is birth certificate attestation required for a UAE visa?
Birth certificate attestation is commonly required for family and dependent visa applications in the UAE, particularly for children.
How many days does birth certificate attestation take?
Timing depends on the issuing country’s process, the UAE embassy step where relevant, and MOFAIC’s own processing.
How do I check birth certificate attestation status?
You can usually track MOFAIC attestation status through MOFAIC’s own online service once your document has been submitted. We can check and update you on status for documents we have submitted on your behalf.
How much does document attestation cost in the UAE?
MOFAIC attestation is AED 150 for personal documents and AED 2,000 for commercial documents. Notarisation, legal attestation and embassy fees are separate and depend on the document and destination country.
More answers, grouped by topic, are on our questions and answers page.
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Get in touch
Contact Notary Services Dubai to find the right attestation route for your document. Call or WhatsApp us on +971 54 380 1094, or email support@notaryservicesdubai.com for a reply. Our office is at Empire Heights Tower B, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.