Fees and steps checked on
For the UAE, the US divorce document to attest is the certified final decree from the clerk of the county court that granted the divorce. It goes to the Secretary of State of that state, then to the US Department of State, then to the UAE Embassy in Washington, which attests it digitally together with MOFA. You need it to marry again in the UAE, to move a child's visa from one parent to the other, or to show your civil status to an employer or a court.
Price: AED 1,025 per decree plus VAT, about 1 month and 3 weeks, government and courier fees inside the price. A clear scan of the certified decree is all we need. See attestation fees.
Decree or divorce certificate
US states keep two kinds of divorce record, and they are not equal.
| Record | Issued by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Final decree or judgment of divorce | Clerk of the court that granted it | The full order, including custody and property terms |
| Divorce certificate or certificate of record | State vital records, in some states | Names, date, county and case number only |
California's state certificate of record, for example, covers only 1962 to June 1984 and lists just the parties, the filing date, the county and the case number. For every other year, and for the decree itself, the state sends you to the Superior Court of the county. The CDC directory shows what each state holds. In the UAE, the decree is the safer choice because it proves the divorce is final and shows any custody order.
Step by step
- Ask the court clerk for a certified copy of the final decree. Give the case number if you have it.
- County Clerk, in some states. In New York, a certificate signed by a local official is certified by the County Clerk before it reaches the state.
- Secretary of State of the state where the court sits.
- US Department of State. The Office of Authentications adds the federal certificate.
- UAE Embassy and MOFA. Filed on the MOFA portal and handled by VFS Global in Washington. The attested decree comes back by email.
When you need it in the UAE
- Marrying again. UAE courts and marriage registries ask for proof that the earlier marriage ended. Read divorce certificate for remarriage in the UAE.
- Children's visas. If the parent who sponsors a child changes, the immigration office may want the custody terms in the decree.
- Name change after divorce. If you went back to your earlier name, the decree may be the link between your old and new documents. See USA name change attestation.
- Single status. Some offices want the decree together with a single status affidavit. See USA single status attestation.
Documents to send
- A colour scan of the certified decree with the clerk's certificate and seal visible
- The county and state of the court
- Your passport copy, and your US marriage certificate if the UAE office asks to see both
What goes wrong
- Interim or temporary orders. Only the final decree ends the marriage. A judgment that is not yet final is refused at the UAE end.
- A plain photocopy. It has no clerk's certificate, so the Secretary of State cannot authenticate it.
- Missing pages. If the certified copy leaves out the signature page, start again with the clerk.
- Translation left late. Many UAE courts work in Arabic. Plan a legal translation after attestation.
Divorce documents from other countries are covered on divorce certificate attestation. The rest of the US list is on USA certificate attestation.
