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Certificate attestation in Dubai, with notarised true copies
Certificate attestation in Dubai is the chain of stamps that makes a degree, marriage certificate, birth certificate or similar paper acceptable to an office. Many offices do not need to keep your original. They accept a copy that a notary public has certified as a true copy, and some then want that copy attested too. So the first question is often not “which stamp?” but “original or notarised copy?”.
We have in-house, in person notary public services, online notary public services and home visit notary services. We certify true copies of your certificates, notarise the affidavits and declarations that often go with them, and then the certificate moves on to MOFA and, where needed, an embassy. This page goes certificate by certificate and links to the full guide for each one.
At a glance
- A notary public can certify that a copy matches the original. We do this in house, and at your home with our home visit notary.
- For a certificate issued abroad, the order is the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then the UAE embassy or consulate there, then MOFA in the UAE.
- MOFA charges AED 150 for a personal document such as a degree, marriage or birth certificate.
- MOFA attests originals in Arabic or English, or with a legally certified translation, and not laminated documents.
- The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille on its own is not enough for UAE use.
In this hub
8 pages under Certificates
Service
School certificates
When a family moves to Dubai, the new school asks for the child's old school records, and often for more paperwork around them.
Service
Marriage certificate
To sponsor a husband or wife, a UAE resident needs proof of the marriage that the UAE accepts, and the file often needs notary work around the certificate.
Service
Death and divorce
After a death or a divorce, banks, courts and registries ask for papers at a hard time.
Service
Police clearance
A police clearance certificate (PCC) is often one paper in a bigger file for a job, residence or immigration abroad.
Service
Medical certificate
Medical papers are often needed when someone is unwell and cannot easily travel.
Checks
Original or notarised copy: ask first
Before you start, ask the office that wants the certificate two questions:
01
Original or copy?
Some offices want the original attested. Others accept a copy certified by a notary public, and may want that copy attested as well.
02
Is a translation needed?
If the office wants Arabic, a legal translator prepares it. See legal translation.
A certified true copy is the notary’s statement that the copy matches the original. It does not attest the original, and it does not replace the original where an office insists on it. Our certified true copy page explains when a copy is enough.
Side by side
Each certificate and its guide
| Certificate | Issued by | Usual reason a UAE office asks | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| University degree | University, then an education authority in some countries | Employment visa, professional licence, equivalency | Degree attestation |
| School and diploma certificates | School board or education department | School admission, further study, some jobs | Educational certificate attestation |
| Marriage certificate | Civil or religious registrar | Sponsoring a spouse, then a child | Marriage certificate attestation |
| Birth certificate | Civil registrar or health authority | A child’s residence visa, school admission | Birth certificate attestation |
| Death or divorce certificate | Civil registrar or court | Inheritance, remarriage, custody | Death and divorce certificate attestation |
| Police clearance | Police or interior ministry | Jobs and immigration | Police clearance attestation |
| Medical certificate or report | Hospital or clinic | Health licensing, insurance, leave | Medical certificate attestation |
| Experience or salary certificate | Employer | Licensing, jobs abroad | Experience certificate attestation |
| Commercial invoice or certificate of origin | Company or chamber | Trade and customs | Commercial invoice attestation |
For a foreign degree used for a government job or further study, the ministry may also want an equivalency decision. See MOE equivalency certificate. For the whole family visa file, see family visa documents.
What our notary does for your certificates
- Certified true copies of degrees, transcripts, mark sheets, passports, driving licences and salary certificates, so you keep the original.
- Name affidavits, when your certificate and passport spell your name differently. See affidavit before a notary.
- Declarations an office asks for with a certificate, such as a declaration of residency.
- Powers of attorney, so someone in your home country can collect a certificate or take it to the foreign ministry and the UAE embassy for you. See power of attorney.
You sign in person with our public notary services, by video with our online notary, or at your home with our home visit notary. Online notarisation works 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. A true copy needs the notary to see the original, so ask us how that works for your case.
Certificates issued abroad
The chain for a foreign certificate is set out in MOFA’s FAQ: the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then the UAE embassy or consulate in that country, then MOFA. The UAE embassy step happens in the issuing country and cannot be done in Dubai. If you are already in the UAE, a power of attorney we notarise here can let someone at home do those steps for you.
