Fees and steps checked on
To choose a certificate attestation company in Dubai, get one written total that includes every government fee, ask which authority stamps your document at each stage, and agree who holds the original and how long each step takes. A good company gives you the MOFA reference number at the end so you can confirm the attestation on MOFA Verify without trusting anyone's word.
Total: from AED 250 per document, VAT and all official fees included.
This covers:
- for a document from abroad, every stamp in the issuing country and the UAE embassy step
- the MOFA UAE fee (AED 150 per personal document, paid to the UAE government)
- our service, courier and VAT
No other charges. AED 250 is a UAE personal document that needs only MOFA (2 to 3 working days). UK personal from AED 985 (22 to 24 working days), USA personal from AED 1,025 (about 7 weeks), Canada AED 1,900 all included (4 to 6 weeks). Other countries are quoted from a copy. We confirm your exact total from a copy of your document before you pay. See attestation fees.
What should a complete attestation service include?
For a document issued outside the UAE, attestation is a chain. A company that only quotes for one link is not doing the whole job. Ask the company to confirm each of these is in its quote:
- Home country step. A notary or solicitor, then the state, foreign ministry or apostille authority of the country that issued the document. In the USA this means the Secretary of State and the US Department of State; in the UK, a solicitor and the FCDO.
- UAE embassy in the issuing country. For many countries this stage now runs through the MOFA portal, with the embassy and MOFA attesting the document together digitally.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final stamp that UAE employers, schools and visa offices look for. See MOFA attestation.
- Courier and translation. Getting the original between countries, and a legal translation if the document is not in Arabic or English.
An apostille on its own does not finish the job, because the UAE is not part of the Apostille Convention. Our page on attestation vs apostille explains why.
What should I ask an attestation company before I pay?
| Ask this | A good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| What is the total, including government fees and VAT? | One figure in writing, with official fees inside it |
| Which authorities will stamp my document, in what order? | Named offices for your country, not "we handle everything" |
| How many working days, and from when? | A range for your country, counted from when they receive the document |
| Who collects the original and who returns it? | A named courier route, collection and delivery in Dubai |
| Can I track where my original is? | Updates at each stage, with the courier reference |
| Do I get a receipt and the MOFA reference? | Yes, both, so you can verify the result yourself |
| Do you have a trade licence I can check? | A licence number from Dubai Economy and Tourism or another authority |
Timelines vary a lot by country, so compare any promise with our page on how long attestation takes. A company that quotes the same few days for every country is guessing.
What are the warning signs of a bad attestation company?
- A total below the official fees. MOFA charges a set fee for every document (MOFA FAQ), before any embassy or home country fee. An all-in price below the official fees added together cannot cover real stamps.
- No written quote. A price given only on a call is hard to hold anyone to.
- No licence and no office. You are handing over an original degree or marriage certificate. You should know who has it and where they work.
- Requests for your UAE PASS login or OTP. MOFA lets anyone apply on your behalf, so a real service never needs your password.
- Stamps that cannot be checked. If there is no MOFA reference, or it shows nothing on MOFA Verify, treat the document as unattested. Our guide to spotting fake attestation covers the signs on the stamp itself.
How can I check a MOFA attestation myself?
When the document comes back, open verify.mofa.gov.ae, choose Document Status and type the reference number and issue date printed on the attestation. A digitally attested PDF can also be uploaded to the Document Verification option on UAE PASS. Our step by step page on MOFA attestation verification shows where each detail sits on the document.
Do this before you hand the document to an employer or a visa office. A forged stamp found later can mean starting the whole chain again.
Do I need an attestation company at all?
Not always. If your document was issued in the UAE and only needs the MOFA stage, you can apply yourself. MOFA's service centres are closed, so the application is made online on the MOFA website or app with UAE PASS, and a courier collects the document. The MOFA attestation service page lists the requirements, and our guide to MOFA attestation online walks through the form.
A company earns its fee on documents from abroad. The home country steps happen in that country, often in person or by post, and the UAE embassy stage has its own rules. That is where most people decide to pay someone rather than arrange it from Dubai.
What can I check about your company before I send a document?
We are a private document service in Dubai, not MOFA, an embassy or a government office. Here is what you can check about us before you send anything:
- Written total prices published on our fees page, with official fees and courier included.
- Trade licence: Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) licence number 660861.
- An office in Bur Dubai you can visit, open six days a week and closed on Sunday. Details are on our contact page.
- Free pickup and delivery anywhere in Dubai, booked on WhatsApp.
- The MOFA reference number at the end, so you can confirm the attestation on MOFA Verify yourself.
For countries outside our price list, send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the full chain and one total, government fees included, before any work starts. Compare it with any other quote using the questions above.
