Notary public in Dubai: Dubai Courts, private notaries and how we help

What a notary public in Dubai does

A notary public is the official who confirms that a signature, a copy or a declaration is genuine, then seals it so it can be relied on in court, by a government department, a bank or an authority abroad. In Dubai this covers acts such as:

• Witnessing a signature on a contract, power of attorney or agreement.
• Administering an oath or taking a sworn declaration or affidavit.
• Certifying that a copy of a passport, certificate or other document matches the original (a certified true copy).
• Authenticating company documents such as a memorandum of association or a board resolution.

The notary does not draft your document or advise on whether the underlying deal is a good idea. The notary checks identity, checks the document is complete and correctly worded, watches you sign (or reviews the copy against the original), then applies a stamp and signature. Getting the drafting and the paperwork right before you arrive is where most of the actual work, and most of the risk of a rejected appointment, sits. We handle that part, and our in-house notary public then carries out the notarial act.

The three routes to notarisation in Dubai

Dubai Courts notary public

The Government notary public sits inside the Dubai Courts system. This is the original, longest-established route for notarising documents in Dubai, and it is where most affidavits, powers of attorney and certified copies for local use are still handled.

Licensed private notaries

Dubai also licenses private notaries: lawyers who have been approved by Dubai Courts to carry out notarial acts and who appear on a roll that Dubai Courts keeps. A private notary is not a government employee, but the notarial act itself carries the same legal weight because it is done under the same law. In practice, a private notary can mean a shorter wait and a more flexible appointment time than the Government office. We cover the differences in more depth on the private notary services in Dubai page and set the two routes side by side on public vs private notary.

The Ministry of Justice e-notary system

The Ministry of Justice runs its own electronic notarisation system at enotary.moj.gov.ae, for people who cannot attend in person, including some cases from outside the UAE. It works through identity verification and a video call rather than an in-person visit. If you would rather deal with us directly, we offer online notary public services, in-person notarisation at our Business Bay office, and home visits. See e-notary in Dubai and online notary services in Dubai for the detail on which documents typically qualify.

What we do and what the notary does

Here is who does what when you notarise a document with us.

What we prepare:

• Drafting or checking the wording of the document (power of attorney, affidavit, declaration, consent letter) so it says what you need it to say.
• Arranging legal translation through a translator registered with the Ministry of Justice, where the document needs to be in Arabic or bilingual.
• Checking you have the right identification and originals before the appointment.
• Offering three ways to sign: in person at our Business Bay office, online, or on a home visit.

What our in-house notary public does:

• Verifies your identity against your ID.
• Reviews the document and, for a certified copy, checks it against the original.
• Witnesses your signature or takes your oath.
• Applies the official notarial stamp, seal and signature.

What you do:

• Bring the originals and ID requested.
• Sign in front of the notary when required.
• Confirm you understand what you are signing, since the notary will usually ask.

Documents a notary public in Dubai handles

Notaries in Dubai deal with a wide range of personal and business documents. The most common ones we prepare and notarise include:

• Powers of attorney, general or special, for property, company matters, court cases or personal affairs. See power of attorney in Dubai.
• Affidavits and sworn declarations, for example confirming a fact under oath for a visa, bank or legal process. See affidavit in Dubai.
• Witnessing of signatures on contracts and agreements between two or more parties. See witnessing of signature in Dubai.
• Certified true copies of passports, certificates, degrees and other documents, matched against the original.
• Company documents, such as a memorandum of association or board resolution, where a signatory needs their authority notarised.

If you are not sure which of these applies to your situation, our step by step walkthrough of how do I notarise documents in Dubai sets out the general process from drafting to stamped document.

Arabic, bilingual documents and legal translation

Arabic is the language of notarised instruments in Dubai. In practice, many documents are drafted bilingually, in Arabic and English side by side, which is common and widely accepted.

If your document starts out in English only, it will usually need translation by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice before the notary will accept it. We arrange this translation as part of preparing your document, so the Arabic wording matches the English exactly and nothing gets lost or changed in translation. A mismatch between the two language versions is one of the more common reasons a notary appointment gets delayed.

The notary stamp and notarial certificate

Once the notary public is satisfied, they apply an official stamp or seal to the document along with their signature. This stamp is what makes the document a notarised instrument rather than a plain piece of paper: it shows the document was reviewed and witnessed by a notary acting under Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, and it is what a bank, government department, court or authority abroad will look for.

Depending on the type of act, you may also receive a separate notarial certificate confirming what was done (for example, that a signature was witnessed on a specific date, or that a copy was certified against an original). Keep the notarised original safe. If you need extra certified copies later, that is itself a notarial act and usually needs a fresh visit.

Using a Dubai notary public document abroad

Notarisation in Dubai is often only step one if the document is going to be used outside the UAE. A common mistake is assuming a notary stamp is enough on its own.

The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so there is no apostille (not a party, so no apostille applies) for a UAE document, and a foreign document will not be accepted in the UAE with an apostille either. Instead, the accepted route is legalisation: attestation in the country where the document originates (including at the UAE embassy there, for a foreign document), followed by MOFAIC attestation once it is in the UAE, or the equivalent chain in reverse for a UAE document going abroad. We cover the full attestation chain, including the MOFAIC step, on documents attestation in Dubai.

Finding a notary public in Dubai

Dubai Courts and licensed private notaries operate from several locations across the city, and Abu Dhabi and Sharjah run their own notary systems under the same federal framework. With us you do not need to work out which location handles which type of act: our in-house notary public notarises your document at our Business Bay office, online, or on a home visit. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7. If you are searching for the closest option to you, our page on finding a notary near me explains how to check.

Get your document ready for a notary public

Tell us what the document is and who needs to sign, and we will prepare it, arrange the translation if needed and notarise it with our in-house notary public in Dubai, in person, online or at your home.

Call or WhatsApp +971 54 380 1094, email support@notaryservicesdubai.com, or visit us at Empire Heights Tower B, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.