To avoid fake attestation, check every MOFA stamp yourself at verify.mofa.gov.ae with its reference number and issue date, and only use a service that will give you both in writing. Warning signs are a price below the official fees, a missing UAE embassy step on a foreign document, and any request for your UAE PASS login.
Most attestation problems are ordinary rejections, but when a fake stamp is involved the damage is serious: a degree refused for a work permit, a visa file stopped, and the whole chain to pay again. This article shows how to protect yourself. The click-by-click steps for checking a stamp are on MOFA attestation verification.
What does a fake attestation look like in practice?
Most cases reported in the UAE over the years follow the same pattern. The certificate is genuine, but an agent abroad or in the UAE adds a forged ministry or UAE embassy stamp instead of sending the document to the real office. The holder only finds out when MOFA, an employer or a visa office checks the stamp and it does not match.
Typical results:
- The document is refused and has to go back to the start of the chain
- The money paid to the agent is lost
- The job offer or visa application is delayed by weeks
- In the worst cases, the holder is asked to explain the forged stamp to the authorities
Forging an official document is a criminal offence in the UAE, and so is knowingly using a forged one. That is why it is worth checking a stamp before you submit, not after.
Which warning signs should make you stop?
| Warning sign | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| No MOFA reference number, or the agent "will send it later" | Every real MOFA attestation has one, and you need it to verify |
| A foreign document with a MOFA stamp but no UAE embassy step | MOFA expects the embassy step first, unless the embassy and MOFA attested it together digitally |
| An all-in price below the official fees | MOFA charges its own fee on every document, so a price below the official fees means a step is missing |
| Same-day results for a document from abroad | The home country ministry and UAE embassy steps take days or weeks |
| The agent asks for your UAE PASS password or OTP | MOFA lets anyone apply on your behalf, so a real service uses its own account |
| A promise to skip a step "through contacts" | There is no official shortcut around a step in the chain |
| No receipt when you hand over the original | You cannot prove who holds your document |
One more sign is the language used. A private service that calls itself MOFA, a "government attestation centre" or an embassy is misleading you. MOFA's own service centres for customers are closed, and attestation is applied for online or through the app.
How do you check each stamp yourself?
You can check the last and most important stamp in minutes, and often the home country stamp too.
- Find the MOFA attestation. On a digitally attested document it is on the last page, with the reference number, the date, the amount paid and a verification code.
- Go to verify.mofa.gov.ae and choose Document Status.
- Enter the reference number and issue date exactly as printed.
- Or upload the PDF to the Document Verification option on the UAE PASS website, if the document was attested digitally.
- Check the home country step. For the UK, the gov.uk Verify an Apostille service checks any UK apostille with its number and issue date. Other countries have their own checks, so ask your service which one applies.
- Compare names and dates. The name and document type on the verification result should match your certificate.
If the result shows nothing, re-enter the details first. If it still fails, ask the person who arranged the attestation for the MOFA reference and the payment receipt. Do not submit the document until you have them. A full table of what a valid stamp shows is on the MOFA stamp explained.
What should you ask an agent before paying?
Seven questions sort out most of the risk:
- Can I see your trade licence? Any business in Dubai needs one, and a real service will show it.
- What is the total price, and which part is official fees? Get it in writing.
- Which authorities will stamp my document, in which order? The answer should name the home country ministry, the UAE embassy and MOFA.
- Will I get the MOFA reference number? The answer must be yes.
- How will my original travel, and can I track it? Couriers with tracking are normal.
- What happens if it is rejected? MOFA refunds its own fees within 14 working days on rejected or undelivered applications. On the mission digital route, the attestation fee is refunded but the service and delivery fee is not.
- Do you need my UAE PASS login? The only safe answer is no.
Scams that use the name of a real authority
Some fraud does not involve a forged stamp at all. It involves someone charging you for something that is free, or for access that nobody can sell.
- South Africa: DIRCO has warned that anyone charging fees in its name is a scammer.
- Indian documents: in July 2026 the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai warned about middlemen selling appointments for passport, visa and attestation services. The missions said booking an appointment is free and no third party is authorised to sell it.
A genuine service charges for its own work and passes on official fees at cost. It never claims to sell priority with a government office.
What if your document already has a fake stamp?
Stop using it. Then:
- Ask the person who arranged it for the MOFA reference and receipts, in writing.
- Get a new original or official copy from the issuer if the forged stamp cannot be separated from the document.
- Start the chain again through the proper route, from the home country step.
The usual causes of a genuine rejection, which are far more common than fraud, are covered in why attestation gets rejected.
How we help
We are a private document service, not MOFA or an embassy. Send a photo of your document on WhatsApp and you get the full route, the authorities that will stamp it, and the total price, all official fees included, before any work starts. When the job is done you receive the MOFA reference number so you can check the MOFA attestation yourself, and our prices are published on attestation fees.
