Fees and steps checked on
Samoa certificate attestation makes a Samoan birth certificate, marriage certificate, court order or degree usable in the UAE. The Samoan step is an apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in Apia. Because the UAE does not accept apostilles alone, a UAE mission step and MOFA attestation must follow, and for Samoa the mission step needs checking first.
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 gap on the UAE side
The UAE has no embassy in Apia. Its ambassador to Australia is accredited to Samoa as a non-resident ambassador; the ambassador at the time presented credentials in Apia in April 2023, and the current one also covers the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. However, the UAE Embassy in Canberra's own attestation page lists only UAE and Australian documents, not Samoan ones. So it is not clear from published sources which UAE office stamps a Samoan document today. We check that for your paper before any courier is booked.
What MFAT does
MFAT's apostille page sets out the Samoan side:
- MFAT is the designated competent authority for apostilles.
- Apostilles cover the seals and signatures of officials on public documents such as birth certificates, notarial acts and court orders.
- Where further certification is needed, the apostilled document goes to the Samoa High Commission in Wellington.
All official fees are inside our quoted total.
Route for Samoan papers
- Original or true official copy from the issuing office in Samoa.
- MFAT apostille, Apia. One stamp per document.
- UAE step. Confirmed per file, as explained above.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final attestation.
Why the apostille is not enough is explained on attestation vs apostille.
Samoan documents and their use
| Document | Use in the UAE |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate | Child visa, birth certificate attestation |
| Marriage certificate | Spouse visa, family sponsorship |
| Court order | Custody, name change, guardianship |
| Degree from the National University of Samoa | Work permit, licensing |
Documents from Australia or New Zealand
If you studied or married in Australia or New Zealand, those papers are not Samoan documents and follow their own chain; the Australian one is on Australia certificate attestation.
Language and names
Samoan civil records are usually in English, which MOFA accepts. A paper in Samoan needs a legally certified translation. Samoan names with chiefly titles can appear differently across documents, so keep a passport copy in the file.
From the UAE
Someone in Apia takes the original to MFAT, or it is couriered there. The UAE stages are handled on your behalf.
Avoid
- Stopping at the apostille.
- Laminating the certificate, which MOFA cannot attest.
- Sending a photocopy where the UAE office expects an original or a true official copy.
