Guide: Family documents
NOC from parents for visa: the father’s NOC to sponsor a child, and travel with one parent
An NOC from parents for a visa is a signed letter in which one parent says they do not object to something the other parent is doing for their child. Two uses come up most in the UAE: the NOC from the father to sponsor the child by the mother, when the mother holds the residence visa that the child’s visa will depend on, and the NOC letter for a child travelling with one parent, when one parent flies with the child and the other stays behind.
The letter is short. What makes it work is how it is signed. We have in-house, in person notary public services, online notary public services and home visit notary services, so a parent in the UAE can have the NOC notarised in person, online or at home. A parent who lives abroad signs before a notary there, and the letter is then legalised through that country’s foreign ministry, the UAE embassy and MOFA. This page covers both routes.
Side by side
Two letters that look alike
| NOC for a child’s visa | NOC for a child travelling with one parent | |
|---|---|---|
| Who usually signs | The father, when the mother sponsors | The parent who is not travelling |
| Who asks for it | The visa office, through the sponsor’s application | The airline, immigration or the destination country |
| What it must name | The child, the sponsoring parent, the visa being applied for | The child, the travelling parent, the route and dates |
| How long it is used | For that visa application | For that trip, or trips within stated dates |
| Also see | Family visa documents | Can a minor travel to the UAE without parents? |
Many families need both in the same year. It is usually better to sign two clear letters than one letter that tries to cover everything.
Step by step
NOC from the father to sponsor the child by the mother
When a mother sponsors her child’s residence visa, the father’s NOC confirms he does not object. How it is signed depends on where the father is.
The father is in the UAE. He signs before our in-house notary public with his passport and Emirates ID. He can come in person, sign online by video, or we come to his home or office. We tell you if your document can be done online.
The father is abroad. The usual route is:
01
We send the wording.
The letter is drafted to match what the UAE visa office will read, in Arabic and English where needed.
02
The father signs before a notary in his country.
He takes his passport and the letter, and signs in front of the notary.
03
His country’s foreign ministry stamps it.
04
The UAE embassy or consulate in that country stamps it.
05
The letter comes to the UAE,
and we take it through MOFA.
06
Translation,
if the visa office wants Arabic and the letter is not already bilingual. See legal translation.
For the mother’s own documents in the same file (marriage certificate, child’s birth certificate), see marriage certificate attestation for a family visa and birth certificate attestation in Dubai.
NOC letter for a child travelling with one parent
The no objection letter for a child travelling with one parent is simpler, but airlines and border officers read it quickly, so it must be clear at a glance. A travel NOC for a minor child in the UAE should name:
- the child, with date of birth and passport number;
- the parent giving consent, with passport or Emirates ID number and phone;
- the parent travelling with the child;
- the destination, the travel dates and the return date;
- a plain sentence: “I have no objection to my child travelling with …”;
- the signature, made before the notary.
Airlines and destination countries set their own requirements for a child travelling with one parent, so check them before the trip. A notarised letter is what we recommend in every case, because it answers the question before anyone asks it.
Step by step
Travel NOC for a minor child in the UAE: how it is notarised
01
Tell us the trip.
Who travels, where to, and the dates.
02
We draft the letter.
Plain English, with Arabic where the reader needs it.
03
The parent signs before the notary.
In person with our in-house notary public, online by video through the UAE remote notarisation channels such as the Ministry of Justice e-Notary system and UAE PASS, or at home on a home visit.
04
The notary checks and seals.
The notary checks the parent’s ID, watches the signature and applies the seal.
05
MOFA and embassy, only if needed.
If an office abroad will read the letter and asks for it, the notarised letter goes to MOFA and then that country’s embassy in the UAE.
Side by side
When the father cannot sign
| Situation | What usually replaces or supports the NOC |
|---|---|
| Father has died | His death certificate, attested if issued abroad |
| Parents divorced, mother has custody | The court order on custody, attested if issued abroad |
| Father cannot be reached | A court order may be needed; speak to a lawyer |
| Father refuses | A court order; this is a legal matter, not a paperwork one |
Visa offices decide each case on its own papers, so check with the office first. A foreign death certificate or court order goes through the same chain as any foreign document. See death and divorce certificate attestation.
