المحتوى التفصيلي لهذه الصفحة متوفر حالياً باللغة الإنجليزية.
Document attestation in Dubai means getting a certificate verified by the authorities that issued it, then by the UAE Embassy in that country and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), so a Dubai employer, school or visa office accepts it. For most foreign certificates, certificate attestation in Dubai now ends with one digital MOFA attestation you can verify online.
Certificate attestation in Dubai makes your documents legally valid for UAE visas, jobs, school admissions and business. Wordcraft handles every certificate type and the full attestation chain — issuing authority, embassy and MOFA — with certified Arabic translation included.
Wordcraft is a private document services company, not a government office. You can apply for MOFA attestation yourself on mofa.gov.ae (sign in with UAE PASS). We handle the steps for you and charge a service fee on top of the government fee, both confirmed in writing before we start.
Last updated: October 2026
Certificates We Attest
- Degree & diploma certificates.
- Marriage & birth certificates.
- Police clearance & medical certificates.
- Commercial documents and powers of attorney.
Why Wordcraft?
- Timing depends on the document type; we confirm it in your quote.
- MOJ-approved legal translation + attestation, 4 UAE branches.
Attest Your Certificates in Dubai — One Trusted Partner
Documents You Need
- The original certificate or document (not a copy)
- A copy of the certificate holder's passport
- For educational certificates: the transcripts or mark sheets, if the issuing authority or your employer asks for them
- A copy of your UAE visa or Emirates ID, if you are a resident
- A signed authorisation letter, if Wordcraft handles the home-country and embassy steps for you
How It Works — Step by Step
- Send a scan on WhatsApp or email — we confirm the exact route for your document and country and send a free quote within 10–30 minutes.
- Hand over the original at any of our four offices — Dubai HQ (Al Twar), Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or Ras Al Khaimah — or use our pickup service.
- Home-country authentication — the document is authenticated by the competent authorities in the issuing country (for example a notary, the issuing body and the foreign ministry, as that country requires).
- UAE embassy legalization with digital MOFA attestation — the UAE Embassy or Consulate in the issuing country legalizes the document and now completes the UAE MOFA attestation digitally in the same step, so in most cases no separate MOFA visit is needed in the UAE. We confirm the route for your country in the quote.
- Arabic translation, if required — a certified legal translation by an MOJ-licensed legal translator when the receiving authority asks for one.
- Delivery — collect the attested document from our office or receive it through our delivery service.
Related guide: How long does certificate attestation take for the UAE?.
Who Needs This Service
Residents and companies in Dubai need foreign certificates attested before using them with employers, schools, free zones and government departments. Typical cases:
- Employment and residence visas — especially for professional job titles
- Family sponsorship (marriage and birth certificates)
- School and university admission and certificate equivalency
- Professional licensing with health, education and engineering authorities
- Property, banking, inheritance and court matters
Attesting Certificates in Dubai: What Applies in September 2026
For most Dubai residents, certificate attestation now comes down to two questions: where was the certificate issued, and which Dubai office will receive it? Since MOFA moved to digital attestation, nobody has to queue at a counter in Dubai for a foreign degree or marriage certificate, because the UAE Embassy abroad usually completes the MOFA step before the document reaches you.
| Your certificate | Route for use in Dubai |
|---|---|
| Degree or diploma from abroad (MOHRE work permit, KHDA) | Education authority and foreign ministry at home, then the UAE Embassy there with MOFA included |
| Marriage or birth certificate from abroad (GDRFA family visa) | Civil registry and foreign ministry, then the UAE Embassy; Arabic legal translation for the visa file |
| Certificate issued in Dubai with a QR code | Online MOFA attestation, then the destination embassy if it is going abroad |
| Dubai-issued paper certificate (school, court, company) | Issuing authority first where required, then MOFA |
Two rules catch people out: MOFA will not attest a laminated certificate, and it only accepts documents in Arabic or English (or with a certified translation). The rules are on the MOFA attestation service page, and Dubai visa checklists are published by GDRFA Dubai. How long your certificate needs is set out in the written quote from our Al Twar team. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Country Examples: What Happens Before the UAE Embassy
The UAE Embassy only attests a document after the issuing country's own foreign office has done its part. The UAE Embassy pages for India and the UK, read in October 2026, set it out like this:
| Issued in | First, at home | Then | What you receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Attestation by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) | UAE Embassy New Delhi digital attestation; a MOFA-approved provider collects the original | An email with the document digitally attested by the UAE Embassy and MOFA; the original comes back by courier |
| United Kingdom | Legalisation by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) | UAE Embassy London digital attestation; a MOFA-approved provider collects the original | An email with the document digitally attested by the UAE Embassy and MOFA |
| Other countries | The country's foreign ministry or apostille authority, as that country requires | The UAE mission in that country (online at some missions, in person at others) | Check the mission's own page; we confirm the route in your quote |
Both embassy pages say personal documents such as degree, birth and marriage certificates must be submitted in their original form, and that documents apostilled in a bundle are not accepted: each one has to be apostilled separately. See our pages for degree certificate attestation and embassy attestation in Dubai for more on each step.
