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MOFA attestation in Dubai, starting with the notary
MOFA attestation in Dubai is the stamp of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, also written MOFAIC). It confirms that the signature and seal just before it are genuine. For a paper you sign in the UAE, such as a power of attorney, an affidavit or a declaration, the signature MOFA checks is the notary public’s. So the notary comes first.
We have in-house, in person notary public services, online notary public services and home visit notary services. We notarise your document, then it goes to MOFA, and then to the embassy of the country that will receive it, if that country asks for it. This page explains what MOFA stamps, what must be done before it, and what it costs.
At a glance
- MOFA’s service is called “Attestation of Official Documents and Certificates”. It certifies that the signatures and seals on a document are authentic.
- A paper you sign yourself is notarised first. We notarise it in person, online or at your home.
- MOFA charges AED 150 for a personal document and AED 2,000 for a commercial document.
- The original must be in Arabic or English, or come with a legally certified translation, and must not be laminated.
- MOFA attestation is not an apostille. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention.
In this hub
3 pages under Notary and MOFA
Guide
MOFA online
MOFA attestation online means applying to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its website or the UAE MOFA app, instead of visiting a counter.
Guide
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.
Guide
Attestation steps
The UAE attestation process is a chain of signatures, each one confirming the one before it.
Checklist
Step one: we notarise your document
MOFA cannot attest a private paper that nobody official has signed. A notary public checks your identity, watches you sign, and applies the notary seal. That seal is what MOFA then attests. Papers that usually start with a notary include:
- a power of attorney for property, a bank, a vehicle or a court case;
- an affidavit, for example that two spellings of a name belong to one person;
- a declaration, a consent letter or an NOC for a visa;
- a certified true copy of a certificate you need to keep;
- a witnessed signature on a form for a bank or office abroad.
You choose how it is signed. 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 service we come to your home, office, hospital or care home in the UAE.
The notary profession in the UAE is set by Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, notary fees by Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, and notaries public in Dubai by Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013.
What MOFA attestation confirms
Think of the chain as a line of people, each one vouching for the one before. The notary vouches for your signature. MOFA vouches for the notary. The foreign embassy in the UAE vouches for MOFA. The office abroad only needs to recognise the last stamp.
So MOFA confirms one thing: the stamp before it is genuine. It does not check whether the facts inside the document are true, and it does not translate it. If the receiving office needs Arabic, a legal translator prepares the translation. Our legal translation page explains how that fits with notarisation.
What must be done before the MOFA stamp
A document signed or issued in the UAE
- A notary public, or the issuing office. A paper you sign is notarised. A UAE government certificate is issued by an office MOFA can recognise. Some certificates need a second UAE 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.
- MOFA. It attests the document.
- The destination country’s embassy or consulate in the UAE, where that country asks for it. See document legalization for use abroad.
A document issued outside the UAE
- Home country steps. The issuing office, and in some countries a notary or an education office.
- The foreign ministry of the issuing country.
- The UAE embassy or consulate in that country.
- MOFA in the UAE. The last stamp.
Step 3 cannot be done from Dubai. If it is missing, the document has to go back to the issuing country, or to someone there acting for you. A power of attorney we notarise here can give that person the authority to act. Our embassy attestation hub lists every country page.
Side by side
Personal or commercial: the class sets the fee
MOFA prices by document class, not by page. A personal document costs AED 150, a commercial document AED 2,000.
| Usually personal | Usually commercial |
|---|---|
| Degree and school certificates | Board resolutions |
| Marriage, birth, death and divorce certificates | Memorandums and articles of association |
| Police clearance and medical certificates | Certificates of incorporation and trade licences |
| A power of attorney for a personal matter | A general or commercial power of attorney |
| A personal declaration or affidavit | Commercial invoices and certificates of origin |
A general power of attorney is the one that catches people out. MOFA lists it with commercial documents, so the fee is AED 2,000, not AED 150. We check the class before you pay, so there is no second payment later.
MOFA also runs eDAS, an electronic attestation for commercial invoices and certificates of origin, at AED 150 per invoice or certificate of origin. It is attestation, and the UAE issues no apostilles. See commercial invoice attestation and company documents notarization.
