Certificate attestation

Degree attestation in Dubai for jobs and licences

Degree attestation in Dubai is the set of stamps that lets a UAE employer, free zone or licensing body accept a university degree issued in another country. The degree is verified in the country that issued it, the foreign ministry there attests it, a UAE embassy or consulate on the spot stamps it, and MOFA in the UAE adds the final attestation. After that, some professions also need the degree recognised by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR).

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At a glance

For a degree issued abroad, the chain is the home country foreign ministry, then a UAE mission in that country, then MOFA. Source: MOFA FAQ.
MOFA charges AED 150 for a personal document such as a degree. Source: MOFA FAQ.
MOFA needs the original. If it is not in Arabic or English, a legally certified translation must go with it. Laminated papers are refused. Source: MOFA attestation service.
An apostille on the degree changes nothing for the UAE, which has not joined the Apostille Convention; the UAE embassy and MOFA stamps are still needed. Source: HCCH status table.
Equivalency for a foreign degree is a separate process run by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, not the Ministry of Education. It starts after attestation, and only some offices ask for it. Source: MoHESR service card.

We plan the whole route with you, handle the UAE steps, and coordinate the home country steps with whoever holds your degree. The most expensive mistake is sending the wrong document or skipping one stamp, so the first thing we do is look at the degree itself.

Side by side

Who in the UAE asks for an attested degree

Who asks	Why	What they often want as well
Employer, for a work permit in a skilled job category	To record your qualification on the permit	The degree only, in many cases
Health regulator (for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, allied health)	To license you	Transcripts, experience letters, sometimes equivalency
Education regulator or school (for teachers)	To approve you as a teacher	Transcripts and equivalency
Engineering and other professional bodies	To register you	Transcripts and equivalency
Government employer	To grade the job	Equivalency in most cases

Read the list the office gives you, and ask for it in writing. It decides whether you attest only the degree, or the degree plus transcripts, plus experience letters.

Checks

Before you send anything: a five point check

Is it the final degree?

A provisional certificate may not be accepted.

Does the name match your passport exactly?

If not, plan an affidavit before a notary public linking the two names. See affidavits before a notary in Dubai.

Is it laminated?

MOFA will not attest it. Order a new original from the university.

Are transcripts needed too?

Attest them in the same pass, because each extra trip home costs time.

Is it in Arabic or English?

If not, plan a certified translation.

Three routes, depending on where your degree is now

The degree is with you in the UAE and has no stamps.

It has to go back to the issuing country for the home country steps and the UAE embassy step. A relative or representative there can usually do this with your authority letter, which we prepare. Then it comes back and we take it through MOFA.

The degree is still at home with your family.

The simplest case. Your family completes the home country steps and the UAE embassy step, then sends it to you. We finish MOFA.

The degree already has the UAE embassy stamp.

Only MOFA is left. We collect it, take it through MOFA and return it. This is the part of degree attestation in Dubai that is done entirely here.

Country routes differ at the first step

The first verification depends on the country. For example, Pakistani degrees usually go to the Higher Education Commission first, and many Indian degrees need a state level check before the Ministry of External Affairs. Our country pages set out each route: Indian certificate attestation in the UAE, Pakistan documents attestation in the UAE, and the full list on embassy attestation for Dubai.

Transcripts, mark sheets and online degrees

Transcripts are attested the same way as the degree and follow the same chain. Some licensing bodies want them; many employers do not.

Degrees earned by distance or online study can be attested like any other degree, but equivalency may be refused or limited for some study modes. Check this before you invest in the chain if you will need equivalency.

After attestation: equivalency

For government jobs, teaching, some licences and further study, you may need the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to recognise your degree and state what it is equal to in the UAE system. The attested degree is one of the documents it asks for. Our page on degree equivalency in the UAE explains what to prepare. School level certificates are covered on educational certificate attestation in Dubai.

Attested and verified are two different checks

People often search for degree verification for a UAE visa and mean attestation, or the other way round. Attestation is the chain of stamps on the paper itself, ending with MOFA. Verification is a separate check that some employers and licensing bodies run, or pay a verification company to run, by contacting your university directly to confirm the degree is genuine. One does not replace the other. A degree can carry every stamp and still be sent for verification, and a verified degree may still need the stamps. Ask the office that wants your degree which of the two it needs, or whether it needs both, before you spend on either. Health workers can read more on medical certificate attestation.

A UAE degree going abroad

A degree issued by a UAE university and needed in another country follows the reverse route: the relevant UAE education authority where required, then MOFA, then the Dubai or Abu Dhabi mission of the country that will receive it. See legalising UAE documents for use abroad.

Step by step

How we handle degree attestation in Dubai

Rolled certificate tied with a pink ribbon on a plain background

You send photos of the degree (both sides), transcripts if any, and your passport page.

We check the five points above and read the stamps already there.

We confirm the list with the office that asked, if you want us to.

We quote: our service price, plus each government fee at cost.

We coordinate the home country steps or take over where they end.

We complete MOFA and return the degree, or deliver it to your employer.

If needed, we handle the legal translation and help assemble the equivalency file.

Prices

Service	Our service price	Government fees, paid on top at cost
Degree certificate attestation, MOFA stage	From AED 150	MOFA AED 150
Indian certificate attestation, full chain	From AED 250	MOFA AED 150; India side and UAE mission fees at cost
Degree, certificate or diploma copy, notary certified	From AED 500	Confirmed at booking
Transcripts and mark sheets copy	From AED 400	Confirmed at booking
Urgent handling (add-on)	From AED 250	None

Watch for

Mistakes that cost people weeks

Moving to the UAE with an unstamped degree, then having to send it home.
Asking the home foreign ministry for an apostille for the UAE.
Attesting the degree but not the transcripts a regulator later asks for.
Using a nickname or shortened name on the application that does not match the passport.
Sending the only original by an untracked post.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do I attest a degree certificate in the UAE?

The home country steps and the UAE embassy step are done in the country that issued the degree. The last step, MOFA, is done in the UAE. We handle MOFA and coordinate the rest.

What is the degree attestation fee in the UAE?

MOFA charges AED 150 per personal document. Our MOFA stage service starts from AED 150. Home country and embassy fees depend on the country. 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.

Is degree attestation needed for every UAE job?

No. It depends on the job category and the employer. Ask the employer or the licensing body for their list before you start.

Can I get my degree attested in Dubai without sending it home?

Only if it already carries the home foreign ministry and UAE embassy stamps. If not, those steps must happen in the issuing country.

Is equivalency the same as attestation?

No. Attestation confirms the document is genuine. Equivalency, which for a foreign degree comes from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, states what the qualification is equal to in the UAE. Equivalency comes after attestation, and only some offices ask for it.

Send us your degree

Send photos of the degree and transcripts, and tell us who in the UAE asked for them.

Phone and WhatsApp: +971 52 947 5935
Email: info@dubainotaryservices.com