المحتوى التفصيلي لهذه الصفحة متوفر حالياً باللغة الإنجليزية.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is referred to as MOFAIC. Correspondingly, the MOFA department provides attestation for documents of different kinds and serves as a bridge between the UAE and the rest of the world countries. Generally, the attestation procedure verifies the seal and signature affixed on documents issued abroad. Accordingly, the MOFA Attestation in UAE is provided by the customer happiness centers in the UAE. The Ministry of foreign affairs is also in charge of validating and attesting documents issued outside the UAE and those UAE documents that will be issued abroad.
Generally, The MOFA Attestation in UAE is available for all documents of individual, educational, and commercial affairs. It must be approved by the UAE embassy in the country concerned. Further, if the country doesn’t have a UAE embassy there, documents must be approved by the country’s embassy in UAE. Likewise, if there is no embassy inside the UAE, the documents must be notarized by the country’s ministry of foreign affairs which is accredited to the UAE.
MOFA Attestation for Personal Documents:
- Marriage Certificate
- Birth Certificate
- Divorce Certificate
- Death Certificate
- Transfer Certificate
- Experience Certificate
- UAE Police Clearance Certificate
- Diploma Certificate
- Degree Certificate
- School Certificate
- Salary Certificate
- All other certificates
MOFA Attestation for Commercial Documents:
- Power of Attorney
- Memorandum of Association
- Board Resolution
- Articles of Association
- Certificate of Good Standing
- Certificate of Incorporation
- Bankruptcy documents
- Tax certificate
- Invoices and Certificate of Origins
- Finally, All other Commercial documents
Important Instructions:
For documents issued inside the UAE:
1. Firstly, original document must be attested by the governing government entity except for digital documents issued by a government entity or documents attested electronically
2. Additionally, apply for attestation in the UAE through MoFAIC online channels. MOFA attestation is now issued digitally, with online/QR verification.
3. Also, include the original document. Generally, if the document is digital or electronically attested, include a copy of it.
4. Generally, document can then be attested by one of our embassies or missions abroad by applying for attestation on our online channels.
For documents issued outside the UAE:
1. Generally, original document must be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of issuing country.
2. Document can then be attested by one of UAE’s Embassy or Consulate in issuing country by applying through MoFAIC online channels.
3. The UAE Embassy or Consulate now completes the UAE MOFA attestation digitally in the same step (one digital certificate, verifiable online), so no separate MOFA attestation in the UAE is needed in most cases. Wordcraft confirms the exact route for your document in the free quote.
How can I get MOFA attestation in UAE?
Eventually, you can visit the ministry in person or approach a trusted attestation company to answer your needs with ease. Markedly, we provide MOFA attestation for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and all over the UAE. Contact us!
Related: complete MOFA attestation guide for 2026.
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
Who Needs This Service
UAE MOFA attestation is now digital (verifiable online). For most documents issued abroad it is completed by the UAE embassy in the issuing country in the same step as embassy legalization; for UAE documents going abroad it comes before the destination country's embassy. 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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be in the home country for the first steps?
No. We coordinate the home-country and embassy steps through our network while you stay in the UAE; you only hand over the original and a passport copy.
Does the document also need an Arabic translation?
Often, yes — UAE authorities usually require a certified Arabic legal translation of documents issued in other languages. We confirm this with the receiving authority and can do it in-house.
Is the attestation valid for every UAE authority?
Once the UAE MOFA attestation is complete — for most documents issued abroad it is now done digitally by the UAE embassy in the issuing country — the document can be used across the emirates. Some authorities also ask for an Arabic translation, which we check before submission.
Which Route Your Document Takes Through MOFA
Whether you need MOFA in the UAE at all depends on where the document was issued and where it is going. This table covers the five situations our team handles every day:
| Where the document was issued | What happens | Separate MOFA step in the UAE? | Arabic translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the UAE, digital (QR code or reference number) | MOFA attests it online through UAE PASS | This is the MOFA step | Only if the receiving office asks |
| In the UAE, paper certificate | The issuing authority verifies it where required (for example MOHAP for a birth certificate), then MOFA | Yes, done digitally | Only if the receiving office asks |
| Abroad, in a country where the UAE Embassy attests digitally | Home-country authentication, then the UAE Embassy, which adds MOFA in the same application | Usually no | By MOJ-certified legal translators when the UAE authority needs Arabic |
| Abroad, legalized years ago with a paper embassy stamp | We check the old stamp; MOFA in the UAE may still be required | Often yes | As in the row above |
| Issued in the UAE, going to another country | MOFA, then that country's embassy or consulate in the UAE | Yes, before the embassy | Into the destination language if required |
The UAE does not issue apostilles, so the last row applies even when the destination country belongs to the Apostille Convention.
