Fees and steps checked on
Serbia certificate attestation makes a Serbian diploma, birth certificate, marriage certificate or company paper valid in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. What sets Serbia apart is the translation and court step at the start: the UAE Embassy in Belgrade wants a court interpreter's English or Arabic translation, verified by a Serbian court, before the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sign off. Only then does the embassy stamp it, and MOFA attestation in the UAE completes the chain.
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 Belgrade route, step by step
The order below is how the UAE Embassy in Belgrade describes it on its MOFA page:
- Court interpreter translation. An authorised Serbian court interpreter translates the document into English or Arabic. Documents already in English, or printed in two languages, can skip this.
- Court verification. The court checks the original and the translation together. In Belgrade this is the First Basic Court; outside Belgrade, the court where the document was issued.
- Serbian Ministry of Justice. The ministry certifies the court's signature.
- Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The foreign ministry legalises the Ministry of Justice stamp.
- UAE Embassy in Belgrade. You pay on the MOFA website, print the receipt and hand in the papers. No appointment is needed.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final stamp, done online or by courier through MOFA's approved channels.
Serbia is not on the VFS Global list that MOFA uses for about 50 countries, and the Belgrade pages describe a paper process for Serbian documents rather than the digital route offered elsewhere. That is why the MOFA step is still a separate stage in the UAE.
What each Serbian document needs
| Document | Serbian steps | UAE steps |
|---|---|---|
| University diploma (diploma), transcript | Court interpreter, court, Ministry of Justice, MFA | Embassy Belgrade, MOFA |
| Birth or marriage extract (izvod) | Court interpreter, court, Ministry of Justice, MFA | Embassy Belgrade, MOFA |
| Divorce judgment | Court certified copy, translation, Ministry of Justice, MFA | Embassy Belgrade, MOFA |
| Power of attorney | Notary or court, translation, Ministry of Justice, MFA | Embassy Belgrade, MOFA |
| Company documents | Registry extract or notarised copy, then the chain above | Embassy Belgrade, MOFA |
Official fees on the UAE side
Every official fee and the courier are included in the total price you get before any work starts. That covers the Belgrade embassy, MOFA and the Serbian court and ministry steps. One practical tip from the embassy: finish the MOFA payment on a computer, not the phone app.
From inside the UAE
You do not need to fly to Belgrade. The original goes to Serbia by courier or with a family member, the four Serbian steps and the embassy stamp are done there, and the document returns to you in Dubai or Sharjah for MOFA. Anyone may submit the MOFA application on your behalf. If you need an extra Arabic version for a UAE court or ministry, we arrange legal translation in Dubai.
Holding a second set of papers from Montenegro? The route is on Montenegro certificate attestation, and both sets can go into one request.
Problems we see with Serbian files
- Cyrillic names. A birth extract in Cyrillic may spell your name differently from your passport. The court interpreter should follow the passport spelling, so send a passport copy with the file.
- Apostille instead of legalisation. Serbian basic courts issue apostilles, and many people stop there. Dubai still needs the Ministry of Justice, the MFA and the embassy.
- Old extracts. If the UAE office receiving your file asks for a recently issued civil registry extract, order a fresh one before the chain starts, so the stamps are not spent on a copy that will be refused.
Using the document for a job or school? See degree certificate attestation or, for a family visa, marriage certificate attestation. Other countries are on attestation by country.
