AU
Documents from Australia
Australian certificate attestation in UAE and notary help for Australians
Australians living in the UAE often need two kinds of help with paperwork. Some papers are signed here and sent to Australia: a power of attorney for a property or a bank, a declaration for an Australian office, or certified copies for an immigration file. Other papers come from Australia and must be accepted here: a degree, a marriage certificate or a police check. The first is notary work. The second is Australian certificate attestation in UAE.
1
Home country
The issuing body or a notary
2
Home country
The foreign ministry
3
Home country
The UAE embassy or consulate there
4
In the UAE
MOFA in the UAE
We have in-house, in person notary public services, online notary public services and home visit notary services. We notarise your power of attorney, your declarations and your true copies, then tell you what happens next if the paper has to be attested for use in Australia.
For papers coming the other way, the route is DFAT (the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) in Australia, then the UAE embassy in Canberra, then MOFA in the UAE. For the UAE, DFAT issues an authentication, because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention.
At a glance
- Papers signed in the UAE for Australia are notarised here first. If the Australian side asks for more, MOFA attests the notarised paper and then the Australian embassy or consulate in the UAE.
- Papers from Australia for UAE use go to DFAT, then the UAE embassy in Canberra, then MOFA. Source: MOFA FAQ.
- Many Australian papers, degrees in particular, need an Australian notary public before DFAT, because DFAT authenticates the notary’s signature.
- MOFA charges AED 150 for a personal document and AED 2,000 for a commercial one. Source: MOFA FAQ.
- Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.
Notary services for Australians in the UAE
These are the papers Australian residents most often bring us:
Power of attorney for use in Australia.
For a family member to sell or manage a property, deal with a bank or handle an estate while you live here. See power of attorney notarisation.
Declarations and affidavits.
Statements an Australian office or the Australian embassy asks you to sign before a notary public, such as a statement of your circumstances or of your identity. See affidavits before a notary.
Immigration documents for Australia.
Forms and supporting papers for a visa or citizenship file that must be signed or copied before a notary.
Notarised true copies.
Passport pages, a driving licence, a bank statement or a degree, copied and certified against the original. See certified true copies.
NOCs.
For example a parent’s consent for a child to travel. See child travel consent.
A notary public checks your identity, watches you sign and applies the seal. If you cannot come to us, we offer online notary public services by video through the UAE remote notarisation channels, such as the Ministry of Justice e-Notary system and UAE PASS. We tell you if your document can be done online. We also come to your home, office, hospital or care home in the UAE with our home visit notary service.
Step by step
When the notarised paper needs attestation for Australia
Some Australian offices accept a paper notarised in the UAE as it is. Others ask for the UAE chain on top. In that case the order is:
01
Notary.
We notarise the signature or the copy.
02
MOFA.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests the notary’s seal.
03
Australian embassy or consulate in the UAE.
It adds its stamp if the receiving office in Australia asks for it.
Ask the office in Australia which of these steps it wants before you book, so you pay only for what is needed. More on this direction: UAE documents for use abroad.
Australian certificate attestation in UAE: papers from Australia
For a degree, a marriage certificate or a police check to be used here, the Australian side comes first. The UAE rule is the home country’s foreign ministry, then the UAE embassy in that country, then MOFA in the UAE. Source: MOFA FAQ.
Degrees and teacher registration
A degree certificate is signed by a university officer. The common route is an Australian notary public who certifies a copy of the degree, often after confirming it with the university, and then DFAT authenticates the notary’s signature. Ask the UAE employer or regulator whether it accepts an attested notarised copy or needs the original. See degree attestation for the UAE side.
Birth, marriage and death certificates
These come from the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory where the event was registered. For a child’s visa, order a full certificate that shows both parents. See birth certificate attestation and marriage certificate attestation for a family visa.
AFP police checks
An AFP national police check for a UAE employer goes to DFAT and then the UAE embassy. UAE offices often want a recent one, so check its date before you start. See police clearance attestation.
If you are already in the UAE
The DFAT and UAE embassy steps happen in Australia. The usual options are an Australian notary or document service that covers DFAT and the embassy, a relative in Australia, or your own trip home. If a relative will act for you, we can notarise a power of attorney or authority letter here so they can deal with the offices on your behalf. When the document comes back with the UAE embassy stamp, we handle the MOFA stage and any legal translation a UAE office asks for.
How we help
- We notarise your power of attorney, declaration, affidavit or true copy, in person, online or at your home.
- We draft or type the document if you do not have one ready.
- We tell you whether the Australian office also wants MOFA and embassy attestation.
- We read your Australian certificate and tell you which route in the section above applies.
- We handle the MOFA stage once the paper returns from Australia.
Prices
Prices
| Service | Our service price | Government fee, paid on top at cost |
|---|---|---|
| Power of attorney for use in Australia | From AED 1,500 | AED 100 per party (federal item 9), or AED 130 per party through a private notary on the federal schedule |
| Declaration or affidavit | From AED 600 | AED 300 per affidavit (federal item 12) |
| Immigration documents for Australia | From AED 500 | No published figure, confirmed at booking |
| Passport copy certified by a notary | From AED 500 | No published figure, confirmed at booking |
| MOFA stage, personal document | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| 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
Can I sign a power of attorney for Australia in the UAE?
Yes. We notarise it here, in person, online or at your home. If the office in Australia asks for more, it then goes to MOFA and the Australian embassy or consulate in the UAE.
Should I ask DFAT for an apostille or an authentication?
An authentication. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so the UAE embassy does not accept an apostille and neither does MOFA.
Can Australian certificate attestation in UAE start with my degree as it is?
Usually not. A degree normally goes to an Australian notary public first, because DFAT authenticates the notary’s signature rather than the university’s.
Do I need a translation for MOFA?
No. MOFA attests documents in English. A UAE court or ministry may ask for Arabic later. Source: MOFA attestation service.
Can a notary come to me?
Yes. Our home visit notary service comes to your home, office, hospital or care home in the UAE. Our charge is quoted when you book.
Get a written quote
Talk to us about your Australian paperwork
Send a photo of the document and tell us where it will be used. We reply with the steps and a price.
- Phone: +971 52 947 5935
- 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. See every country on our embassy attestation page.
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: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation
- HCCH status table, which does not list the UAE as a party: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Dubai Media Office, private notary fees: 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