Fees and steps checked on
Bhutan certificate attestation follows a route few people expect. A Bhutanese degree, birth certificate, marriage certificate or tax clearance is first notarised in Bhutan, then attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MoFAET) in Thimphu. The UAE step is done by the UAE Embassy in New Delhi, which offers digital attestation for Bhutanese documents and includes MOFA attestation in the same application.
Price: send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
The notarised copy rule
The unusual part is in Thimphu. The ministry's attestation page says it will not attest original or laminated documents and will only attest after notarisation by the Public Notary Office. In practice that means the paper that travels through the chain is a notarised copy, not your original certificate. The UAE Embassy in New Delhi requires the Bhutanese ministry's attestation first, so the order matters. If you have only a laminated original, get a fresh notarised copy made before anything else; see certified true copy for how copies are treated on the UAE side.
How the route runs
- Public Notary Office, Bhutan. Notarises the copy of your document.
- MoFAET, Department of Protocol and Consular Affairs, Thimphu. Fill in the declaration form, state the reason, show the original, pay Nu. 300 per applicant at the Passport Office counter. Submit Monday or Thursday between 9:00 and 13:00; collect Tuesday or Friday between 10:00 and 13:00. The ministry says documents are returned within one working day.
- UAE Embassy in New Delhi, digital attestation. Apply on the MOFA website with UAE PASS, select Bhutan as the country of issue and pay. A MOFA-approved provider collects the physical document.
- Result by email. The document comes back digitally attested by the UAE Embassy in New Delhi and MOFA together, ready for use in the UAE.
No extra MOFA step is needed once the digital attestation arrives. You can apply yourself on MOFA attestation online or have us file it.
Bhutan and India share an embassy, not a route
The UAE Embassy in New Delhi also handles Indian documents, but Indian papers follow a different chain through the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, explained on India certificate attestation. A Bhutanese degree from an Indian university is an Indian document and follows the Indian route. A degree issued in Bhutan follows this page.
Documents the ministry lists
| Document | Issued by | Bhutan steps | UAE step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth or marriage certificate | Government office | Notarised copy, MoFAET | New Delhi digital plus MOFA |
| Tax clearance | Government office | Notarised copy, MoFAET | New Delhi digital plus MOFA |
| Degree certificate | Bhutanese or external institution | Notarised copy, MoFAET | New Delhi digital plus MOFA |
For job applications see degree certificate attestation.
Language
Bhutanese certificates are generally issued in English or in English and Dzongkha, and MOFA accepts English. Dzongkha-only text needs a legally certified translation.
Where files go wrong
- Taking the original to the ministry and being turned away.
- Skipping the Public Notary Office.
- Applying in New Delhi before the Thimphu stamp is on the document.
Other countries are on attestation by country.
