Fees and steps checked on
China certificate attestation makes a Chinese degree, marriage certificate, birth certificate or company document usable for a UAE visa, job, trade licence or bank. The general UAE rule applies: the document is prepared by a Chinese notary or the issuing body, passes the Chinese foreign affairs step, is attested by the UAE embassy or a UAE consulate in China, and ends with MOFA attestation in the UAE. Because MOFA only accepts Arabic or English, a certified translation is part of every Chinese file.
Price: send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. China has no fixed price because the route depends on the document and the province. See attestation fees.
The China to UAE attestation route
- Notarial certificate. Most Chinese documents, including degrees and civil records, are presented abroad as a notarial certificate issued by a Chinese notary office, usually with a translation bound in.
- Chinese foreign affairs step. The notarial certificate is authenticated by the Chinese foreign affairs authority. Which office handles it depends on the province and the document, and is confirmed from your copy.
- UAE embassy or consulate in China. The UAE mission attests the Chinese foreign affairs stamp.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final stamp that UAE authorities check.
- Legal translation in the UAE, if asked. Some UAE offices want their own Arabic translation by a translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice.
Because the UAE is not in the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille on its own is never the end of the chain for the UAE. Whatever the Chinese side issues, the UAE mission and MOFA steps are still needed.
Chinese documents and their usual steps
| Document | Group | Usual steps in China | UAE steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree certificate and graduation certificate | Educational | Notarial certificate with translation, foreign affairs step | UAE mission in China, MOFA |
| Academic transcript | Educational | Notarial certificate with translation, foreign affairs step | UAE mission in China, MOFA |
| Birth certificate or birth notarial certificate | Personal | Notary office, foreign affairs step | UAE mission in China, MOFA |
| Marriage certificate | Personal | Notary office, foreign affairs step | UAE mission in China, MOFA |
| Business licence, articles of association | Commercial | Notary office, foreign affairs step | UAE mission in China, MOFA (commercial fee) |
| Power of attorney, board resolution | Commercial | Signed before a notary, foreign affairs step | UAE mission in China, MOFA (commercial fee) |
Fees you can plan for
Every official fee and the courier are included in the total price you get before any work starts. That covers the Chinese notary and foreign affairs steps, the UAE mission and MOFA.
Chinese company documents for a UAE licence
Chinese companies setting up in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or a free zone usually need the business licence, articles and a board resolution attested. Each counts as a commercial document with its own MOFA fee, so it pays to attest only what the licensing authority actually asks for. See company documents attestation before you send a full set.
Chinese translator in Dubai
MOFA requires Arabic or English. If your notarial certificate came with a certified English translation, it usually needs no second translation for MOFA. If a UAE court, ministry or bank wants Arabic, we arrange a Chinese to Arabic or English legal translation in Dubai by a translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice.
Already in the UAE?
The Chinese steps need the original in China. It goes by courier or a relative takes it to the notary office, and the attested document comes back to you. MOFA allows anyone to apply on your behalf. If you need the reverse, a UAE document for use in China, see UAE documents for use abroad.
Documents from Taiwan follow a different chain, set out on Taiwan certificate attestation, so if you hold papers from both countries the two routes can be planned side by side.
Common problems with Chinese documents
- Name in pinyin. The pinyin spelling in the translation must match your passport exactly.
- Translation that does not match the original. Dates, names and degree titles in the bound translation must match the Chinese original exactly, or the file can be refused at the embassy or MOFA.
- Missing graduation certificate. Many Chinese graduates hold both a degree certificate and a graduation certificate, and a UAE employer may ask for both. Attest them together to save a second round. See degree certificate attestation.
- Lamination. MOFA does not attest laminated documents.
