Fees and steps checked on
Angola certificate attestation turns an Angolan degree, birth certificate, marriage certificate or company paper into a document the UAE will accept. Angola is outside the Hague Apostille Convention, so there is no apostille shortcut: the document is legalised by the Angolan Ministry of Exterior Relations (MIREX), then by the UAE Embassy in Luanda, and finally by MOFA attestation in the UAE.
Price: send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. Angola has no fixed price on our list because translation needs differ from one paper to the next. See attestation fees.
Portuguese comes first
The detail that trips up most Angolan files is language. Angolan certificates are issued in Portuguese, and MOFA only accepts papers in Arabic or English, or with a legally certified translation. Official Dutch government guidance on Angolan documents describes two orders: translate in Angola and have the original and translation legalised together, or legalise the original first and translate it abroad afterwards. For the UAE we choose the order once we see your paper, so the translation is not stamped twice for nothing. Our legal translation in Dubai covers Portuguese to English and Arabic.
The Angola to UAE route, step by step
- Issuing office. Get a clean original from the university, civil registry or company registry. Laminated papers are refused by MOFA.
- Translation. Portuguese text is translated by a sworn translator in Angola or a licensed legal translator in the UAE, depending on the plan agreed.
- MIREX, Luanda. The Ministry of Exterior Relations legalises the signature on the document. Its own information is published only in Portuguese.
- UAE Embassy in Luanda. The embassy attests the MIREX stamp. Fees are paid through the MOFA portal.
- MOFA in the UAE. The last stamp. After this the paper can go to an employer, school, court or immigration.
Which Angolan documents we handle
| Document | Typical use in the UAE | Angolan side | UAE side |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licenciatura or other university degree | Work permit, degree certificate attestation, equivalency | University, translation, MIREX | Embassy Luanda, MOFA |
| Birth certificate (certidão de nascimento) | Child residence visa, school | Civil registry, translation, MIREX | Embassy Luanda, MOFA |
| Marriage certificate | Spouse visa, family sponsorship | Civil registry, translation, MIREX | Embassy Luanda, MOFA |
| Power of attorney | Property, bank or court matters | Angolan notary, MIREX | Embassy Luanda, MOFA |
| Company documents | Branch office, trade licence | Registry or notary, translation, MIREX | Embassy Luanda, MOFA (commercial fee) |
Working from inside the UAE
If you already live in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, you do not need to fly to Luanda. The original travels to Angola by courier or with a family member, goes through MIREX and the embassy, and returns to you. MOFA lets anyone file on your behalf, so you only sign what has to be signed. A birth certificate for a family visa follows the same chain described on birth certificate attestation.
Documents from South Africa follow a different chain, set out on South Africa certificate attestation, so if you hold papers from both countries the two routes can be planned side by side.
What goes wrong with Angolan files
- An old short-form extract. Registry extracts can be brief. If the UAE office needs parents' names, request the full version before legalisation starts.
- Name spelling. Portuguese names often carry several surnames. Keep your passport copy in the file so the translator matches the spelling on your UAE visa.
- Translating the wrong page. Every stamp on the back must be translated too, or MOFA can return the paper.
Other countries are listed on attestation by country.
