Guide: UAE documents for abroad
Is the UAE an apostille country? No. Here is what to do instead
Is the UAE an apostille country? No. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention: it does not appear among the contracting parties in the Hague Conference’s own status table. So no apostille is issued in the UAE, and an apostille from another country does not, on its own, make a document valid here. Documents move in and out of the UAE through attestation and legalisation instead.
For a paper you sign in the UAE, such as a power of attorney, an affidavit or a declaration, the route starts with a notary public. We have in-house, in person notary public services, online notary public services and home visit notary services. We notarise your document, then MOFA attests it, then the embassy or consulate in the UAE of the country that will receive it adds its stamp, where that country asks for it.
What that convention does, and why the UAE is outside it
The convention creates a single certificate that confirms the signature on a public document. Countries that are parties accept each other’s certificates without any embassy step. It only works between two parties. Because the UAE is not a party, that shortcut does not apply in either direction, and the older chain of stamps is used instead.
Step by step
Going out of the UAE: notarise, then MOFA, then the embassy
A UAE document needed in, for example, Germany, the UK or the Philippines cannot get an apostille here, because the UAE is not a party. The route is:
01
Notary public, or the UAE issuing office.
A paper you sign is notarised. A UAE government certificate comes from the office that issued it, plus any second UAE stamp it needs.
02
MOFA attestation.
MOFA attests the notary’s seal or the issuing office’s signature.
03
The destination country’s embassy or consulate in the UAE, where that country asks for it.
For the notary step, you choose how to sign. Our public notary services are in person. Our online notary works 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. With our home visit notary we come to your home, office, hospital or care home in the UAE.
Papers we often notarise for use abroad:
- a power of attorney to sell property or act in a case abroad;
- an affidavit or declaration;
- a certified true copy of a certificate;
- a witnessed signature on a bank or pension form.
The full outward route is on our document legalization hub.
Coming into the UAE with a foreign document
If your home country is a party, its offices may add their certificate by default. The UAE does not accept it in place of the embassy chain. Ask the home offices for the attestation used for countries outside the convention, then take the document to the UAE embassy or consulate in that country. After that, MOFA attests it in the UAE.
Country routes are on our embassy attestation hub, and the whole chain is on the UAE attestation process. If you are already in the UAE, a power of attorney we notarise here can let someone at home do those steps for you.
Side by side
Common searches, answered
| People search for | The answer |
|---|---|
| “Apostille Dubai” or “MOFA apostille” | The UAE is not a party, so MOFA does not issue one. Ask for MOFA attestation. |
| “E-apostille Dubai” | No apostille is issued in the UAE, electronic or paper. MOFA’s eDAS is an electronic attestation for commercial invoices and certificates of origin. |
| “Dubai PCC apostille” | No apostille route exists here. A UAE police clearance for use abroad is attested by MOFA and then stamped by the destination country’s embassy if required. See police clearance attestation. |
| “Apostille for a Dubai POA” | The UAE is not a party. The POA is notarised, then attested by MOFA, then stamped by the destination’s embassy in the UAE. |
| A German search for an apostille for Dubai | The UAE is not a party. A UAE document goes through MOFA, then the German mission in the UAE. |
For a Philippine document to be used in the UAE, the route runs through the Philippines and the UAE embassy there. See Philippine document attestation.
A UAE document offered with a certificate from the convention is a warning sign
The UAE is not a party, so a UAE document marked as carrying such a certificate will not be recognised. If someone offers one, ask exactly which office will sign it. The right answer is a notary, then MOFA attestation, then the right embassy. Anything else is the wrong route.
How we help
- We read your document and tell you whether it needs the outward or inward chain.
- For papers you sign, we prepare and notarise them in person, online or at your home.
- We take the document through MOFA and the destination country’s embassy in the UAE.
- For foreign documents, we tell you what to ask your home offices for.
- We book a legal translation where an office asks for one.
Prices
Prices
| Service | Our service price | Government fee, paid on top at cost |
|---|---|---|
| General power of attorney, notarised | From AED 1,500 | AED 100 per party (federal schedule) |
| Affidavit or declaration, notarised | From AED 600 | AED 300 per affidavit (federal schedule) |
| MOFA attestation, personal document | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| MOFA attestation, commercial document | From AED 300 | MOFA AED 2,000 |
| Foreign embassy step in the UAE | Quote after we see the document | Embassy fee at cost |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the UAE a member of the Hague Apostille Convention?
No. The UAE is not a party. The Hague Conference’s status table, which lists every contracting state, does not include it.
My degree has an apostille. Do I still need the UAE embassy?
Yes. The UAE does not accept it on its own. A foreign document needs the UAE embassy or consulate stamp from its home country and MOFA attestation here.
Can MOFA issue an apostille for my UAE document?
No. The UAE is not a party, so MOFA attests documents instead. The destination country’s embassy in the UAE then adds its stamp where required.
I need a power of attorney for a country that uses apostilles. What do I do?
The UAE is not a party, so follow the legalisation route. We notarise the power of attorney in person, online or at your home. MOFA then attests it, and the destination country’s embassy in the UAE stamps it if required. Ask the office abroad in writing what it accepts from a country that is not a party.
Will the UAE join the convention?
We do not guess. Check the Hague Conference’s status table. Until the UAE appears there as a party, notarisation, MOFA attestation and embassy legalisation remain the route.
Guides
More 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.
Notary and MOFA
Attestation steps
The UAE attestation process is a chain of signatures, each one confirming the one before it.
Ask which route your document needs
Tell us which country issued the document and which country will receive 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
Our services
Other services
Sources for this page
- HCCH, Apostille Convention status table (the UAE is not a party): https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FAQ (chain and fees): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation service (including eDAS): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491