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Saudi Arabia certificate attestation makes a Saudi degree, marriage contract, birth certificate or company document valid in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention (in force 7 December 2022), but the UAE is not a member, so a Saudi apostille alone is not accepted. The route is the Saudi foreign ministry step, the UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia, then 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. Saudi documents have no fixed price. For a UAE document going to Saudi Arabia, MOFA attestation alone is from AED 250 plus VAT for a personal document. See attestation fees.
Two directions, two routes
People search "Saudi embassy attestation" for two different jobs. Check which one is yours:
| You have | You need it in | Route |
|---|---|---|
| A Saudi document (degree, marriage contract, company papers) | The UAE | Saudi foreign ministry step, UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia, MOFA |
| A UAE document (degree, birth certificate, company papers) | Saudi Arabia | MOFA in the UAE first, then the Saudi side's own requirements |
This page covers the first route in detail. For the second, see UAE documents for use abroad.
Saudi documents for the UAE: step by step
- Issuing authority. The Saudi ministry, university, court or registry that issued the document confirms it in a form its foreign ministry will process.
- Saudi foreign ministry step. Since 2022 Saudi Arabia can issue an apostille, but the UAE does not accept an apostille alone. The document must also be attested by the UAE.
- UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia. The UAE mission attests the Saudi stamp.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final stamp.
Which Saudi stamp your document needs before the UAE embassy, and how the embassy currently receives Saudi documents, is confirmed when you send a copy. See attestation vs apostille for why the UAE still asks for embassy attestation.
Saudi documents and their usual steps
| Document | Group | Usual steps in Saudi Arabia | UAE steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| University degree, transcript | Educational | University, Saudi foreign ministry step | UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia, MOFA |
| School certificate | Educational | Education authority, Saudi foreign ministry step | UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia, MOFA |
| Birth certificate | Personal | Civil registry, Saudi foreign ministry step | UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia, MOFA |
| Marriage contract | Personal | Issuing court, Saudi foreign ministry step | UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia, MOFA |
| Commercial registration, company documents | Commercial | Issuing body or chamber, Saudi foreign ministry step | UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia, MOFA (commercial fee) |
Arabic documents: no translation for MOFA
Saudi certificates are issued in Arabic, which MOFA accepts directly. You avoid the translation step that documents from most non-Arab countries need. If an international employer in the UAE wants an English copy, we can add a legal translation.
Already in the UAE?
If you moved from Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam to Dubai with a Saudi degree or marriage contract that was never attested for the UAE, this is the usual fix. You do not need to go back. The original goes to Saudi Arabia for the Saudi and UAE embassy steps, and comes back to you. MOFA allows anyone to apply on your behalf.
Families in the UAE often hold papers from more than one country. If some of yours come from Bahrain, use the route on Bahrain certificate attestation for those.
What to send us
A clear PDF or photo of the document is enough to start. Add the ID page of your passport. If the name on the document differs from your passport, include the document that explains the change, such as a marriage contract or a name-change record. We confirm the route and the total price first. The original travels only once the route is agreed, and it comes back to you after the final MOFA stamp.
How to check the finished attestation
Look at the last page for the MOFA stamp with its reference number and date, then confirm it on MOFA attestation verification. Check that the name, date of birth and document number match your passport before you submit it to an employer or a visa office. For work permits see attestation for an employment visa, and for spouses see attestation for a family visa.
Common problems with Saudi documents
- Apostille only. Since 2022 a Saudi document may come with an apostille. For the UAE, the UAE embassy step and MOFA are still needed.
- Wrong embassy. For a Saudi document used in the UAE, the stamp that counts is the UAE embassy in Saudi Arabia, not a Saudi embassy.
- Degree without the university step. The foreign ministry stamp must sit on a confirmed degree.
- Lamination. MOFA does not attest laminated documents.
For a work permit, see degree certificate attestation; for a family visa, marriage certificate attestation.
