Fees and steps checked on
UK commercial documents reach the UAE by two separate routes. Commercial invoices and certificates of origin are certified in the UK, usually by the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, and then attested by the UAE importer on MOFA's eDAS 2.0 system. The UAE Embassy in London does not attest them. All other trade documents, such as agency agreements, authorisation letters and price lists, are certified by a UK notary where needed, legalised by the FCDO and attested by the UAE Embassy in London together with MOFA.
Price: from AED 4,200 plus VAT per document on the FCDO and UAE Embassy route, 22 to 24 working days, with official fees and courier included. eDAS invoices are quoted after you share the details. See attestation fees.
Which route for which document
| Document | Route |
|---|---|
| Commercial invoice for goods going to the UAE | UK certification, then eDAS 2.0 by the UAE importer |
| Certificate of origin | UK certification, then eDAS 2.0 by the UAE importer |
| Agency or distribution agreement | UK notary, FCDO, UAE Embassy London and MOFA |
| Authorisation or appointment letter | UK notary, FCDO, UAE Embassy London and MOFA |
| Price list, product or trademark letter | UK notary, FCDO, UAE Embassy London and MOFA |
| Companies House certificates | FCDO directly, then UAE Embassy London and MOFA |
The UAE Embassy in London's attestation page says it attests personal and commercial documents after FCDO legalisation, except commercial invoices and certificates of origin, which go through eDAS 2.0.
Invoices and certificates of origin
The Arab-British Chamber of Commerce says that for the UAE, invoices and certificates of origin are now certification only, and only the UAE consignee can upload them to eDAS to complete legalisation. So the UK exporter's job ends at certification. The UAE importer logs in to eDAS with its company account, uploads the documents and pays. The thresholds, the grace period and late fines are on commercial document attestation.
Agreements and letters
- The company officer signs before a UK notary, who certifies the signature. GOV.UK names contracts among the documents that need certification first.
- FCDO apostille. Registered businesses can use the FCDO Next-Day service, or Restricted Urgent with approval.
- UAE Embassy London and MOFA, applied for on the MOFA portal and attested digitally as a commercial document.
- Arabic translation, where the UAE authority needs one. See legal translation in Dubai.
Documents to send
- A photo or scan of each document
- Who signed it, and in which UK city, so the notary step can be planned
- What the UAE side needs it for: customs, an agency registration, a tender or a bank
What goes wrong
- Invoices posted to the UAE Embassy. They are refused and sent back. Certify in the UK and use eDAS.
- A UK exporter trying to file eDAS. Only the UAE consignee can complete it.
- Agreements signed without a notary. The FCDO cannot legalise them.
- Several documents under one apostille. The UAE Embassy in London does not accept bundled apostilles.
Company records such as the certificate of good standing are on UK good standing attestation, and board resolutions on UK company documents attestation.
