Fees and steps checked on
Estonia certificate attestation makes an Estonian diploma, birth or marriage certificate, notarial document or company paper valid for a UAE visa, job or licence. The UAE does not accept apostilles, so the Estonian document goes through legalisation. The Consular Department of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalises it, the UAE embassy accredited to Estonia attests it, and MOFA attestation completes the chain.
Price: There is no fixed price for Estonia. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
We are a private document service in Bur Dubai. We are not MOFA, an embassy or a government office. We check your document, confirm the route and do the paperwork. Document pickup and delivery anywhere in Dubai is free.
Why legalisation and not an apostille
Since 2010, Estonian notaries issue apostilles. An apostille works only between Hague Convention members, and the UAE is not one. The Estonian foreign ministry says a document should be legalised when it goes to a country outside the convention that has no legal aid agreement with Estonia. That is the UAE's position, so the ministry legalises it first and the destination country's mission or foreign ministry legalises it after.
The Estonian ministry step
The Consular Department in Tallinn handles legalisation. Its reception is closed, so the request goes by post:
- The original document, a notarised or certified copy, or an official extract that shows the signer's name, position, signature and the original seal
- A completed application form
- Proof that the state fee was paid, with the reference the ministry asks for
The legalised document is returned by registered mail to an Estonian address. The ministry says processing takes up to five working days, longer if it has to request a signature specimen. A document legalised for one country is not legalised again for another, so the UAE must be named from the start.
The UAE step
The UAE has no resident embassy in Estonia. In 2024 the UAE ambassador based in Helsinki presented credentials as non-resident ambassador to Estonia. We have not confirmed from an official page which UAE mission attests Estonian documents today, or whether a digital attestation route covers them. We confirm this from your copy before your original moves. If the embassy result is not a MOFA digital attestation, MOFA in the UAE adds the final stamp.
Step by step
- Original document, or a notarised copy for documents that allow one.
- Notary, for a power of attorney or other private document.
- Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consular Department legalisation by post.
- UAE embassy accredited to Estonia, after an application on the MOFA portal where required.
- MOFA in the UAE, unless the embassy result already includes it.
Estonian documents and UAE uses
| Document | In Estonia | UAE use |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma and diploma supplement | Institution, MFA | Work permit, see degree certificate attestation |
| Birth certificate (sünnitõend) | Original, MFA | Child's residence visa, see birth certificate attestation |
| Marriage certificate (abielutõend) | Original, MFA | Spouse visa, see marriage certificate attestation |
| Power of attorney | Estonian notary, MFA | Property, banking, company |
| Commercial register extract | Registry, MFA | Licence, bank account |
Digital documents
Estonia issues many documents digitally, from the population register to the e-Business Register. A digital printout is not always accepted for legalisation. The ministry asks for a printout or extract that shows the signer and the original seal of the issuing body. If you only have a digital file, send it and we tell you how to get a version that can be legalised.
Language and names
MOFA accepts Arabic or English, or a legally certified translation. Estonian letters such as õ, ä and ü often disappear in UAE systems. Send your passport copy so the translation matches it. A legal translation in Dubai can add Arabic if needed.
Documents from Latvia or Finland follow their own chains: see Latvia certificate attestation and Finland certificate attestation.
From the UAE
You do not need to travel to Tallinn. The ministry step is done by post, and the UAE step is arranged for you. We collect your copies anywhere in Dubai for free and deliver the attested original to your door.
