Certificate attestation

Medical certificate attestation in the UAE

Medical certificate attestation covers three quite different needs. A sick leave certificate or medical report issued in the UAE may need to be accepted by an employer, insurer or court in another country. A medical report issued abroad may need to be accepted by a UAE employer, insurer or court. And a health professional moving to the UAE may need qualification and good standing documents attested for licensing. Each follows its own order of stamps.

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The common thread is that a doctor’s or hospital’s signature alone is not enough for another country’s office. A health authority usually confirms the document first, then the foreign affairs chain begins.

Side by side

Three situations

Situation	Typical document	Route
Sick leave or medical report from a UAE hospital, needed abroad	Sick leave certificate, discharge summary, medical report	Hospital, UAE health authority (where required), MOFA, destination embassy in the UAE
Medical report from abroad, needed in the UAE	Hospital report, disability certificate, fitness certificate	Hospital, home health authority or notary, foreign ministry, UAE mission there, MOFA
Health professional licensing in the UAE	Degree, experience letters, good standing certificate	Home country chain for each document, then MOFA

UAE sick leave and medical reports going abroad

An employer or insurer abroad may ask for a UAE sick leave certificate or medical report to be attested. The usual first step is confirmation by the health authority that licenses the hospital or clinic, for example in Dubai the Dubai Health Authority. Then MOFA attests it, and the embassy here of the country receiving it may legalise it. Searches for “attestation for DHA” usually mean this first step.

A report written only in Arabic may need translation into the destination country’s language. See legalized translation in Dubai.

Foreign medical reports coming into the UAE

A UAE insurer, employer or court may want a foreign medical report attested. The home country route varies: some countries have a health ministry step, others use a notary public to certify the doctor’s signature before the foreign ministry. After that comes the UAE mission abroad, and finally MOFA. Country specific offices are on embassy attestation for Dubai.

Documents for health professional licensing

Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health staff moving to the UAE are usually asked for attested qualifications and experience letters, and often a good standing certificate from their previous regulator. Each document follows the home country chain. UAE health regulators may also verify documents through their own primary source verification process. See degree attestation in Dubai and experience certificate attestation for the UAE.

Watch for

Things that cause refusals

A report on plain paper without the hospital’s letterhead and stamp.
A doctor’s signature that the health authority cannot match to a licensed practitioner.
Missing dates on sick leave certificates.
Photocopies instead of originals.
Personal medical detail that the patient did not want shared; tell us if a shorter report will do.

Step by step

How we help

Doctor pressing a stamp onto a paper at a clinic desk, as on a medical certificate

01

You tell us which country issued the document and which country will read it.

02

We check it has the details the health authority and MOFA expect.

03

For UAE documents, we take care of the health authority step where it applies, MOFA and the embassy step.

04

For foreign documents, we set out the home country steps and complete MOFA.

05

We handle the translation.

We handle medical documents carefully and share them only with the offices in the chain.

Prices

Service	Our service price	Government fees, paid on top at cost
MOFA attestation, personal document	From AED 150	MOFA AED 150
Banking or medical forms for use abroad, notarised	From AED 500	Confirmed at booking
Legal translation	From AED 50 per page	AED 50 per page if notarised with the instrument
Health authority step in the UAE	Quote after we see the document	Authority fee at cost

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can MOFA attest a sick leave certificate directly?

Usually the health authority confirms it first. MOFA then attests the health authority’s confirmation.

Does medical certificate attestation need the original report?

Yes. MOFA attests originals. Keep a copy for yourself.

Is a medical report from my home country accepted by a UAE insurer without attestation?

Some insurers accept it, others ask for attestation. Ask the insurer first.

I am a nurse moving to Dubai. Which documents need attestation?

Usually your degree or diploma, experience letters and a good standing certificate, but the regulator’s list decides. Get it in writing before you start.

Ask about a medical document

Tell us where it was issued and who asked for it.

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