Country pages are on our embassy attestation hub.
UAE certificates going abroad
A certificate issued in the UAE goes the other way: the issuing office, then MOFA, then the destination country’s embassy or consulate in the UAE, where that country asks for it. Some UAE certificates need a second stamp first. MOFA’s FAQ gives a UAE birth certificate as the example: the Ministry of Health and Prevention or the local health authority attests it first, unless it is a digital document issued by a government entity. See document legalization for the outward route.
Step by step
How we handle certificate attestation in Dubai
01
You send photos of both sides.
We list the stamps already present.
02
We check what the office needs.
Original or notarised copy, translation or not.
03
We notarise what needs a notary.
True copies, affidavits, declarations or a power of attorney.
04
We quote the route.
Our service price, and each government fee at cost.
05
We take the certificate through MOFA
once every earlier stamp is on it.
06
We book a legal translation
if the office wants Arabic.
Prices
Prices
| Service | Our service price | Government fee, paid on top at cost |
|---|---|---|
| Degree, certificate or diploma copy, notary certified | From AED 500 | Confirmed at booking |
| Transcripts and mark sheets copy, notary certified | From AED 400 | Confirmed at booking |
| Certified true copy, general | From AED 400 | Confirmed at booking |
| Affidavit (name, same name), notarised | From AED 600 | AED 300 per affidavit (federal schedule) |
| Degree certificate, MOFA stage | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| Marriage certificate, MOFA stage | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| Indian certificate, full chain | From AED 250 | MOFA AED 150; India side and embassy fees at cost |
| Legal translation | From AED 50 per page | AED 50 per page if notarised with the instrument |
Checklist
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
- A photo of the front and back of each certificate, with every stamp visible.
- A photo of your passport’s personal page, so we can compare the spelling of your name.
- The name of the office that asked, and any written list it gave you.
- Where the original is now: with you, with family abroad, or still with the issuing body.
- Your deadline, if the office gave you one. Ask about our fast track notary services in the UAE.
Watch for
Common certificate problems
- Laminated certificate. MOFA will not attest it. Order a fresh original.
- Name spelled differently from the passport. A name affidavit before a notary often solves it.
- Original sent when a copy would do. Ask first, and keep your original safe with a certified true copy.
- UAE embassy step skipped. The document must go back to the issuing country.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can a notary certify a copy of my degree?
Yes. We certify true copies of degrees, transcripts and other certificates in house, after seeing the original. Ask the receiving office first whether it accepts a notarised copy or wants the original attested.
Which certificates can be attested for use in Dubai?
Degrees, school certificates, marriage, birth, death and divorce certificates, police clearances, medical certificates, and experience and salary certificates. Each goes through the same chain after its first signature.
How much does certificate attestation cost in Dubai?
MOFA charges AED 150 per personal certificate, and our MOFA stage service starts from AED 150. A notary certified copy of a degree starts from AED 500. All service prices are starting prices and are negotiable. Government fees are paid on top, at cost, exactly as the authority charges them. We confirm your final price before you pay.
Can I attest a certificate issued in the UAE?
Yes, for use abroad. MOFA attests it, and then the destination country’s embassy in the UAE may need to stamp it.
Does attestation expire?
MOFA does not publish an expiry for its attestation on the pages we cite. The receiving office may still want a recent document, especially a police clearance or medical certificate, and it decides that.
Certificates
Certificates guides
Certificates
Degree equivalency
An MOE equivalency certificate in UAE is the name many people use for an official decision on what a foreign qualification is equal to in the UAE system.
Notary and MOFA
MOFA verification
MOFA attestation verification is the check an employer, school, bank or government office makes to confirm that the MOFA attestation on a document is real and belongs to.
Get your certificate checked
Send photos of both sides of each certificate and tell us which office asked for it. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.
- Phone: +971 52 947 5935
- WhatsApp: +971 52 947 5935
- Email: info@dubainotaryservices.com
Sources for this page
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FAQ (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, Apostille Convention status table (the UAE is not 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