Fees and steps checked on
Guinea-Bissau certificate attestation is the set of stamps that lets a Bissau-Guinean birth certificate, marriage certificate, diploma or company paper be used in the UAE. Guinea-Bissau does not issue apostilles, so the document is legalised by the Bissau-Guinean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attested by the UAE mission, and completed with MOFA attestation in the UAE.
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.
A recent change on the UAE side
For years the UAE covered Guinea-Bissau through a non-resident ambassador: in 2019 the UAE ambassador to Guinea was accredited to Bissau as well. In October 2025 a UAE Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau presented his credentials at the Presidential Palace in Bissau. What that means in practice for attestation, and which office applies the UAE stamp today, is something we confirm per file when you send a copy. We do not send your original anywhere until that is settled.
Step by step
- Get the original. Official Dutch government guidance says birth, marriage and death certificates in Guinea-Bissau can be obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself.
- Plan the translation. The paper is in Portuguese. It can be translated in Bissau and legalised together with the original, or translated later in the UAE.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bissau. Legalises the signature on the paper.
- UAE mission step. Attests the ministry's stamp, paid through the MOFA system.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final stamp, after which the paper is accepted by UAE offices.
Translation from Portuguese
Every Bissau-Guinean civil record we expect to see is in Portuguese, so plan for translation from day one. MOFA accepts a legally certified translation into English or Arabic. UAE courts and many employers prefer Arabic by a translator licensed in the UAE. We arrange legal translation in Dubai and make sure the stamps on the back are translated too.
Papers we handle
| Paper | UAE purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Certidão de nascimento | Child visa, school, birth certificate attestation | Full copy with parents' names |
| Certidão de casamento | Spouse visa, marriage certificate attestation | Original, not a photocopy |
| Diploma or certificado | Employment, equivalency | Include transcripts if the employer asks |
| Procuração | Property, bank, inheritance | Signed before a notary first |
If you are already in Dubai or Abu Dhabi
You do not need to travel. A relative or courier takes the original to the ministry in Bissau, it passes the UAE step, and comes back to you. MOFA allows anyone to submit the last stamp on your behalf.
Holding a second set of papers from Senegal? The route is on Senegal certificate attestation, and both sets can go into one request.
Things that cause delays
- Spelling of names. Portuguese and French spellings of the same name appear across West Africa. Match the translation to your passport.
- Incomplete documents. If a certificate refers to an annex, bring it; ministries legalise complete documents only.
- Laminated originals. MOFA does not accept them.
Other routes are on attestation by country.
