WeArrange
Jurisdictions Compare About
Begin

Practical guide

Attestation and legalisation

A foreign document has no standing in the UAE until it has been attested in the country of issue, legalised at the UAE embassy there, and attested again by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It takes weeks and costs more than most people budget.

In practice

Document attestation for the UAE

The three-stage chain

Attestation is sequential and each stage depends on the last. The document is certified by the competent authority in the issuing country, then legalised by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then attested by MoFA in the UAE. A document that skips a stage is refused, and there is no shortcut for a document already in the UAE that was never legalised abroad.

What actually needs it

Degree certificates for qualification-based licences and certain visas. Marriage and birth certificates for family sponsorship. Corporate documents where a foreign company is a shareholder — certificate of incorporation, register of members, board resolutions, powers of attorney.

Identify every documenAttest in the country Legalise at the UAE miAttest at MoFA in the Legal translation
The sequence. Each stage depends on the one before it.
Stage one
Notary or competent authority in the issuing country
Stage two
UAE embassy or consulate in that country
Stage three
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Translation
Legal translation into Arabic by an approved translator, where required
Typical duration
Two to six weeks, longer for some jurisdictions
Common documents
Degrees, marriage and birth certificates, corporate documents, powers of attorney
What to watch. Apostille is not enough on its own. The UAE joined the Apostille Convention, but individual authorities and receiving bodies still differ in what they accept, so confirm the requirement with the specific authority before choosing the route.

The sequence

How it runs.

  1. Identify every document that needs it

    Before anyone travels. Retrieving an original from abroad later adds weeks.

  2. Attest in the country of issue

    Through that country's designated authority.

  3. Legalise at the UAE mission

    Embassy or consulate in the issuing country.

  4. Attest at MoFA in the UAE

    The final stage, done here.

  5. Legal translation

    Into Arabic by an approved translator where the receiving authority requires it.

Questions

Typically two to six weeks across the three stages, and longer for some countries. It is almost always the longest item in a setup timeline that involves foreign documents.

For qualification-based professional licences and certain visa categories, yes. General commercial activities usually do not require it.

The UAE stage can, but the first two stages must happen in the country of issue. A document brought here without embassy legalisation generally has to go back.

One question

Where are you in this?