Certified True Copy of Your Passport in Dubai

Who asks for a certified true copy of your passport

Certified true copies of a passport come up constantly in everyday transactions in Dubai and for UAE residents dealing with matters abroad. The most common reasons we see are:

• Banks, as part of know your customer (KYC) checks when you open a personal or business account, or when a bank needs to refresh its file on an existing customer.
• Company formation and free zone registrars, who ask shareholders and directors for certified passport copies as part of the incorporation paperwork.
• Embassies and consulates, for visa applications, citizenship or passport renewal files, and other consular services, where the original passport cannot be sent by post.
• Overseas schools and universities, as part of an application or enrolment file for a student applying from Dubai.
• UAE residence visa applications and renewals, where a government office or a sponsor asks for a certified copy alongside the original.
• Property, mortgage and other transactions, where the counterparty wants a verified copy of your identity document on file rather than the original.

If your receiver only asked for “a copy”, it is worth checking whether they mean a certified true copy or a plain photocopy. A certified true copy costs more and takes longer, so do not certify a copy you did not need to.

What a certified true copy is

A certified true copy of a passport is a photocopy of your passport that a notary has personally checked against the original document and then marked with a certification statement, a signature and an official stamp confirming it is a true and accurate copy.

The certification typically shows:

• A certification statement, for example wording confirming the copy has been checked against and found to be a true copy of the original document.
• The signature of the notary who certified the copy.
• An official stamp or seal.
• The date the certification was made.

Because the certifier has physically compared the copy to your original passport, an organisation that cannot see your original passport in person can rely on the certified copy instead. That is the whole point of the document: it lets you prove your identity to a third party without handing over or posting your original passport.

Notarised copy vs lawyer-certified copy vs embassy copy

Not every “certified copy” is certified the same way, and your receiver may have a specific preference. It helps to know the difference before you book an appointment.

If the receiving organisation names a specific certifier, for example “certified by a notary public” or “certified by our embassy”, follow that instruction exactly. If they simply say “certified true copy” without naming who should certify it, a copy certified by a notary public or private notary in Dubai is normally accepted.

Using the copy outside the UAE

If the certified copy is going to a receiver outside the UAE, for example a foreign bank, an overseas school or a government office in another country, check whether that receiver needs the copy attested further.

The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille is never issued in or for the UAE. If a foreign receiver asks for an apostille on a UAE-certified document, that request cannot be fulfilled as an apostille. The UAE route for a document that needs to be relied on abroad is the legalisation chain: notarisation in the UAE, then attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC), and then, if the destination country requires it, attestation by that country’s embassy or a further step once the document arrives there.

Some receivers abroad are satisfied with a plain notarised copy from Dubai and do not ask for MOFAIC attestation at all. Always check the specific requirement with the receiver before you pay for extra attestation steps you may not need.

Common mistakes that cause rejection

• Sending a scan or photo of the passport instead of bringing the original in person.
• Certifying only the photo page when the receiver also wanted the visa or residence page included.
• Getting the copy certified by the wrong type of certifier, for example an embassy certification when the receiver specifically asked for a notary, or the other way round.
• Assuming an apostille can be added in the UAE. It cannot: use the MOFAIC attestation route instead.
• Leaving the certification until the last day before a deadline, when appointment slots or attestation processing may not fit the timeline.

Certified true copies in Abu Dhabi

If you need a certified true copy of a passport in Abu Dhabi rather than Dubai, see our certified true copy page for Abu Dhabi, since the notary offices and appointment process differ by emirate.

Get your certified true copy of passport arranged

Call or WhatsApp us on +971 54 380 1094, or email support@notaryservicesdubai.com, and tell us who the certified copy is for. We will confirm what your receiver needs, book your notary appointment, and guide you through the rest.

Related pages: certified true copy attestation in Dubai, photo certification in Dubai, proof of address certification in Dubai, and notary public in Dubai if you need a wider notarisation service.