No, MOFA attestation does not expire. MOFA's own FAQ says there is no expiry date on an attested document, so a degree or marriage certificate attested years ago is still valid. You need new attestation only when the document is replaced or changed, or when the receiving office wants a recent one, such as a police check.
What does MOFA say about expiry?
The question appears more than once in MOFA's official FAQ. For school certificates the answer is that there is no expiry date on an attested document. For birth and death certificates, asked whether attested documents expire, the answer is simply no. The same logic applies to other personal documents: the stamp confirms that a signature or seal was genuine on the day it was checked, and that fact does not change with time.
What can expire is the document underneath. A passport, a trade licence, a police certificate or a sick leave note has its own life span, and the attestation cannot extend it.
Which documents never need attestation again?
Documents that record a fixed event or result usually stay usable once attested:
| Document | Needs new attestation? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Degree, diploma, transcript | No, in most cases | The qualification does not change |
| Birth certificate | No, in most cases | Records a fixed event |
| Marriage certificate | No, unless the marriage ends or is re-registered | Records a fixed event |
| Death certificate | No | Records a fixed event |
| Police clearance certificate | Often yes | Receiving offices want a recent one |
| Medical report, sick leave | Often yes | Short-term content, strict time limits |
| Power of attorney | Depends on its end date | The POA itself can expire or be revoked |
| Company documents | Often yes | Licences, directors and shareholders change |
So if you attested your degree certificate for your first UAE job, the same attested original normally works for the next employer, for golden visa files and for degree recognition.
When do you need attestation done again?
The document was replaced or reissued
Each attestation is tied to the exact paper that was stamped. If your university issues a new copy, your registry issues a fresh birth certificate, or you lost the attested original, the new paper has no stamps. It needs the full chain again: home country, UAE embassy and MOFA.
Your name changed
Your old documents stay attested, but in your old name. Offices usually ask for the link between the two names, which is the marriage certificate, divorce certificate or deed poll. That linking document needs its own attestation. In some cases the issuer reissues the certificate in the new name, which then needs fresh attestation.
The receiving office wants a recent document
Some documents are only useful while fresh, whatever their stamps say:
- Police clearance certificates. A Dubai police certificate is reported as valid for three months from issue. See our guide to Dubai police clearance status and validity.
- Sick leave and medical reports. MOHAP's service requires sick leave to be submitted for attestation within one month of issue. See medical certificate attestation.
- Healthcare licensing. DHA's licensing rules ask for a certificate of good standing issued within the last six months.
- Company documents. A certificate of incumbency, a board resolution or a good standing letter describes the company on a given date. Banks and free zones often want one issued in the last few months.
You are using the document in a different country
MOFA attestation makes a foreign document valid in the UAE. It does not make a UAE document valid in, say, Canada or India. For use abroad, a UAE document needs MOFA attestation and then, if required, that country's embassy. A document attested for the UAE years ago may still need new steps for a third country.
The power of attorney ended
A power of attorney can carry an end date or be cancelled. In Abu Dhabi, for example, online POAs from the Judicial Department carry a maximum validity of three years. An expired POA needs to be made again and attested again.
Do embassies or employers accept old attestation?
UAE employers, schools and visa authorities usually accept an attested degree, birth or marriage certificate whenever it was stamped. Problems usually come from three things:
- The attestation was done under the old ministry name. MOFA was called MOFAIC until May 2023. It is the same ministry, so a stamp with the MOFAIC name is a MOFA attestation and can be checked the same way.
- The receiving office cannot read an old stamp. A photocopy of a faded stamp can be refused. Bring the original.
- The office doubts the stamp. Point them to MOFA attestation verification: verify.mofa.gov.ae, Document Status, with the reference number and issue date.
How to check before you start again
- Look at the document: is it the same paper that was attested, with all stamps visible?
- Ask the receiving office if it wants a document issued after a certain date.
- Check the stamps against the chain for your country on attestation by country.
- If something is missing, only that step needs doing, not the whole chain.
How we help
We are a private attestation service in Dubai, not MOFA or any government office. Send a photo of the attested document on WhatsApp and tell us where you will use it. We tell you whether it can be used as it is, which step is missing, or whether a new document is needed, with the exact price and steps before any work starts. MOFA attestation of a UAE personal document starts from AED 250 plus VAT, all official fees included. See attestation fees.
