Fees and steps checked on
Birth certificate attestation proves to UAE authorities that a child's foreign birth certificate is genuine, so it can be used for a dependent residence visa, an Emirates ID or a school place. A birth certificate issued abroad is legalised in the country of birth, stamped by the UAE embassy there and finished with MOFA attestation. A certificate issued in the UAE runs the other way, from MOHAP or MOFA to the embassy of the country where it will be used.
Price: from AED 985 plus VAT for a birth certificate from the UK (standard route), AED 1,025 plus VAT from the USA, and from AED 1,900 plus VAT for one from Canada, all official fees included. A UAE birth certificate needing only the MOFA stamp is from AED 250 plus VAT. Every route is priced on attestation fees.
Why a child's birth certificate must be attested
After academic certificates, birth certificates were the document MOFA attested most for individuals in 2025. Three situations cover nearly every request:
- Sponsoring a child on your residence visa. In Dubai, GDRFA lists an attested birth certificate for each child. ICP, which issues residence for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and the northern emirates, asks for the same. Most parents attest it alongside the marriage certificate; the full visa file is on documents to attest for a UAE family visa.
- Enrolling at a UAE school. Many schools ask for the attested birth certificate with the child's records. See attestation for school admission and KHDA attestation.
- A baby born in the UAE. The birth certificate is attested here so the parents' home country can register the birth or issue a passport.
A newborn's UAE birth certificate for use abroad
This is the fastest route on the page. When MOHAP issues the birth certificate, you can request MOFA attestation and embassy attestation in the same MOHAP application. There is no second trip. Every UAE issuer and its MOFA route is on MOFA birth certificate attestation.
For a certificate from another issuer, MOFA attests it first: within about 2 hours on the digital route if it is an eligible PDF carrying a QR code or reference number, or 1 to 3 business days by courier for a paper certificate. Your home country's embassy in the UAE may then add its own stamp. Details on attesting UAE documents for use abroad.
Born abroad: how the chain works
- Order a registry-issued copy. The visa officer needs the version issued by the civil registry, ideally showing both parents' names. Laminated certificates are refused.
- First check in the country of birth. British birth certificates from the GRO or a local register office are public records, so the FCDO takes them without a solicitor. American ones are state records: the Secretary of State of the state of birth signs off first. For a Nigerian certificate, the issuing authority (usually the National Population Commission) verifies it before the ministry.
- The country's foreign ministry legalises or apostilles it: FCDO, the US Department of State, Global Affairs Canada (or Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan for their own records), DFA Philippines, DIRCO in South Africa, or the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
- The UAE mission. Several missions, including London, the US, Abuja and Amman, now issue a digital attestation that already includes MOFA. A MOFA-approved courier picks up the paper original and the attested certificate arrives by email, normally 2 to 3 working days after collection.
- MOFA in the UAE, only for countries still using the paper route, applied for online with UAE PASS or through an approved provider.
- Arabic or English. A certificate in any other language goes to a translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice. See legal translation in Dubai.
Because the UAE never joined the Hague Apostille Convention, a birth certificate with only an apostille is turned away at the visa stage. See attestation vs apostille.
Birth certificate legalization by country of birth
| Country of birth | Civil registry copy | First government step | Usual time | Our total price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | GRO or local register office | FCDO | 22 to 24 working days (standard), 12 to 24 (premium) | from AED 985 plus VAT (standard), from AED 1,600 (premium) |
| United States | State vital records office | Secretary of State, then US Department of State | about 7 weeks | from AED 1,025 plus VAT |
| Canada | Provincial vital statistics | Global Affairs Canada or provincial authority | 4 to 6 weeks | from AED 1,900 plus VAT |
| Philippines | PSA | DFA apostille | varies | price on request |
| Australia | State registry | DFAT authentication | varies | price on request |
| South Africa | Home Affairs | DIRCO | varies | price on request |
| Nigeria | Issuing authority | Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs | varies | price on request |
| Ireland, New Zealand | Civil registry | Foreign affairs department | varies | price on request |
"Price on request" means you send a photo on WhatsApp and get the full amount, all official fees included, before anything is posted. Countries not shown are on attestation by country.
One shortcut worth knowing: the Philippines DFA sells PSA birth certificates with the apostille already attached through its online service.
What to send us
- A clear photo of the birth certificate, front and back
- The child's passport copy and both parents' passport copies
- The emirate of the visa and the date the entry permit or school place is due
Timing for a birth certificate
Plan on 22 to 24 working days for a British certificate on the standard route, or 12 to 24 on premium, about 7 weeks for an American one and 4 to 6 weeks for a Canadian one. A UAE certificate is done in 2 to 3 working days at the MOFA stage, faster through MOHAP. If a residence visa entry permit is running out, start with the birth certificate: the child's visa cannot be issued without it. More on how long attestation takes.
If your baby was born here, the deadlines and steps for the UAE birth certificate are in baby born in the UAE: birth certificate guide.
Where birth certificate attestation goes wrong
- Short-form certificates. Some registries issue a short version without parents' names, which does not prove the parent and child link the visa needs. Send a photo first and we confirm which version to order.
- A spelling that differs from the passport, often a middle name or a transliterated surname. Fix it with the registry or flag it before the chain starts.
- Hospital birth notices instead of the civil registry certificate. Only the registry document can be legalised.
- Apostille without the UAE embassy stamp, the single most frequent rejection.
Other fixes are on why attestation gets rejected. Any finished MOFA attestation can be checked on verify.mofa.gov.ae using its reference number and date.
