Fees and steps checked on
Bahrain certificate attestation makes a Bahraini degree, marriage certificate, power of attorney or company document usable in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the rest of the UAE. The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests the document first. The UAE Embassy in Manama then attests it digitally, and that attestation already carries MOFA attestation, so nothing more is needed inside the UAE.
Price: send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. We have not found an official schedule of Bahraini ministry fees, so each file gets its own quote. See attestation fees.
Bahraini apostille and the UAE
Bahrain has been a member of the Hague Apostille Convention since 31 December 2013. The UAE is not a member. That means a Bahraini apostille works in, say, Spain, but not on its own in Dubai. The UAE Embassy in Manama asks for the Bahraini foreign ministry's attestation and then adds its own. If your document already carries a Bahraini apostille, send a copy and we confirm whether it can go straight to the embassy. More background: attestation vs apostille.
How a Bahraini document is attested
- Notary or issuer. Legal documents such as a power of attorney are signed before a Bahraini notary or legal authority. Certificates come from the school, university, court or registry.
- Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry attests the document.
- UAE Embassy in Manama, digital. The application is made on the UAE MOFA website with UAE PASS, with Bahrain chosen as the issuing country. An approved provider collects the original, and the attested document arrives by email, signed off by the embassy and MOFA.
- Original back by courier. The courier asks for valid ID at delivery.
Bahraini documents and their route
| Bahraini document | Bahraini step | UAE step |
|---|---|---|
| University degree | University confirmation if asked, then Ministry of Foreign Affairs | UAE Embassy Manama, digital with MOFA |
| Birth certificate | Original, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | UAE Embassy Manama, digital with MOFA |
| Marriage certificate | Original, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | UAE Embassy Manama, digital with MOFA |
| Power of attorney | Bahraini notary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | UAE Embassy Manama (commercial fee if it covers a company) |
| Memorandum and articles of association | Attested as separate documents | UAE Embassy Manama, commercial fee |
| Commercial invoice, certificate of origin | Not through the embassy | eDAS 2.0 on the MOFA website |
Our quote includes the UAE mission fee, the MOFA fee and the Bahraini fee.
From Manama to Dubai without travelling
Manama is a short flight from Dubai, but you usually do not need to go. The original goes to Bahrain by courier, passes through the ministry and the embassy, and comes back. Because the embassy step is digital, the attested PDF often reaches you by email before the paper does. MOFA allows anyone to apply on your behalf.
Checking the result
Once the Manama embassy has finished, you can confirm the attestation yourself at verify.mofa.gov.ae with the reference number and issue date printed on the last page. Keep the PDF the embassy emails you, because the office receiving it can run the same check. See MOFA attestation verification.
Holding a second set of papers from Saudi Arabia? The route is on Saudi Arabia certificate attestation, and both sets can go into one request.
Things that delay Bahraini files
- Copies instead of originals. Birth, marriage and death certificates must be originals. Other documents can be true copies only if the Bahraini ministry attested them as such.
- Bundled apostilles. If a set of papers carries one apostille, the UAE side rejects it. Each document is handled on its own.
- Third-country documents. A non-Bahraini document cannot be attested at the Manama embassy, even if you lived in Bahrain.
- Laminated certificates. These are refused.
- Arabic and English. Bahraini documents are usually in Arabic or English, both accepted by MOFA, so translation is rarely needed.
For a family residence visa, see marriage certificate attestation and attestation for a family visa.
