Fees and steps checked on
Australia certificate attestation makes an Australian degree, marriage certificate or birth certificate valid in the UAE. Because the UAE is not in the Apostille Convention, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) issues an authentication certificate, not an apostille. The chain is: notary and university check where needed, DFAT authentication, the UAE Embassy in Canberra, then MOFA attestation.
Price: Australia has no fixed price on our list. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
How Australian attestation works, step by step
- University check and notary, where needed. Educational documents are checked with the issuing university and certified by an Australian notary public. Copies and powers of attorney also go through a notary.
- DFAT authentication certificate. DFAT authenticates the document for use in a non-Hague country such as the UAE.
- UAE Embassy in Canberra. The authenticated document is attested by the UAE Embassy. The application is booked through the MOFA portal and VFS Global, MOFA's attestation service provider.
- MOFA. The document receives MOFA attestation and is ready for your visa, job or school file in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or any other emirate.
Australian documents and prices
| Document | Examples | First step | Our total price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational | Bachelor's degree, master's degree, transcript, TAFE certificate | university check, notary | quoted after you share a copy |
| Personal | Marriage, birth, divorce, death certificate | state registry certificate, then DFAT | quoted after you share a copy |
| Commercial | ASIC company extract, board resolution, power of attorney | notary | quoted after you share a copy |
Official fees on the Australian route
| Step | Who stamps it | Usual time |
|---|---|---|
| Notary (if needed) | Australian notary public | by appointment |
| Authentication | DFAT | confirmed with your quote |
| UAE embassy | UAE Embassy in Canberra | confirmed with your quote |
| MOFA | UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs | confirmed with your quote |
Our quote already includes all of these and the courier both ways.
Which Australian documents need which step
- Degrees: the most common file, for skilled work permits and teaching or engineering licences. See Australia degree attestation.
- Marriage certificates: a certificate from the state births, deaths and marriages registry, needed to sponsor a spouse. A ceremonial certificate from the celebrant is not the registry certificate. See Australia marriage certificate attestation.
- Birth certificates: for a child's residence visa or school place. See Australia birth certificate attestation.
Going the other way: documents for Australian immigration
Searches for "certificate attestation for Australia immigration" often come from UAE residents applying to Australia. Australian authorities and bodies such as CPA Australia usually ask for certified true copies rather than UAE attestation. See certified true copy in Dubai. If an Australian office asks for a UAE document to be attested, MOFA attestation of a UAE personal document is from AED 250 in 2 to 3 working days: see attesting UAE documents for use abroad.
Where Australian documents are used in the UAE
- Work permits: skilled roles ask for an attested degree, so a degree is the Australian document people attest most often.
- Family visas: an attested marriage certificate to sponsor a spouse, and attested birth certificates for children. See documents for a family visa.
- Golden visa: an attested bachelor's degree on the skilled professional route.
Already in the UAE?
Hand over the original in Dubai. It is couriered to Australia for the notary and DFAT steps, attested by the UAE Embassy in Canberra, and attested by MOFA. You do not need to travel or deal with DFAT yourself.
Holding a second set of papers from New Zealand? The route is on New Zealand certificate attestation, and both sets can go into one request.
Common problems with Australian documents
- Asking DFAT for an apostille. An apostille is for Hague countries. For the UAE you need the authentication certificate.
- Ceremonial marriage certificate. Use the certificate issued by the state registry.
- Degree sent without a notary. DFAT authenticates official signatures, so a degree needs the notary step first.
- Laminated or scanned documents. MOFA needs the physical, unlaminated original.
- Old fee figures. DFAT fees change every 1 January, so older guides may quote the wrong amount.
