Attestation questions

It is a chain of stamps that confirms a document is genuine so it is accepted in another country. For the UAE, a document from abroad is usually stamped by its home foreign ministry, then the UAE embassy in that country, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Our total prices start from AED 985 plus VAT for UK personal documents, AED 1,025 plus VAT for USA ones, AED 1,900 plus VAT for Canadian personal documents and AED 250 plus VAT for MOFA attestation of a UAE personal document. Every price includes the official fees and courier.

With us, MOFA attestation of a UAE document starts from AED 250 plus VAT for a personal document and AED 2,600 plus VAT for a commercial one, all official fees included.

About 2 to 3 working days for a UAE document that only needs MOFA. 12 to 14 working days for a UK personal document on the premium service, 4 to 6 weeks for Canada and about 7 weeks for the USA.

No. The UAE is not a contracting party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone is not accepted. Documents from abroad also need the UAE embassy step and MOFA attestation.

Yes. The apostille covers the home country step. The UAE embassy in that country and MOFA still need to attest it before UAE authorities accept it.

Yes. The home country steps can be arranged for you while you stay in the UAE. The original is collected by courier and sent through each step.

Yes. MOFA says anyone may submit an attestation application on someone else's behalf.

MOFA Customer Happiness Centres are closed. Attestation is applied for online on the MOFA website or app with UAE PASS, or through a service provider, and a courier collects the document.

For many countries, including the UK and the USA, the UAE embassy and MOFA now attest a document together through the MOFA portal. The document comes back by email, digitally attested by both, usually 2 to 3 working days for that stage. You do not need a separate MOFA stamp in the UAE afterwards.

MOFA needs the original document, or a digital original with a QR code. Some countries let a notary certify a copy first, for example a UK solicitor certifying a degree, but the certified document itself is what gets attested.

No. MOFA does not accept laminated documents. You may need to order a new certificate from the issuing authority.

MOFA accepts documents in Arabic or English. Documents in any other language need a legally certified translation.

Go to verify.mofa.gov.ae, choose Document Status and enter the reference number and issue date from the attestation.

Yes. On the embassy digital route the original is collected by courier and returned by courier, and you receive the attested version by email. On the paper route the stamps are on the original itself.

A spouse needs an attested marriage certificate and children need attested birth certificates. Documents issued abroad go through the full chain ending with MOFA.

For skilled roles, usually yes. The work permit needs a MOFA-attested educational certificate when the degree was issued outside the UAE.

They are the same thing. The ministry was renamed from MOFAIC to MOFA on 22 May 2023 by Federal Decree-Law No. 3 of 2023.

No. We are a private document service in Dubai. The stamps are issued by the ministries and embassies, and we handle each step for you.