Fees and steps checked on
Greece certificate attestation gets a Greek degree, birth or marriage certificate, or notarial document accepted in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs authenticates it, the UAE Embassy in Athens attests it, and that embassy's digital attestation already includes MOFA attestation. A Greek apostille is meant for Hague Convention countries, so it is not the stamp the UAE needs.
Price: Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
The Greek ministry step has a gate
The Authentication Department of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs authenticates Greek public documents for countries outside the Hague Convention. It works from the Citizens Service Centre at 3 Akadimias Street in Athens on weekday mornings.
The gate is who signed the document. Documents issued by a ministry go straight to the foreign ministry. Documents from any other public authority, such as a municipality, a registry office or a university, must first be authenticated by the ministry that supervises that authority. VFS Global's chain for Greece lists the Ministry of Interior at this point. The foreign ministry only accepts originals or exact copies issued by the authority itself.
Athens: online first, then in person
The UAE Embassy in Athens is on MOFA's digital attestation service. It is not a courier model like London or Brussels: you hand in the original yourself.
- Supervising ministry, if the document was not issued by a ministry.
- Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Authentication Department.
- MOFA portal. We apply with UAE PASS, choose the Hellenic Republic as the country of issue and pay.
- UAE Embassy in Athens. The original is submitted Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 14:00.
- Email. The digitally attested document, certified by the embassy and UAE MOFA, is sent by email.
- Collection of the original at the embassy in the same hours.
Documents from Greece
| Document | Before the foreign ministry | Embassy rule |
|---|---|---|
| University degree (πτυχίο) | Supervising ministry authentication | Original or exact copy |
| Birth certificate (ληξιαρχική πράξη γέννησης) | Ministry of Interior | Must be the original |
| Marriage certificate | Ministry of Interior | Must be the original |
| Power of attorney | Signed before a Greek notary | Commercial content counts as commercial |
| Articles of association | Notary or registry | Attested separately from the memorandum |
Greek alphabet, Latin passport
Greek names can be transliterated several ways, so "Papadopoulos" on one paper may be "Papadopulos" on another. Send your passport copy so translations use the passport spelling. MOFA accepts Arabic or English, or a legally certified translation; a Greek-language certificate needs one. We arrange legal translation in Dubai when that is quicker than translating in Greece.
Not accepted at the Athens embassy
- Laminated documents
- Documents certified in a bundle rather than one by one
- Commercial invoices and certificates of origin, which use MOFA's eDAS system
- Documents issued in Cyprus, which use the UAE Embassy in Nicosia; see Cyprus certificate attestation
Living in the UAE
You do not need to go to Athens. Anyone may apply on your behalf, and the in-person steps can be done by a relative or someone we arrange. For a family visa file, see marriage certificate attestation.
