Fees and steps checked on
Bosnia certificate attestation has more domestic steps than most European routes. A Bosnian diploma, birth certificate or marriage certificate is usually translated or notarised, then certified by the municipality, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, before a UAE stamp and MOFA attestation. The UAE side is in transition: a UAE Consulate-General now operates in Sarajevo, while the published partner route still points to the Bosnian embassy in Abu Dhabi. We confirm which applies to your document first.
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.
Two possible UAE channels
VFS Global, MOFA's attestation service provider, lists this chain for Bosnian educational and personal documents: sworn translation or notarisation, municipality, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Abu Dhabi, then MOFA. That last part is unusual, since most countries end with a UAE mission in their own capital.
The UAE also has a Consulate-General in Sarajevo, whose MOFA services page lists attestation. Its procedure is not published in detail. So the Bosnian part of the chain is clear, and the UAE step is the part we confirm for you each time.
Step by step
- Sworn translation or notarisation. A court-sworn translator puts the document into English or Arabic, or a notary certifies the copy.
- Municipality (općina). The local office certifies the document or the notary's signature.
- Ministry of Justice. Certifies the signature below it.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Full legalisation for a country outside the apostille system.
- UAE step. Either the UAE Consulate-General in Sarajevo or the route through the Bosnian embassy in Abu Dhabi, as confirmed for your case.
- MOFA. The final UAE stamp, applied for online with UAE PASS or by an approved provider.
Documents and what changes
| Document | Who issues it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma (diploma) and transcript | University | Same chain for educational documents |
| Birth certificate (izvod iz matične knjige rođenih) | Municipal registry | Order a fresh extract if the UAE office asks for one |
| Marriage certificate | Municipal registry | Needed for a family visa |
| Court decision, divorce | Court | Certified copy from the court first |
| Power of attorney | Notary | Signed in front of a Bosnian notary |
| Company documents | Court register, notary | Charged at the commercial MOFA rate |
Fees
Bosnian municipal, ministry and translation charges and the MOFA fee are all part of your quote. You see one total before anything starts.
What goes wrong with Bosnian documents
- Apostille only. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Hague member and issues apostilles, so it is easy to think the job is done. The UAE does not accept it alone.
- Skipping the municipality. The Ministry of Justice signs over the municipality's stamp. Missing it means starting again.
- Two alphabets. Documents can be in Latin or Cyrillic script. Ask the sworn translator to use your passport spelling.
- Which entity issued it. Tell us whether the document comes from the Federation, Republika Srpska or Brčko District, so the earlier offices in the chain are matched correctly.
Families in the UAE often hold papers from more than one country. If some of yours come from Croatia, use the route on Croatia certificate attestation for those.
From the UAE
You can do all of this without leaving Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The original travels to Bosnia and Herzegovina by courier or with family, and comes back for the UAE steps. Anyone may file the MOFA application on your behalf. For a work permit, see degree certificate attestation; for a spouse visa, marriage certificate attestation. A UAE court may also want an Arabic version through legal translation in Dubai.
