Certificate attestation
Experience certificate attestation for UAE job moves
Experience certificate attestation for UAE use is asked for when a licensing body or employer wants proof of your previous work that it can rely on. A letter from a former employer abroad is a private document, so it needs a first official signature (usually a chamber of commerce or a notary public) before the home foreign ministry and the UAE mission will stamp it, and then MOFA completes it here. The same idea applies in reverse when you leave the UAE with an experience or salary certificate for a job abroad.
The first official step is the one that confuses people. A government ministry cannot confirm a private company’s letter directly; something must turn the letter into a document an official can verify.
What a good experience letter shows
Before any stamp, check the letter itself. Offices often reject letters that are missing:
- the company’s letterhead, address and trade licence or registration number;
- your name spelled letter for letter as on the passport, ideally with the passport number;
- your job title, and start and end dates (day, month, year);
- a short description of duties, if a regulator will assess it;
- who signed it (name and title), their signature, and the company seal.
A regulator may also ask for payslips or a social insurance record to back up the letter.
Step by step
Coming to the UAE: foreign experience letters
01
First official signature.
Depending on the country, a chamber of commerce certifies the company’s signature, or a notary public certifies the letter.
02
Home foreign ministry.
03
UAE mission
in that country.
04
MOFA
in the UAE.
This is mostly needed for regulated jobs (health, engineering, teaching) rather than for an ordinary work permit. See degree attestation in Dubai for the qualification side, and medical certificate attestation for health licensing.
Step by step
Leaving the UAE: experience and salary certificates going abroad
A foreign employer, immigration office or bank may ask for your UAE experience or salary certificate attested. The usual route:
01
The employer issues the letter on letterhead, signed and stamped.
02
A chamber of commerce in the emirate certifies the signature. People search for “salary certificate attestation in Dubai Chamber of Commerce” for this step.
03
MOFA attests it.
04
The destination country’s mission in the UAE legalises it, if that country asks.
The whole route can be done in the UAE, as long as the former employer signs the letter before you leave. After you have gone, it is much harder.
Employment contracts
An “attested labour contract” usually means one of two things. Inside the UAE, the labour contract is registered with MOHRE and does not need MOFA attestation for local use. For use abroad, for example a visa or a bank loan at home, the contract may be attested through MOFA and the destination embassy. A signed foreign employment contract for a UAE use follows the foreign document chain.
Police clearance often travels with it
Employers and immigration offices often ask for a police clearance at the same time. Doing both in one batch saves a trip. See MOFA attestation for a police clearance.
Step by step
How we help
01
We check your letter against the list above before anything is stamped.
02
For a UAE letter, we take it through the chamber step, MOFA and the embassy.
03
For a foreign letter, we set out the home country steps and complete MOFA.
04
We draft a notarised declaration or affidavit where a former employer no longer exists and the office accepts one.
05
We handle the translation if needed.
Prices
Prices
| Service | Our service price | Government fees, paid on top at cost |
|---|---|---|
| MOFA attestation, personal document | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| MOFA attestation, commercial document | From AED 300 | MOFA AED 2,000 |
| Salary slip or salary certificate copy, notary certified | From AED 400 | Confirmed at booking |
| Declaration (statutory or self) | From AED 600 | Federal item 12 (AED 300) if made as an affidavit, or item 8 (AED 200 per party) if signatures are authenticated |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need experience certificate attestation for a UAE work permit?
Not usually for an ordinary permit. It is mostly asked for by professional regulators and some employers. Ask for the list in writing.
My former company has closed. What can I do?
Ask the receiving office what it will accept instead: payslips, a social insurance record, or a declaration before a notary public. Then attest that.
Can a salary certificate from Dubai be attested for a visa abroad?
Yes. Usually the chamber of commerce step, then MOFA, then the embassy of the destination country in the UAE if it asks.
Does the letter need to be in Arabic?
No. MOFA attests Arabic and English documents. Letters in other languages need a certified translation. Source: MOFA attestation service.
Send us your letter
Send a photo of the experience or salary letter and tell us who asked for it.
- Phone and WhatsApp: +971 52 947 5935
- Email: info@dubainotaryservices.com
Certificate attestation
More in this cluster
Service hub
Certificate attestation in Dubai is the chain of stamps that makes a degree, marriage certificate, birth certificate or similar paper acceptable to a UAE office.
Sources for this page
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FAQ (attestation chain and fees): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation service (language requirement): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491