Fees and steps checked on
A US high school diploma can be used in the UAE after a school official signs a statement about it before a notary, the Secretary of State of the notary's state authenticates that notary, the US Department of State adds its certificate, and the UAE Embassy in Washington attests it together with MOFA. Students need it for a place at a UAE university and for Ministry of Education equivalency. Adults are sometimes asked for it when they have no degree and a UAE employer wants proof of their highest qualification.
Price: AED 1,025 per document plus VAT, about 1 month and 3 weeks, with the state, federal, embassy and MOFA fees and courier inside the price. A clear scan is enough for us to start. See attestation fees.
Why the school official signs first
Schools and districts are not state officials, so the Secretary of State cannot authenticate the diploma itself. It authenticates a notary. The Texas Secretary of State, for example, asks for school records to carry a statement of issuance signed by a school official, with a proper notarial certificate. In New York, the school official certifies that the record is official or a true copy, signs before a notary, and the County Clerk certifies the notary before the Department of State.
For a school that has closed, the district or the state education department usually holds the records. Ask them for a certified copy.
The steps for a high school diploma
- Ask the school or district for the diploma or a certified copy, and the final transcript if the UAE office wants grades.
- School official and notary. The official signs a statement of issuance, and a notary in the same state notarises it.
- County Clerk, where the state requires it. New York does.
- Secretary of State of the notary's state.
- US Department of State, Office of Authentications.
- UAE Embassy and MOFA through VFS Global, issued digitally.
A GED takes a different first step
The GED is issued by the state where you tested, or as the District of Columbia High School Equivalency Diploma for people who tested abroad. GED Testing Service says it handles international apostilles only from transcripts it fulfilled through Parchment, by preparing an affidavit that the Minnesota Secretary of State apostilles. That covers the first stamp. For the UAE, the US Department of State and the UAE Embassy steps still follow. Acceptance of the GED itself in the UAE is decided case by case, set out in our guide on GED certificate attestation.
After attestation: MOE equivalency
For university entry, the Ministry of Education equalises school certificates from outside the UAE system. The UAE government portal says certificates for equalisation must be attested. Our page on MOE attestation covers the ministry side. For a child moving to a UAE school, see attestation for school admission.
Documents to send
- Scans of the diploma and the final transcript
- The school's name and state, and whether it is still open
- Your passport copy, and the UAE university or employer the documents are for
What goes wrong
- Notary in the wrong state. The notary and the Secretary of State must be in the same state.
- Diploma without the transcript. The MOE and universities often want grades too. Each is a separate document, so decide at the start. See USA transcript attestation.
- Laminated diplomas. MOFA does not accept them. Ask the school for a certified copy.
- A GED PDF only. A secure PDF works for a US college but is not the document the UAE chain stamps.
Non-US diplomas are covered on diploma certificate attestation. Other US papers are listed on USA certificate attestation.
