Document Attestation and Legalisation in the UAE

Our company offers comprehensive services for the legalisation of documents in the UAE, which are intended for export and use in other countries, as well as the attestation of foreign documents for use within the Emirates. We guide you through every step of the process. Contact us for a quote based on the volume of documents and their specific requirements. We handle both corporate and personal documents.

Legalisation may be necessary for organisations conducting business in the Emirates, as well as for anyone connected to the UAE, including employees of Emirati companies, students of local universities, and more.

What is document legalisation? 

Legalisation refers to the process of verifying the authenticity of a document issued by a foreign state agency or certified by a foreign notary, including the validation of the issuing authority’s signature and seal.

The outcome of the legalisation process is to grant legal validity to a document issued in one country for use in another.

Who needs document legalisation in the UAE?

The need varies depending on the individual’s purposes for exporting documents from the Emirates.

  • For families moving abroad: legalising marriage or birth certificates in the UAE;
  • For expatriates: attesting a criminal record certificate for visa applications, residency, or citizenship in a foreign country;
  • For students: attesting diplomas, certificates, academic transcripts, and other educational documents from previous institutions or qualifications;
  • For corporate representatives: attesting the articles of incorporation and other corporate documents from UAE for opening overseas branches or subsidiaries, as well as for foreign bank accounts;
  • Other notarially certified documents and their copies: powers of attorney, consents, applications, etc.

Generally, identity documents (e.g., passports) and documents related to commercial transactions or customs operations (e.g., sales contracts, customs declarations) do not require legalisation.

Features of document legalisation in the Emirates 

As of today, 125 countries have signed the Hague Apostille Convention, which abolishes the requirement for legalisation of foreign official documents. However, the UAE is not a signatory.

Thus, official documents issued in the UAE cannot be apostilled and must undergo consular legalisation. Similarly, foreign documents with an apostille are not accepted in the UAE.

The authenticity of an official document from the UAE is confirmed through a phased legalisation process, first in the Emirates’ state agencies and then in the consular institutions of the destination country. Legalisation is not universal; if you have documents attested for Germany, they must be re-attested for use in the United Kingdom.

Timeline for document legalisation in the UAE 

The legalisation of documents for individuals and companies differs mainly in the scale of state duties—the cost of attesting company documents is significantly higher.

For instance, the MOFA attestation in Dubai typically takes 2-3 working days. However, if documents are submitted independently, the process can take much longer, up to several months.

This is due to a lack of familiarity with legalisation formalities and issues with electronic appointments in various state institutions, particularly consulates, where slots may be unavailable for weeks. Additionally, if there are deficiencies in the document, the state agency may outright deny its attestation.

By engaging professional intermediaries, the legalisation timeline can be significantly reduced. We are ready to assist with the legalisation of documents from the UAE to other countries and vice versa, typically completing the process within one to one and a half weeks on average.

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