Fees and steps checked on
A UK death certificate is attested for the UAE by sending a certified copy from the register to the FCDO for its apostille, then to the UAE Embassy in London, which attests it together with MOFA in one digital step. No solicitor is needed, because the FCDO legalises register documents directly. Families need it when someone with a bank account, a property, a company share or an end of service payment in the UAE dies in Britain, or when a UAE court handles the estate.
Price: from AED 985 plus VAT (standard, 22 to 24 working days), AED 1,200 (express, 18 working days) or AED 1,600 (premium, 12 to 14 working days). The FCDO, embassy, MOFA and courier fees are all inside the price. See attestation fees.
Which register to order from
| Where the death was registered | Office | How to order |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | General Register Office, or the local register office | Online on GOV.UK, standard or priority |
| Scotland | National Records of Scotland | ScotlandsPeople online, or form SU3 by post or email |
| Northern Ireland | General Register Office for Northern Ireland | nidirect, by phone, post or in person in Belfast |
The GRO currently charges £12.50 for a certificate sent 4 days after you apply, more if you have no index number or want priority. NRS and GRONI charge their own fees, with lower prices for extra copies ordered together. Order all the copies you need in one go: a UAE bank, a court and a registry may each keep one, and each copy is attested on its own.
Who in the UAE asks for it
- Banks, before they deal with the heirs on an account.
- Courts, when an estate is settled in the UAE.
- Employers, to release end of service pay to the family.
- Property and company registries, before a title deed or shares move.
The family often names one person to act for everyone. A power of attorney signed in the UK follows its own route on UK power of attorney attestation.
Step by step
- Order a certified copy from the register. A copy issued today is as good as the one issued at registration.
- FCDO apostille, paper only. GOV.UK says GRO certificates cannot get an e-Apostille.
- UAE Embassy London and MOFA. The application is made on the MOFA portal with UAE Pass. VFS collects the certificate in the UK, and the embassy and MOFA attest it digitally, usually within 2 to 3 working days.
- Delivery. The attested certificate is emailed, and the paper comes back by courier.
- Arabic translation, if the court or bank asks. See legal translation in Dubai.
Documents to send
- A photo of the certificate, so we can check it is the register copy
- Who in the UAE asked for it, and by when
- Your passport copy, as the person applying
What goes wrong
- A photocopy or a scan. The embassy wants the original register copy.
- A laminated certificate. MOFA refuses laminated papers. Order a fresh copy.
- Several deaths on one envelope. Each certificate gets its own apostille. The embassy does not accept bundled apostilles.
- A coroner's interim certificate. It is not the final register entry. Wait for the registered certificate.
The route for death certificates from other countries, and for UAE certificates going abroad, is on death certificate attestation. Every other UK document is on UK certificate attestation.