Digital MOFA Attestation or Courier: How Long Each Step Takes
For documents issued in the UAE, MOFA chooses the route itself; you cannot pick it. Original digital PDFs with a QR code, barcode or reference number go digital. Paper documents go through a MOFA-approved courier.
| Step | Who does it | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Digital attestation of a UAE-issued digital document | MOFA (online, UAE PASS) | Within 2 hours during official working hours (MOFA) |
| Courier-based attestation inside the UAE | MOFA with an approved courier provider | 1–3 business days, depending on the provider (MOFA) |
| Courier-based attestation outside the UAE | MOFA with an approved courier provider | Up to 7 business days (MOFA) |
| Home-country authentication of a foreign document | The issuing country's authorities | Depends on that country's office |
| Arabic legal translation, if the receiving office asks | Wordcraft's licensed legal translators | Depends on length; tell us your deadline |
Each MOFA application holds up to five documents, all on the same route, and it can't be changed after you submit. You can check any attested document on verify.mofa.gov.ae with its reference number and issue date. Source: MOFA attestation service.
Why MOFA Rejects Attestation Requests
MOFA rejects incorrectly completed applications automatically, and a rejected application can't be reopened; you file a new one. The reasons MOFA lists:
- Information entered wrongly, or not matching the document
- A document that isn't original or has been altered
- The wrong issuing authority or document type selected
- A document that doesn't meet the attestation requirements, for example a laminated certificate, or one not in Arabic or English without a certified translation
- A document that qualifies for digital attestation sent through the courier route
- For digital documents: a scan or photo instead of the original PDF, or a file that is corrupted or password-protected
We check these points before anything is submitted, which is where most delays are avoided.
What Decides the Cost of Certificate Attestation in Dubai
- The country that issued the certificate and how many steps it needs there
- The document type (educational, personal or commercial)
- Whether MOFA treats it as digital or courier-based
- Whether an Arabic legal translation is needed
- How many documents you attest together, and your deadline
Government fees are payable at cost. We confirm the exact government fee and our service charge in writing before any work begins. Send a photo of your certificate on WhatsApp +971 56 681 3996, call 056 681 3996 or toll-free 800 9673, or see our Dubai office page.
More Questions About Certificate Attestation in Dubai
My certificate already has the UAE Embassy stamp. Does it still need MOFA in Dubai?
If the embassy legalized it digitally under the current system, the MOFA attestation is normally part of that same certificate and nothing more is needed in Dubai. Older paper embassy stamps are different and may still need MOFA. A photo of the stamp is enough for us to tell.
Can you attest my certificate without me visiting Al Twar?
Yes. Send a photo on WhatsApp, approve the quote, and our courier collects the original anywhere in Dubai and brings it back when the attestation is done. Most Dubai customers never come to the office.
Is a certificate attested for Dubai also valid in the other emirates?
MOFA attestation is federal, so it is recognized across the UAE. Individual bodies can still add their own checks, such as KHDA for schools in Dubai or ADEK in Abu Dhabi.
Will a Dubai employer accept an apostille instead?
No. The UAE is outside the Apostille Convention, so a foreign apostille is at most a step in the home country and the UAE Embassy still has to legalize the certificate. Read more in Is the UAE part of the Apostille Convention?
The name on my certificate differs from my passport. Can it still be attested?
Often it can, but the receiving office may reject it later. We compare names before submission, and where they differ we suggest the supporting document that usually solves it, such as a name-change record or an affidavit the receiving authority accepts.
Visit Our Dubai Office in Al Twar
Certificate attestation in Dubai is handled by our head office team in Al Twar: Office 307, Arzoo Building (Sharjah Islamic Bank Building), next to Al Twar Centre, Al Nahda Road, Al Qusais 2. You can bring your certificates in person, or send photos on WhatsApp to +971 56 681 3996 and let our courier collect the originals.
