Fees and steps checked on
Ghana certificate attestation lets a Ghanaian degree, school certificate, marriage certificate or police report be used for a job, visa or school in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or Ajman. Ghana has no apostille, so documents are legalised in Accra: usually a notary and the Judicial Service, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, then the UAE Embassy in Accra. MOFA attestation in the UAE completes it.
Price: send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. The UAE Embassy in Accra does not publish its local fee, and the Ghanaian steps vary by document, so each file is quoted. See attestation fees.
The Ghanaian chain
- Notary public in Ghana. Public documents such as marriage, divorce, birth and death certificates and criminal record checks are notarised first, according to Ghana's own missions.
- Judicial Service of Ghana. The Judicial Service certifies the notary's signature.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. The Legal and Consular Bureau in Accra attests the document. The UAE embassy will not take it without this stamp.
- UAE Embassy in Accra. The embassy says completion is the same day, no appointment is needed, and payment is by card.
- MOFA in the UAE. MOFA attests personal and commercial documents.
Ghana is not on the VFS Global list for UAE attestation. Whether a Ghanaian document is finished with a separate MOFA step in the UAE or digitally with the embassy is confirmed with your quote.
Ghanaian documents and their route
| Document | Usual Ghanaian steps | UAE steps |
|---|---|---|
| University degree, transcript | University confirmation, foreign ministry | UAE Embassy Accra, MOFA |
| WASSCE or school certificate (WAEC) | Issuing body, foreign ministry | UAE Embassy Accra, MOFA |
| Marriage certificate (ordinance) | Notary, Judicial Service, foreign ministry | UAE Embassy Accra, MOFA |
| Customary marriage | Registry verification letter, notary, Judicial Service, foreign ministry | UAE Embassy Accra, MOFA |
| Birth certificate | Notary, Judicial Service, foreign ministry | UAE Embassy Accra, MOFA |
| Police report | Notary, Judicial Service, foreign ministry | UAE Embassy Accra, MOFA |
For the education rows, the exact first stamp depends on the university or examination body, and it is confirmed when we see the copy.
Customary marriages
Many Ghanaian marriages are customary. For use abroad, Ghana's missions ask for a verification letter from the local registry where the marriage was originally registered, on top of the certificate itself. For a UAE spouse visa this is often the slowest part, so start it early. See marriage certificate attestation.
Working in the UAE with a Ghanaian degree
A skilled work permit in the UAE needs an attested degree. If you are already in Dubai, the original goes to Accra by courier or with a relative, passes through the Ghanaian stamps and the embassy, and comes back. MOFA lets anyone apply for you. Some jobs also need an equivalency certificate after attestation. See attestation for an employment visa.
Order matters in Accra
Ghanaian files fail most often because a stamp is skipped. The notary comes first, the Judicial Service certifies the notary, and only then will the foreign ministry's Legal and Consular Bureau attest. The UAE Embassy in Accra sits after all of them. One of Ghana's own missions asks for the ministry attestation to be presented within three months of its date, so do not start the ministry step long before you need it.
If you also studied, married or had a child in Nigeria, the steps for those papers are on Nigeria certificate attestation.
Problems with Ghanaian files
- Foreign ministry stamp missing. The UAE Embassy in Accra will not attest without it.
- Names. A name on a WAEC certificate, a degree and a passport may be in a different order or spelling. Send a passport copy.
- Old police reports. A police report is a snapshot. If the UAE office wants a recent one, get it before attestation.
- Lamination. MOFA does not attest laminated papers.
English documents need no translation, which keeps Ghanaian files simpler than many others. For the degree side, see degree certificate attestation.
