Fees and steps checked on
Switzerland certificate attestation is shaped by the country's 26 cantons. A Swiss diploma, civil status certificate, power of attorney or company document is usually signed off by a notary or cantonal authority, then the cantonal chancellery, then the Federal Chancellery in Bern, before the UAE Embassy in Bern attests it and MOFA attestation completes it for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates.
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 Swiss chain, level by level
- Notary or issuing authority. Private documents, copies and company papers are certified by a Swiss notary. University documents may need the education authority listed in VFS Global's Swiss chain.
- Cantonal chancellery (Staatskanzlei, Chancellerie d'État). Confirms the notary's or cantonal official's signature. Each canton runs its own office and fees.
- Federal Chancellery, Bern. Legalises signatures of cantonal chancelleries and federal offices. For non-Hague countries the Chancellery says the normal certification route applies, with authentication by a consular or diplomatic agent afterwards.
- UAE Embassy in Bern. Attests the Federal Chancellery's legalisation. The embassy covers Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final stamp, online with UAE PASS or through an approved provider.
This matches the chain VFS Global, MOFA's attestation service provider, publishes for Switzerland: notary, education authority for academic documents, state chancellery, Federal Chancellery, UAE Embassy, MOFA. We have not seen a digital attestation service announced for Bern, so we plan MOFA as a separate stage unless that changes for your file.
Swiss documents and the language question
| Document | Usual language | Starting point |
|---|---|---|
| University diploma, transcript | German, French, Italian or English | University, then notary or canton |
| Civil status certificate (birth, marriage) | Language of the canton | Cantonal civil registry |
| Power of attorney | Any | Swiss notary |
| Commercial register extract | Language of the canton | Cantonal commercial register |
| Board resolution | Any | Swiss notary |
MOFA accepts documents in Arabic or English, or with a legally certified translation. A certificate from Geneva in French or from Zurich in German needs a translation into English or Arabic, which we arrange through legal translation in Dubai at the right point.
Fees
Every official fee and the courier are included in the total price you get before any work starts. That covers the cantonal, Federal Chancellery, UAE embassy and MOFA fees.
Common Swiss problems
- Skipping the canton. The Federal Chancellery legalises the signature of a cantonal chancellery or federal office, not a notary's signature directly. Missing the cantonal step means a return trip.
- Company documents signed abroad. A Swiss company's board resolution signed outside Switzerland may need a different first step. Tell us where it was signed.
- Holiday closures. The Federal Chancellery closes its counter on some dates, such as 24 and 31 December 2026, and takes post only. Plan December files early.
- Liechtenstein documents. The UAE Embassy in Bern also covers Liechtenstein, but the domestic steps are different. Ask us.
Documents from Germany follow a different chain, set out on Germany certificate attestation, so if you hold papers from both countries the two routes can be planned side by side.
From inside the UAE
You do not need to travel to Bern. Swiss documents for a degree certificate attestation, a power of attorney attestation or company documents attestation are sent to Switzerland by courier, legalised there and returned to you. MOFA allows anyone to apply on your behalf.
