Last updated: October 2026
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Send a photo on WhatsAppThis glossary gives the Arabic for 103 legal and official terms you will meet on UAE court papers, contracts, powers of attorney, family documents and attestation stamps, grouped by topic, with a note where two Arabic words look alike or where Dubai and Abu Dhabi use different names. Use it to understand a document; for anything you will submit, use a licensed legal translator.
Wordcraft’s legal translators work with these terms every day, and this is the list we wish every client had before their first court or notary visit. It is free to use and to link to. If you need a document translated, our MOJ-approved legal translation in Dubai page explains how it works, with offices in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah too.
Jump to a topic
- Courts and cases (20 terms)
- Contracts and companies (23 terms)
- Notary and power of attorney (15 terms)
- Family and personal status (16 terms)
- Attestation and education documents (15 terms)
- Property and tenancy (8 terms)
- Employment (6 terms)
- Arabic words that look alike
Courts and cases
Words you meet in Dubai Courts, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), Sharjah and RAK court papers.
| English | Arabic | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lawsuit / case | دعوى | The whole court case. A case file is «ملف الدعوى». |
| Statement of claim | صحيفة الدعوى | The document that starts a civil case. |
| Claimant (plaintiff) | المدعي | |
| Defendant | المدعى عليه | Only one letter apart from «المدعي» in Arabic, so check it twice. |
| Hearing | جلسة | |
| Memorandum of defence | مذكرة دفاع | |
| Judgment | حكم | A final, enforceable judgment is «حكم نهائي» or «حكم بات». |
| Court of First Instance | المحكمة الابتدائية | |
| Court of Appeal | محكمة الاستئناف | |
| Court of Cassation (Dubai) | محكمة التمييز | Dubai's highest court. |
| Court of Cassation (Abu Dhabi) | محكمة النقض | Same level as Dubai's «التمييز», different name. |
| Federal Supreme Court | المحكمة الاتحادية العليا | |
| Appeal | استئناف | |
| Execution (enforcement of a judgment) | تنفيذ | An execution file is «ملف تنفيذ». |
| Payment order | أمر أداء | A fast procedure for proven debts. |
| Expert report | تقرير الخبرة | |
| Public Prosecution | النيابة العامة | |
| Police complaint | بلاغ | |
| Travel ban | منع من السفر | |
| Rental Dispute Centre (Dubai) | مركز فض المنازعات الإيجارية |
Contracts and companies
Trade licences, company documents and commercial contracts.
| English | Arabic | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | عقد | |
| Party (to a contract) | طرف | First party «الطرف الأول», second party «الطرف الثاني». |
| Memorandum of Association (MOA) | عقد التأسيس | |
| Articles of Association | النظام الأساسي | |
| Trade licence | رخصة تجارية | |
| Commercial register | السجل التجاري | |
| Limited Liability Company (LLC) | شركة ذات مسؤولية محدودة | |
| Sole establishment | مؤسسة فردية | |
| Branch | فرع | |
| Local service agent | وكيل خدمات محلي | |
| Board resolution | قرار مجلس الإدارة | |
| Partners' resolution | قرار الشركاء | Used for LLCs, where owners are partners, not shareholders. |
| Certificate of incorporation | شهادة التأسيس | |
| Service agreement | اتفاقية تقديم خدمات | |
| Non-disclosure agreement (NDA) | اتفاقية عدم إفصاح | |
| Governing law | القانون الواجب التطبيق | |
| Jurisdiction | الاختصاص القضائي | |
| Arbitration clause | شرط التحكيم | |
| Force majeure | القوة القاهرة | |
| Liability | المسؤولية | |
| Compensation / indemnity | التعويض | |
| Termination (of a contract) | إنهاء العقد | Ending it from a date forward. See «فسخ» below. |
| Rescission | فسخ العقد | Undoing the contract, often for breach. |
Notary and power of attorney
Words on POAs, declarations and notary papers.
| English | Arabic | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Notary public | الكاتب العدل | |
| Notarization | التوثيق لدى الكاتب العدل | |
| Power of attorney (POA) | وكالة | |
| General power of attorney | وكالة عامة | |
| Special power of attorney | وكالة خاصة | Limited to one matter: a property, a vehicle, a licence or a case. |
| Principal (the person giving the POA) | الموكِّل | |
| Attorney / agent (the person receiving it) | الوكيل | Not a lawyer unless the text says so. |
| Revocation of a power of attorney | إلغاء الوكالة | Also seen as «عزل الوكيل», removing the agent. |
| Declaration / acknowledgement | إقرار | |
| Undertaking | تعهد | |
| No objection certificate (NOC) | شهادة عدم ممانعة | |
| Authentication of a signature | تصديق التوقيع | |
| Witness | شاهد | |
| Legal translation | ترجمة قانونية | |
| Legal translator licensed by the Ministry of Justice | مترجم قانوني مرخص من وزارة العدل |
Family and personal status
Marriage, children, inheritance and personal documents.