Step by step
MOFA attestation Dubai: how we handle your file
01
Photo check.
You send photos of the document, both sides. We tell you if a notary step is needed and if every stamp before MOFA is present.
02
Notarisation.
If you still need to sign, we prepare the paper and notarise it in person, online or at your home.
03
Class and fee.
We confirm whether MOFA will treat it as personal or commercial, and quote our price plus the MOFA fee at cost.
04
Application.
MOFA’s FAQ says its Customer Happiness Centres are closed. Applications go through MOFA’s website or the UAE MOFA app, with UAE PASS sign-in. We prepare and submit it.
05
Return.
You get the original back with the MOFA attestation, and a scan of every page.
If a translation is needed, we book it at the same time, so the file is finished in one pass.
02
Online route, verification and other emirates
People search for a “MOFA attestation form” expecting a PDF. There is no paper form to download. Our guide to MOFA attestation online explains the online route, including online notarisation first.
Once a document is attested, the receiving office may check it. MOFA’s verification site is MOFA Verify, at verify.mofa.gov.ae, where an attestation is looked up by its reference number and issue date. Our page on MOFA attestation verification explains the check. For the whole chain on one page, read the UAE attestation process.
MOFA serves every emirate through the same online channels. Our pages on notary services in Abu Dhabi and notary services in Sharjah cover those emirates.
If a job offer or visa appointment has a date on it, tell us in your first message. Our fast track notary services in the UAE cover the parts we control. MOFA and the embassies set their own pace.
Checklist
Checklist before you hand over the original
- It is the original, not a copy, unless the receiving office asked for a notarised copy.
- It is not laminated, torn or taped.
- A paper you signed carries the notary seal.
- A foreign document carries both the foreign ministry stamp and the UAE embassy stamp.
- The name matches your passport, or you have an affidavit that links the two spellings.
- You know which office will receive it and whether it wants a translation.
If any line is a “no” or “not sure”, send us a photo first.
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) |
| Witnessing of signature | From AED 900 | AED 200 per party (federal schedule) |
| Certified true copy | From AED 400 | Confirmed at booking |
| MOFA attestation, personal document | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| MOFA attestation, commercial document | From AED 300 | MOFA AED 2,000 |
| Power of attorney, MOFA stage | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 personal, AED 2,000 general or commercial |
| Home visit notary | Quoted when you book | Dubai private notary trip fee AED 1,000 per trip outside the place of work |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does a power of attorney need a notary before MOFA?
Yes. A power of attorney you sign in the UAE is notarised first, and MOFA then attests the notary’s seal. We notarise it in person, online or at your home, then take it to MOFA.
Can MOFA attest a foreign certificate that has no UAE embassy stamp?
No. MOFA attests a foreign document only after the foreign ministry of the issuing country and the UAE embassy or consulate there have stamped it. Without the embassy stamp, the document has to go back to the issuing country first.
How much is MOFA attestation in Dubai?
MOFA charges AED 150 for a personal document and AED 2,000 for a commercial one. Our handling starts from AED 150 for a personal document and from AED 300 for a commercial one. 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.
Does MOFA attest photocopies?
MOFA attests originals. If an office wants a copy, the usual route is a copy certified by a notary public, which is then attested as the office requires. We certify true copies in house.
Is MOFA attestation the same as an apostille?
No. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, and MOFA attestation is the UAE’s own legalisation step. There is no apostille route here. Read our full answer: no apostille is issued in the UAE.
Do I need to be in the UAE for MOFA attestation?
Not for the MOFA stage. You can send the original to us. For the notary step, ask us whether your document can be notarised online by video.
Notary and MOFA
Notary and MOFA guides
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.
Notary and MOFA
MOFA online
MOFA attestation online means applying to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its website or the UAE MOFA app, instead of visiting a counter.
Start your notary and MOFA file
Send photos of the document, both sides, 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, Attestation of Official Documents and Certificates: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FAQ (attestation chain, fees, channels): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, eDAS attestation: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/Services/EDAS-Attestation-v2
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Dubai Media Office, Dubai private notary fees: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public
- Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning notaries public in Dubai: https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4)%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html
- HCCH, Apostille Convention status table (the UAE is not a party): https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41