Fees and steps checked on
Ireland degree attestation makes an Irish university or college degree valid in the UAE, most often for a work visa, a professional licence or degree recognition. The route is: Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stamp, then the UAE embassy step for Irish documents, then MOFA attestation in the UAE. You can stay in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah while it is done.
Price: Ireland has no fixed price on our list. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
Who needs an Irish degree attested
- Graduates taking a skilled job in the UAE, where the work permit asks for an attested degree. See degree attestation for a UAE work visa.
- Teachers, engineers, nurses and other professionals whose licensing body asks for an attested qualification.
- Golden visa applicants on the skilled professional route. See attestation for the golden visa.
- Anyone applying for degree recognition, the old "equivalency certificate". See equivalency certificate in the UAE.
Why an Irish apostille is not enough
Ireland is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so the DFA issues apostilles. The UAE is not a member. That means the UAE does not accept the apostille alone: the degree still needs the UAE embassy stamp and MOFA attestation after the Irish step. Read more in attestation vs apostille.
Step by step: Irish degree attestation
- Check the document. We confirm it is the original degree, not laminated, and in English.
- Certification where needed. If the DFA asks for the degree to be certified before it stamps it, an Irish notary does this first. We confirm this when we see your copy.
- Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. The DFA authenticates the degree, one stamp per document.
- UAE embassy step. The DFA-stamped degree is attested by the UAE mission that handles Irish documents. Routing for Irish documents has changed over time, so we confirm the current mission before you pay.
- MOFA in the UAE. The degree receives MOFA attestation. Where the mission uses digital attestation, the embassy and MOFA stamps are issued together.
- Return. The attested original comes back to you in the UAE by courier.
Fees and timing
| Step | Who stamps it | Usual time |
|---|---|---|
| Certification (if needed) | Irish notary | depends on appointment |
| Authentication | Irish Department of Foreign Affairs | depends on DFA workload |
| UAE embassy | UAE mission handling Irish documents | confirmed with your quote |
| MOFA | UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs | confirmed with your quote |
Our total price already includes all official fees and the courier. You get the full timeline with your quote.
Documents you need
- The original Irish degree certificate (not a scan, not laminated)
- A copy of your passport
- The transcript too, if your employer or licensing body asks for it
Common problems with Irish degrees
- A laminated certificate. MOFA rejects it. Order a replacement from the university first.
- Only an apostille. People often get the DFA stamp and stop there. The UAE still needs the embassy and MOFA steps.
- A scan instead of the original. The chain needs the physical document.
See why attestation gets rejected for the full list.
After attestation
Once MOFA attests the degree, you can check it at verify.mofa.gov.ae with the reference number and issue date. If you also need a marriage or birth certificate from Ireland for a family visa, see Ireland marriage certificate attestation and Ireland birth certificate attestation, or the full Ireland certificate attestation page.