| English | Arabic | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage contract | عقد زواج | The contract signed at the marriage. |
| Marriage certificate | شهادة زواج | The certificate issued afterwards; some countries issue only one of the two. |
| Divorce certificate | شهادة طلاق | |
| Birth certificate | شهادة ميلاد | |
| Death certificate | شهادة وفاة | |
| Custody (of a child) | حضانة | |
| Guardianship | الولاية | Different from custody: legal authority, not daily care. |
| Maintenance (alimony / child support) | نفقة | |
| Inheritance | ميراث | |
| Heirs certificate | إعلام شرعي (حصر الورثة) | |
| Will | وصية | |
| Personal status law | قانون الأحوال الشخصية | |
| Family book (Emirati) | خلاصة القيد | |
| Emirates ID card | بطاقة الهوية | |
| Passport | جواز سفر | |
| Residence visa / residency | إقامة |
Attestation and education documents
Words on attestation stamps, degrees and equivalency files.
| English | Arabic | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Attestation | تصديق | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UAE) | وزارة الخارجية | Often shortened to MOFA in English. |
| Embassy | سفارة | |
| Consulate | قنصلية | |
| Apostille | أبوستيل | The UAE is not part of the Apostille Convention, so UAE use still needs embassy and MOFA attestation. |
| Degree certificate | شهادة جامعية | |
| Transcript | كشف الدرجات | |
| Equivalency certificate | شهادة معادلة | |
| Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research | وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي | |
| Police clearance (good conduct) certificate | شهادة حسن السيرة والسلوك | |
| Salary certificate | شهادة راتب | |
| Experience certificate | شهادة خبرة | |
| Bank statement | كشف حساب بنكي | |
| Medical report | تقرير طبي | |
| True copy | صورة طبق الأصل |
Property and tenancy
Sale, rent and land department documents.
| English | Arabic | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Title deed | سند ملكية | |
| Tenancy contract | عقد إيجار | |
| Landlord | المؤجر | |
| Tenant | المستأجر | Again one letter from «المؤجر», so check it. |
| Sale and purchase agreement | اتفاقية بيع وشراء | |
| Mortgage | رهن | |
| Dubai Land Department | دائرة الأراضي والأملاك | |
| Ejari (Dubai tenancy registration) | إيجاري |
Employment
Job, labour and end-of-service documents.
| English | Arabic | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Employment contract | عقد عمل | |
| Offer letter | عرض عمل | |
| End-of-service gratuity | مكافأة نهاية الخدمة | |
| Labour complaint | شكوى عمالية | |
| Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) | وزارة الموارد البشرية والتوطين | |
| Resignation | استقالة |
Arabic words that look alike (and mean different things)
Most translation mistakes we are asked to fix come from a handful of pairs. Check these first when you read an Arabic document:
- «المدعي» (claimant) and «المدعى عليه» (defendant): swapping them reverses who is suing whom.
- «المؤجر» (landlord) and «المستأجر» (tenant): one letter apart, opposite sides of the lease.
- «الموكِّل» (principal) and «الوكيل» (attorney): who gives the power and who receives it.
- «إنهاء العقد» and «فسخ العقد»: ending a contract from now on is not the same as undoing it.
- «حضانة» and «الولاية»: daily care of a child versus legal authority over the child.
- «عقد زواج» and «شهادة زواج»: some authorities ask for the contract, others for the certificate.
- «محكمة التمييز» and «محكمة النقض»: both are the top court; Dubai uses the first name, Abu Dhabi the second.
When a glossary is not enough
Courts, the notary and most UAE authorities accept only a translation done and stamped by a legal translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice. A glossary helps you read a document and ask the right questions; it does not replace that stamp. Names, dates and numbers must match your passport or Emirates ID exactly, and the Arabic text is usually the version the authority relies on.
Can I translate my own document for a UAE court?
Usually not. Courts and the notary ask for a translation done by a legal translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice, with the translator’s stamp. You can use this glossary to understand a document, but the version you submit should come from a licensed legal translator.
What is the Arabic for power of attorney?
A power of attorney is «وكالة». A general power of attorney is «وكالة عامة» and a special one, limited to one matter, is «وكالة خاصة». The person giving it is «الموكِّل» and the person receiving it is «الوكيل».
Why does Dubai say «محكمة التمييز» and Abu Dhabi «محكمة النقض»?
Both names mean the highest court in that emirate’s court system, the Court of Cassation. Dubai Courts use «محكمة التمييز» and the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department uses «محكمة النقض», so a translation should keep the name the document itself uses.
Is a marriage contract the same as a marriage certificate?
Not always. The contract («عقد زواج») is what is signed at the marriage; the certificate («شهادة زواج») is issued afterwards. Some countries issue only one of them, so check which one the UAE authority asks for before you attest or translate it.
Can I link to or quote this glossary?
Yes. You are welcome to link to this page or quote individual terms with a link back to wordcraft.ae. If you spot a term we should add, send it to info@wordcraft.ae.
Need a legal translation?
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