Fees and steps checked on
A US name change court order is attested for the UAE when you need to prove that two names belong to the same person. Order a certified copy from the clerk of the court that granted the change, then it goes to the Secretary of State of that state, the US Department of State, and the UAE Embassy in Washington, which attests it together with MOFA. UAE employers, regulators and immigration offices compare every document with your passport, so a degree or birth certificate in a former name can stop a file until the link is shown.
Price: AED 1,025 per court order plus VAT and about 1 month and 3 weeks, government fees and courier included. A scan of the certified copy is enough. See attestation fees.
Which document links your names
| How your name changed | The linking document |
|---|---|
| Marriage | The marriage certificate, see USA marriage certificate attestation |
| Divorce, going back to an earlier name | The divorce decree, if it restores the name, see USA divorce decree attestation |
| Any other change, by petition | The name change court order |
A court order is the right document when you asked a court to change your name for any reason other than marriage. It names your old name and your new one, and the date the court granted it.
Getting the certified copy
Name change orders are court records. The clerk of the court that granted yours holds the file, often a county superior, district or probate court depending on the state. Ask for a certified copy, not a plain copy. The clerk's certificate and seal are what the Secretary of State authenticates. In New York, a document signed by a local official is certified by the County Clerk first.
Step by step
- Certified copy of the order from the court clerk.
- County Clerk, where the state requires it.
- Secretary of State of the state where the court sits.
- US Department of State, Office of Authentications.
- UAE Embassy and MOFA through VFS Global, issued digitally.
Attest it with the document it explains
The order on its own proves nothing to a UAE office. It explains another document. If your degree is in your old name, attest the degree and the order in the same batch so the employer or regulator gets both at once. The degree route is on USA degree attestation. More on names that do not match is in name mismatch and attestation.
Documents to send
- A scan of the certified court order
- Your current passport copy
- Scans of the documents in your old name that the order links
What goes wrong
- A published notice instead of the order. Some states require a newspaper notice. The notice is not the order.
- A plain copy. No clerk's certificate, nothing to authenticate.
- Several changes. If your name changed twice, you may need two linking documents. Lay them out in order for us.
- Small spelling differences. A missing middle name may not need a court order at all. Ask the UAE office if an affidavit is enough first.
Other US documents are on USA certificate attestation.
