Certificates
MOFA attestation for a police clearance certificate, with notary support
A police clearance certificate (PCC) is often one paper in a bigger file for a job, residence or immigration abroad. The same file may ask for a certified copy of your passport, a notarised copy of the certificate, or a signed declaration. We have in-house, in person notary public services, online notary public services and home visit notary services, so we notarise those papers and then help with MOFA attestation for the police clearance itself.
MOFA attestation of a police clearance is needed in two opposite cases, and the order of stamps flips between them. If you are leaving the UAE, an office abroad may ask for your UAE police clearance (also called a good conduct certificate) attested by MOFA and then by its own embassy in the UAE. If you are coming to a UAE job, your employer may ask for the police clearance from your home country, attested there, stamped by the UAE mission, and then attested by MOFA here.
In both cases, time matters. A police clearance speaks about your record on the day it was issued, so receiving offices often want a recent one. Plan the attestation as soon as the certificate is issued.
Side by side
Notary services that go with a police clearance
| Notary service | When you need it |
|---|---|
| Notarised true copy of the police clearance | You must send copies to more than one office and keep the original for attestation. See certified true copies. |
| Notarised passport copy | The office wants a certified copy of your passport with the certificate |
| Declaration | An employer or immigration office asks you to confirm facts, such as where you have lived, in a signed statement. See affidavits before a notary. |
| Signature attestation | A form in the application must be signed before a notary. See signature attestation. |
| Authority letter | A relative in your home country will collect the certificate or take it through the offices there |
A notarised copy is not an attested certificate. When an office asks for an attested PCC, it needs the original with its stamps.
In person, online or at home
You can sign in person with our in-house notary public services. Our online notary public services work 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. See online notary.
If you cannot travel, our home visit notary services come to your home, office, hospital or care home in the UAE. When timing is the worry, ask about our fast track notary services in the UAE.
What “attested PCC” means
A PCC is attested when the right authorities have added their stamps to it, confirming the signature on it is genuine. It does not change what the certificate says. For the UAE, “attested” usually means it carries the MOFA attestation. For an office abroad, it means MOFA plus that country’s embassy stamp.
Step by step
A UAE police clearance going abroad
01
Get the UAE certificate.
In Dubai, good conduct certificates are issued by Dubai Police; other emirates and the Ministry of Interior issue their own.
02
MOFA attestation
in the UAE.
03
The receiving country’s embassy or consulate in the UAE, if that country asks for it.
04
Translation
into the destination country’s language, if asked. See legal translation.
This whole route is done in the UAE. See UAE documents for abroad.
Step by step
A foreign police clearance coming into the UAE
01
Get the certificate from your home country’s police authority.
Each country has its own issuing office and format.
02
Home country checks and foreign ministry attestation, following that country’s rules.
03
The UAE mission
serving the city where you apply.
04
MOFA in the UAE.
Examples of home country issuers are on our country pages, such as the ACRO certificate on UK certificate attestation and the FBI check on US certificate attestation. All countries: embassy attestation.
Watch for
Why police clearance files go wrong
- The certificate is too old by the time it arrives. Start as soon as it is issued.
- A printout of an online certificate that cannot be checked. Ask the issuer for the version that can be attested.
- The wrong issuing office. A local police station letter may not be the national certificate the receiving office wants.
- A name that does not match the passport. Correct it at the source before attesting.
Who asks for it
Most people who search for MOFA attestation police clearance steps have been sent a list by one of these:
- Employers and regulators for security, health, education and finance jobs, in the UAE or abroad. See experience certificate attestation for the job letters that often go with it.
- Immigration authorities abroad, for residence or citizenship.
- Some licensing bodies in the UAE.
Step by step
How we help
01
We check which direction and which issuing office is involved.
02
We notarise copies, declarations and authority letters, in person, online or at your home.
03
For a UAE certificate, we handle MOFA and the embassy that needs it.
04
For a foreign certificate, we give you the home country steps and handle the MOFA step here.
05
We book a translation where needed and tell you early if the certificate may be too old when it arrives.
Prices
Prices
| Service | Our service price | Government fee, paid on top at cost |
|---|---|---|
| Certified true copy | From AED 400 | Confirmed at booking |
| Passport copy attestation | From AED 500 | Confirmed at booking |
| Declaration | From AED 600 | AED 300 if made as an affidavit (federal item 12), or AED 200 per party (federal item 8) |
| MOFA attestation, personal document | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| Urgent handling (add-on) | From AED 250 | None |
| Legal translation | From AED 50 per page | AED 50 per page if notarised with the instrument |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can MOFA attest a Dubai Police good conduct certificate?
Yes. MOFA attests UAE documents for use abroad, and a police clearance is one of them. If yours was issued digitally, check with the issuer that you have the version that can be attested.
Can you notarise a copy of my police clearance?
Yes. Our in-house notary public services notarise a true copy of the certificate and your passport. A notarised copy suits an office that asks for copies, but it is not the attested original.
How long is a police clearance valid after MOFA attestation?
MOFA does not set a validity. The receiving office decides how recent it must be, so ask it before you start.
Do I need a translation for my UAE police clearance?
Only if the destination country asks for one in its own language.
My home country police certificate was issued online. Can it be attested for the UAE?
Often, if the issuing authority provides a version the foreign ministry can check. Ask the issuer first, then call or WhatsApp us with what you have.
Talk to us about a police clearance
Tell us which country issued it and where it will be used.
- Phone and WhatsApp: +971 52 947 5935
- Email: info@dubainotaryservices.com
- Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.
Certificates
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Service hub
Certificate attestation in Dubai is the chain of stamps that makes a degree, marriage certificate, birth certificate or similar paper acceptable to an office.
Guides
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: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation
- HCCH, status table of the Apostille Convention (the UAE is not a party): https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491