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Canadian employment letter attestation lets a UAE employer, regulator or visa office rely on your work history from Canada. The letter is a private company document, so a Canadian notary certifies the signature, the province or Global Affairs Canada apostilles it, and the UAE Embassy in Ottawa and MOFA attest it.
Price: from AED 1,900 plus VAT per letter, 4 to 6 weeks, all official fees and courier included. We confirm from your copy that it is attested as a personal document. See attestation fees.
Which letters this covers
| Letter | Usually signed by | What it should show |
|---|---|---|
| Experience or employment letter | HR or a manager | Your job title, start and end dates, and duties |
| Reference letter | A manager who supervised you | How long they managed you and in what role |
| Letter of current employment | HR | That you still work there, with your title |
Every letter should be on the employer's letterhead, dated, and signed by a named person with their position. Broader rules for letters from any country are on experience certificate attestation.
Why a UAE office asks for one
- Work permit skill level. Some job categories need proof of experience as well as a degree. See attestation for an employment visa.
- Golden visa. Some routes look at your work history. See attestation for the golden visa for the documents by category.
- Professional licences. Healthcare regulators verify each employer you list through DataFlow. Other licensing bodies may want attested letters instead.
- Senior hires. Employers sometimes ask for attested letters before an offer is final.
Getting the letter ready before the chain starts
Agree the wording with your employer first. A letter that leaves out dates or the job title is a common reason a UAE office sends it back, and fixing it means a new letter and a new chain.
Ask for a wet-ink signature. The apostille office checks a notary's signature on paper, and a digital signature may not work for that.
How a Canadian letter is attested, step by step
- Signature before a notary. The signer from your employer signs the letter in front of a Canadian notary public, or the notary certifies the signed original.
- Apostille in Canada. If the notary is in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec or Saskatchewan, that province issues the apostille. A letter notarised in any other province or territory goes to Global Affairs Canada, which charges nothing and offers no express service.
- UAE Embassy in Ottawa. We book the embassy slot through VFS Global and the MOFA portal and pay online, the only method it accepts. The embassy takes 3 to 5 business days at minimum.
- MOFA in the UAE. The last stamp is MOFA attestation, applied for online. The letter is then ready for your employer.
The Canadian apostille has existed since 11 January 2024, yet the UAE never signed the convention. Stages 3 and 4 stay in place.
What to send
- The signed original letter.
- A copy of your passport.
- The UAE document list or the request from your employer.
We collect for free anywhere in Dubai and bring the attested letter back to you.
Common problems with experience letters
- Remote employers. If the company signs from another province, the apostille comes from where the notary is, not where you worked.
- Closed companies. Look for a successor company that can sign for the old one.
- French letters. Quebec employers may write in French. MOFA works in Arabic or English, so a legal translation is added.
- Mismatched titles. The title on the letter should match your CV and the job you are applying for.
If your degree is coming from Canada too, start it now: Canada certificate attestation lists every Canadian document we handle.
Official sources
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