Watch for
What goes wrong with a parent’s NOC
- Signed at home without a notary. A plain signature is not verified, and a UAE office will usually not accept it.
- Notarised abroad but not legalised. A foreign notary’s seal alone is not something a UAE office can check. The foreign ministry, UAE embassy and MOFA stamps are what make it usable here.
- Names that do not match. The child’s name on the letter must match the passport, not a nickname or a different spelling.
- Letter written for travel, used for a visa. A letter saying “no objection to travel” does not say “no objection to sponsorship”. Write the one the office needs.
- No dates. An open-ended travel letter may be questioned. State the dates.
Parents are sometimes asked for an NOC in other situations, for example a no objection certificate for marriage from parents in some home countries. That is a different letter with its own rules in the country that asks for it. For a sponsor’s NOC for a spouse or employee, see our page on the NOC for a UAE visa.
Prices
Prices
| Service | Our service price | Government fee, paid on top at cost |
|---|---|---|
| NOC for child sponsorship or child visa, drafted and notarised in the UAE | From AED 1,200 | AED 200 per party as a signature authentication, or AED 300 as an affidavit |
| NOC for a child travelling with one parent | From AED 1,200 | AED 200 per party as a signature authentication, or AED 300 as an affidavit |
| MOFA attestation of an NOC signed abroad | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| Drafting only, for a parent signing abroad | From AED 200 | None in the UAE; the foreign notary and legalisation fees are paid abroad |
| Legal translation | From AED 50 per page | AED 50 per page if notarised with the instrument |
| Home visit | Quoted when you book | Dubai private notary trip fee AED 1,000 per trip outside the place of work |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is an NOC from parents for a visa?
It is a letter from one parent, signed before a notary public, saying they do not object to the other parent sponsoring the child’s visa. When the parent signs abroad, the letter is legalised before it is used in the UAE.
My child’s father lives in Pakistan. Where does he sign?
In Pakistan, before a notary there. The letter is then legalised through the Pakistani foreign ministry, the UAE embassy or consulate there, and MOFA in the UAE. We send him the wording so the letter matches what the UAE office needs.
Can the father sign the NOC online?
Ask us first. Online notarisation in the UAE runs through the remote notarisation channels such as the Ministry of Justice e-Notary system and UAE PASS, and we tell you if your document can be done online. If it cannot, he signs in person, at home on a home visit, or before a notary where he lives.
Does the mother need an NOC if the father sponsors the child?
Usually the question arises the other way round, when the mother sponsors. If the visa office asks for the mother’s NOC in your case, the same process applies.
Is a WhatsApp photo of a signed NOC enough?
No. The office needs the original signed before a notary, and, if signed abroad, legalised.
We need a visa letter and a travel letter this year. Is one document enough?
Two short letters work better than one long one. The visa office reads for sponsorship and the airline reads for travel, and each wants its own point stated plainly.
Family documents
More guides
Family documents
NOC for a visa
An NOC for a UAE visa is a no objection letter from someone whose consent the visa office wants to see: an employer, a sponsor, a spouse or a parent.
Family documents
Affidavit of support
When a relative comes to the UAE on a tourist visa, the host is sometimes asked for an affidavit of support: a statement, made under oath, that the host will house and.
Family documents
Child travel consent
Yes, a minor can travel to the UAE without parents, but the child needs papers that show both parents agree, and the airline decides how young is too young to fly alone.
Start with the wording
Tell us which parent is signing, where they are, and what the letter is for. We send the wording and tell you how it can be notarised: in person, online or at home.
- Phone and WhatsApp: +971 52 947 5935
- Email: info@dubainotaryservices.com
- Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.
Sources for this page
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FAQ (legalisation chain and fees): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- HCCH, Hague Convention status table (the UAE is not a party): https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the notary profession: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- Dubai Media Office, Dubai Courts private notary fee decision: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public