- Opening hours: Monday–Friday 8:30 AM–7:00 PM · Saturday 9:00 AM–2:00 PM · Sunday closed
- Phone: +971 56 681 3996 (mobile & WhatsApp) · 04 239 6262
- Email: info@wordcraft.ae
What to bring for attestation
- The original certificate: attestation is done on the original, not a copy
- Your passport copy (and Emirates ID copy if you live in the UAE), so names match exactly
- Any earlier attestations already on the certificate, so we do not repeat a step
- The name of the authority or country that will receive the document
How the Al Twar team handles your certificate
For certificates issued in the UAE, the team completes the issuing-authority step and the MOFA attestation, which is now digital and verifiable online, and then arranges the destination embassy if the document is going abroad. For certificates issued abroad, we manage the home-country authentication and the UAE embassy step, which now includes MOFA digitally in most cases, so there is usually no separate MOFA step once the document reaches Dubai. If the receiving authority needs an Arabic version, our MOJ-certified legal translators translate it in the same office.
Certificates the Al Twar team attests most
- Degree, diploma and school certificates for employment visas, equivalency and school admissions
- Marriage and birth certificates for family visa and newborn residence files
- Police clearance certificates for employment and immigration abroad
- Commercial documents (certificates of incorporation, board resolutions and powers of attorney) for company setup
- Experience and salary certificates for professional licenses and Golden visa applications
Customers from Al Qusais, Al Nahda, Muhaisnah, Mirdif and Deira often drop documents in person; customers elsewhere in Dubai usually order online and use our collection service.
Many customers combine attestation with a visit to Al Twar Centre next door. Our guide to Al Twar Centre explains what to bring there. Directions, the areas we cover and the office's 4.9★ Google rating (567 reviews) are on the Dubai Al Twar office page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is certificate attestation in Dubai?
Certificate attestation is the official verification of your educational, personal or commercial certificates by the issuing authority, the embassy, and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so they are legally recognised in the UAE.
Which certificates need attestation?
Degree and diploma certificates, birth and marriage certificates, police-clearance certificates and commercial documents commonly need attestation for visas, jobs, schooling and business.
How much does certificate attestation cost in Dubai?
It depends on the certificate type and country of origin.
How long does certificate attestation take?
MOFA’s own service page gives these times: digital attestation of UAE-issued documents within 2 hours during official working hours, and attestation through a courier service provider in 1–3 business days. Steps in the issuing country and at an embassy take as long as those offices take. For urgent requests, tell us your deadline and we confirm what is possible before we start.
Can I apply for MOFA attestation myself?
Yes. MOFA's attestation service is open to the public on mofa.gov.ae and the UAE MOFA app, using UAE PASS. Non-residents can create a UAE PASS account. Wordcraft is a private company: we prepare and submit the application for you and handle the other steps, with our service fee confirmed in writing first.
Do Indian certificates still need MEA attestation?
Yes. The UAE Embassy in New Delhi says India-issued documents must first be attested by India's Ministry of External Affairs. After that, the embassy's digital attestation covers both the embassy and MOFA, and you receive the attested document by email while the original is returned by courier.
Is a UK apostille enough for use in Dubai?
On its own, no. The UK document is first legalised by the FCDO and then digitally attested by the UAE Embassy in London, which includes MOFA. Documents apostilled in a bundle are not accepted; each one must be apostilled separately.
How do I check that my attestation is genuine?
Go to verify.mofa.gov.ae, choose Document Status and enter the reference number and issue date shown on the attestation page. A digital attestation has a reference number, the attestation date and a verification element on its last page.
Can a laminated certificate be attested?
No. MOFA's conditions for courier-based attestation say the document must not be laminated. If your certificate is laminated, ask the issuing authority about a fresh original or certified copy before you start.
Why was my MOFA application rejected?
The usual reasons are details that don't match the document, a wrong document type or issuing authority, an altered or non-original document, or a digital document sent through the courier route. A rejected application can't be edited, so a new one is needed.
Can several certificates go in one application?
Yes, up to five documents per MOFA application, as long as they all use the same attestation method. Digital and courier documents must go in separate applications.
Do I need an Arabic translation after attestation?
Only if the receiving office asks for one. MOFA accepts documents in Arabic or English, or with a legally certified translation. Many Dubai visa and court files need Arabic, which our licensed legal translators handle.
Last updated: October 2026
