GCC
Documents from Gulf states
Saudi Arabia certificate attestation in the UAE, and papers from other Gulf states
Saudi Arabia certificate attestation in the UAE is a common need for people who worked, studied or started a family in Saudi Arabia and have now moved to Dubai. The same applies to papers from Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. A Gulf document is still a foreign document for UAE offices: it needs the issuing state’s own checks, the stamp of the UAE embassy in that state, and then attestation by MOFA in the 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
The good news for Gulf files is language. Most of these documents are issued in Arabic, and MOFA accepts Arabic without a translation. The harder part is timing: the steps in the issuing state are much easier to finish while you still live there.
At a glance
- Before MOFA adds its own stamp to a document from abroad, it wants two earlier ones: the issuing state’s foreign ministry and the UAE mission in that state. Source: MOFA FAQ.
- MOFA works in Arabic and English, so a Gulf document in Arabic needs no translation for the MOFA step. Source: MOFA attestation service.
- An apostille from a Gulf state cannot stand in for the UAE embassy step, because the UAE has not joined the Apostille Convention. Source: HCCH status table. Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are parties, in force from 7 December 2022, 30 January 2012 and 31 December 2013; Kuwait and Qatar do not appear in the HCCH status table.
- MOFA fee: AED 150 for a personal document, AED 2,000 for a commercial one. Source: MOFA FAQ.
Which Gulf papers people bring to Dubai
Most Gulf files we see belong to one of four groups:
Experience letters
from an employer in Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait City or Muscat, needed for a UAE job or professional licence.
Degrees and school certificates
from a Gulf university or school, often for a teacher, engineer or nurse, or for a child joining a UAE school.
Birth certificates
of children born in a Gulf state, needed for a UAE residence visa.
Marriage contracts
registered at a Gulf court, needed to sponsor a spouse.
Each group starts with a different office in the issuing state. The table below gives the usual first signature. Ministries in the Gulf move services online and rename them often, so we check the current route for your state before you pay anything.
| Document | Usual first signature in the issuing state | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Experience letter | The employer, then the chamber of commerce | Foreign ministry, UAE embassy, MOFA |
| University degree | The university, then the ministry of education or higher education | Foreign ministry, UAE embassy, MOFA |
| School certificate | The school, then the ministry of education | Foreign ministry, UAE embassy, MOFA |
| Birth certificate | The ministry of health or civil registry that issued it | Foreign ministry, UAE embassy, MOFA |
| Marriage contract | The court that registered it, then the ministry of justice | Foreign ministry, UAE embassy, MOFA |
State by state notes
Saudi Arabia.
Saudi experience letters usually need the chamber of commerce before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will act. Saudi university degrees go through the Ministry of Education. The UAE has an embassy in Riyadh and a consulate in Jeddah.
Kuwait.
Kuwaiti papers go through the issuing ministry and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait before the UAE embassy there.
Oman.
Omani degrees and civil records follow the same outline, ending with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Muscat and the UAE embassy there.
Bahrain.
Bahraini papers go through the issuing ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Manama and the UAE embassy.
Qatar.
Before a Qatari document goes anywhere, we find out which UAE mission is taking attestation requests for Qatar and how.
Step by step
Already left the Gulf state?
This is the most common problem. A document issued in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait cannot be stamped by the UAE embassy from Dubai. Someone has to present it in the issuing state. You have three choices:
01
Travel back for the steps, which makes sense only if you have several documents.
02
Ask a former colleague, relative or friend who still lives there to take it in for you, with an authority letter.
03
Use a representative in that state, where one is available.
Some Gulf ministries now take applications online, which can remove one trip.
Arabic documents and names
Because MOFA accepts Arabic, you usually do not need a translation for a Gulf document. Two things still cause trouble. Names written in Arabic on a Gulf document may be spelled differently from your passport in English, and the UAE office comparing the two may ask for proof they are the same person. A document with a stamp that is hard to read can be refused. Check both before the document leaves the Gulf state.
UAE documents going to a Gulf state
If your document goes the other way, for example a Dubai degree for a job in Riyadh, MOFA attests it first and then the Saudi, Kuwaiti, Omani, Bahraini or Qatari embassy or consulate in the UAE legalises it where required. That route is on our page about legalising UAE documents for use abroad.
Step by step
How we help with Gulf files
01
You send photos of each document and tell us which UAE office wants it.
02
We tell you which office in the issuing state signs first and what the person there must carry.
03
We prepare the authority letter for the friend or relative who does the Gulf steps.
04
When the document reaches Dubai with the UAE embassy stamp, we take it through MOFA and return it to you.
05
Prices
Prices
| Service | Our service price | Government fees, paid on top at cost |
|---|---|---|
| MOFA stage, personal document | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| MOFA stage, commercial document | From AED 300 | MOFA AED 2,000 |
| Full chain including the Gulf state steps | Quote after we see the document | Gulf ministry, UAE embassy and MOFA fees at cost |
Checklist
Contact us about a Gulf document
Send a photo of the document, the state that issued it, and the UAE office that asked for it.
- Phone and WhatsApp: +971 52 947 5935
- Email: info@dubainotaryservices.com
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is a Saudi document treated as a foreign document in Dubai?
Yes. It needs the Saudi steps, the UAE embassy or consulate stamp in Saudi Arabia, and MOFA in the UAE. Living in the Gulf does not remove any step.
My Saudi experience letter is in Arabic. Do I need a translation for MOFA?
No, MOFA accepts Arabic documents. The UAE employer or licensing body may still ask for an English copy for its own file, so ask them.
Can the Saudi or Kuwaiti embassy in Abu Dhabi attest my certificate for a UAE employer?
No. Their missions in the UAE legalise documents going to their own country. A certificate for UAE use needs the UAE embassy in the state that issued it.
My child was born in Kuwait. What does the family visa need?
Usually the Kuwaiti birth certificate with the Kuwaiti steps, the UAE embassy stamp and MOFA. Check the visa office’s list first, because rules for children differ by visa type.
Get a written quote
Send your document and know every step before you pay
Share a photo of both sides on WhatsApp and tell us where it will be used. We reply with the stamps it needs, the order they go in and the price for each one.
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
- HCCH, Apostille Convention status table: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41