To move a child from a school abroad into a Dubai private school, you need a transfer certificate (TC) attested by that country's education authority and the UAE embassy there. KHDA asks for it from Grade 2 or Year 3 upwards. Students in Grades 10 to 12 may also need a Ministry of Education equivalency, built on the same attested papers.
This article covers the paperwork that comes from the old school. For the wider list a UAE school can ask for, including the birth certificate, see attestation for school admission. For transfers between two Dubai schools, see KHDA attestation.
What does KHDA actually ask for in 2026?
KHDA's student registration service page, last updated in July 2026, sets three rules that matter for families arriving from abroad:
- A transfer certificate is needed for Grade 2 or Year 3 and above. If there is no TC, an official end of year certificate can be used instead.
- Certificates issued outside the UAE must be attested by the relevant education authority and the UAE side in the country where they were issued.
- Only final results count. Preliminary or temporary results are not accepted.
The school, not the parent, enters the registration on the KHDA portal and uploads the TC. So the document has to be right before the school can register your child. Schools in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the other emirates follow their own regulators, so ask the new school for its list.
What should the transfer certificate say?
Dubai schools publish their own checklists, and they agree on the basics. A TC from abroad is usually expected to:
- Be on the old school's letterhead, in English or Arabic
- Show the child's full name as in the passport, date of birth and nationality
- Give the last grade attended, the date of leaving and the grade the child is promoted to
- Be dated, signed by the principal and stamped with the school stamp
Check the name first. If the TC spells the name differently from the passport, ask the old school to correct it before any attestation starts. Every stamp after that point is placed on the document as it stands, and fixing it later means starting the chain again.
Report cards, the end of year certificate and the TC: which one?
| Document | Accepted by KHDA? | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer certificate (TC) | Yes, the standard document | Always ask the old school for it first |
| Official end of year certificate with final results | Yes, when no TC is available | Schools that do not issue TCs, or a school that has closed |
| Mid-year or term report card | Not on its own, results are not final | Supporting evidence the new school may ask to see |
| Grade 10 to 12 certificates and transcripts | Needed for MOE equivalency | Students joining the upper secondary years |
If the old school only issues report cards, ask it for a signed letter on letterhead that states the final result for the completed year and the grade the child moves to. That letter is what goes through attestation.
Who stamps the TC, and in what order?
The usual chain for a TC issued abroad:
- The old school signs and stamps it.
- The education ministry or regional education office of that country certifies the school's signature.
- The foreign ministry legalises it, or issues an apostille where the country is a member of the convention. The UAE is not a member, so the chain does not stop here.
- The UAE embassy or consulate in that country attests it. For the UK, the USA and several other countries this step now runs on MOFA's digital route, and the document comes back attested by the embassy and MOFA together.
- MOFA in the UAE adds the last stamp for countries still on the paper route.
Some Dubai schools say they accept TCs from the USA, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand with the school stamp only, and TCs from other GCC countries with the education ministry stamp only. That is a school policy, not a KHDA rule, so get the new school's answer in writing before you skip any step.
Should you attest before you leave, or from the UAE?
Before you leave, if you can. Dubai schools warn parents that getting attestations once the family has left the country can be slow and, for some countries, very difficult.
From the UAE it is still done regularly. The original TC goes by courier to the home country, moves through the education authority, foreign ministry and UAE embassy, and comes back. For the UK and the USA the embassy step is digital, which removes one courier leg. Times are set by the home country:
| TC issued in | Usual time with us | Our total price |
|---|---|---|
| UK, standard | 22 to 24 working days | from AED 985 plus VAT |
| UK, premium | 12 to 14 working days | from AED 1,600 |
| USA | about 7 weeks | from AED 1,025 plus VAT |
| Canada | 4 to 6 weeks | from AED 1,900 plus VAT |
| Any other country | depends on the country | quoted after you share a copy |
All prices include every official fee and the courier. The full list is on attestation fees. Routes for other countries are on attestation by country.
When do older grades need an equivalency?
Equivalency is a different step from attestation. Attestation proves the TC is genuine. Equivalency is the Ministry of Education confirming which UAE grade the studies match.
The UAE government portal says the Ministry of Education equalises school certificates using the originals, mainly for Grades 10, 11 and 12, and that all certificates must be attested by the Ministry of Education in the UAE and or the education authority of the issuing country. Anything not in Arabic or English needs a legal translation. There is a separate request for a Grade 12 certificate earned abroad.
In practice this means:
- Primary and lower secondary students usually need only the attested TC or end of year certificate.
- Students joining Grades 10, 11 or 12 should bring attested certificates and transcripts for every completed upper secondary year, because the equivalency is built on them.
- Changing curriculum matters too. Ministry guidance reported in 2025 for students moving between curricula says Grades 1 to 8 need only a certified TC, while Grade 9 and above need an equivalency. The exact grade for your child is confirmed case by case with the school.
More on the ministry side is on MOE attestation and, for university level, equivalency certificate in the UAE.
Common mistakes with a TC from abroad
- Asking for the TC too late. Request it as soon as you know the leaving date, so the attestation can start before term begins in the UAE.
- Attesting a provisional result. KHDA accepts final results only.
- Laminating the TC. A laminated document cannot be attested.
- Skipping the education ministry step because the foreign ministry accepted the document. The UAE embassy may still refuse it.
How we help
Send a photo of the TC or the last report card on WhatsApp, with the country it came from and the name of the new school. We tell you which stamps that school needs, whether an equivalency applies at your child's grade, and the total price, all official fees included, before any work starts. We are a private document service, not KHDA or MOFA.