More Questions About MOFA Attestation
Do I still need MOFA attestation after the UAE Embassy stamp?
For a document legalized digitally by a UAE Embassy under the current system, usually not, because that embassy application already includes MOFA. Documents stamped on paper at an embassy before the switch may still need MOFA in the UAE. Send us a photo of the stamp and we tell you which kind you have.
Can I apply for MOFA attestation myself?
Yes. Anyone with UAE PASS can apply on the MOFA website or app. People come to us when the document first needs another authority, when an earlier application was rejected, or when they would rather not handle the uploads, payment and courier return themselves.
Will MOFA attest a laminated certificate?
No. MOFA lists laminated documents among those it cannot attest. If your only original is laminated, ask the issuing authority for a fresh original or a certified replacement before anything else.
How can an employer check my MOFA attestation?
A digital attestation carries a QR code or reference number that anyone can check on MOFA’s verification service. Our 2026 guide explains how to verify a MOFA attestation online.
How long does MOFA attestation take?
UAE-issued documents such as birth and marriage certificates are attested by MOFA online, usually within an hour. Foreign documents take longer because of the home-country chain, so we state their timing in your written quote.
Can I get MOFA attestation in Sharjah or Ras Al Khaimah?
Yes. Because MOFA attestation is handled online, you do not need to visit a MOFA office in another emirate. Our local branches take care of it: see MOFA attestation in Sharjah and MOFA attestation in Ras Al Khaimah.
MOFA Attestation Is Now Digital
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation no longer means a paper sticker. As of September 2026, MOFA attests documents electronically: the attested document carries a digital attestation that anyone can check through MOFA's verification service, usually by scanning a QR code or entering a reference number. In practice this means:
- no queue at a MOFA customer happiness center for most documents, because applications go through MOFA's website and app with UAE PASS;
- UAE-issued documents that already carry a QR code, reference number or barcode can be attested online;
- employers, schools and ministries can verify the attestation themselves;
- the paper rules still apply: MOFA does not attest laminated documents, and it needs the document in Arabic or English or with a certified translation.
Source: MOFA attestation service. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Foreign Documents: MOFA Now Included at the UAE Embassy Abroad
For documents issued outside the UAE, the biggest change is where MOFA attestation happens. The UAE Embassy or Consulate in the issuing country now legalizes the document and completes the UAE MOFA attestation digitally at the same time, producing one digital certificate. As a rule, nothing more is needed from MOFA once the document arrives in the UAE. The exception is older documents legalized years ago with a paper embassy stamp: these may still need MOFA here, or even fresh attestation, and a photo of the stamp tells us which.
The home-country part of the route differs by country; see for example India, UK or Jordan.
UAE-Issued Documents: Digital Attestation in 2026
For documents issued in the UAE and going abroad, MOFA attestation is still part of the chain, and it is increasingly digital from start to finish:
- UAE-issued certificates (birth, marriage and similar): MOFA attests them online, usually within an hour of submission, so the paper original does not have to change hands.
- UAE educational documents: the relevant education authority verifies the certificate where required, and MOFA then attests it digitally; we confirm the current steps for your certificate in the free quote.
- After MOFA: the destination country's embassy in the UAE legalizes the document if that country requires it. Because the UAE is outside the Apostille Convention, UAE documents cannot be apostilled.
Commercial Invoices and Certificates of Origin
Shipment documents follow their own route. Commercial invoices and certificates of origin are normally certified by the relevant chamber of commerce and then attested through MOFA's electronic channel for trade documents; the quote tells you whether your shipment needs this step. Company records such as MOAs, board resolutions and powers of attorney follow the standard route described on commercial document attestation.
What We Take Off Your Hands
Plenty of people apply to MOFA themselves. Customers hand the job to us when the MOFA step is only one link in a longer chain, or when a first attempt has already been rejected. Here is what we do:
- Route check from a photo: we tell you whether the document needs MOFA in the UAE, is already covered by the UAE Embassy abroad, or needs an issuing authority first.
- Pre-submission check: lamination, name spellings, missing issuing-authority stamps and language, the four things that cause most MOFA rejections.
- Submission and follow-up through the right channel, with free collection and return of originals from any of our four offices.
- Arabic legal translation by our MOJ-certified legal translators when the receiving authority wants the attested document in Arabic.
Last updated: September 2026
