When you attest a UAE-issued document for use abroad, MOFA attestation now comes with a choice you have to make on the form: MOFA attestation only (and you finish with the destination country’s embassy here in the UAE), or MOFA plus the UAE Embassy or Consulate in the destination country, in one application. Pick the one the receiving office expects, before you pay.
Send a photo on WhatsApp and we’ll confirm the requirements and quote in writing before we start.
Send a photo on WhatsAppSay your employer in Canada, a university in the UK or a family court in India has asked for your UAE marriage certificate, degree or company paper “attested”. A few years ago that meant queues and a fixed chain of stamps. Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs the whole thing online with UAE PASS, and the form asks you questions that decide what you end up holding. Get one answer wrong and you can’t edit the application afterwards.
This guide walks through those choices in plain terms. If you’d rather hand the whole thing over, our certificate attestation service in Dubai covers UAE documents going abroad as well as foreign documents coming in, and the MOFA attestation page explains what we do at each step.
What MOFA attestation does for a document going abroad
MOFA’s own service page describes attestation as certifying that the signatures and seals on a document are genuine. It doesn’t check whether the content is true, and it doesn’t translate anything. A foreign office accepts the document because the UAE government has confirmed that the issuing authority really issued it.
For a UAE-issued document, the application is made on the MOFA website or the UAE MOFA app. You sign in with UAE PASS. If you aren’t a UAE resident and don’t have UAE PASS, MOFA points you to uaepass.ae to create an account.
Digital or courier: you don’t choose the route
This catches people out. You don’t pick between a digital attestation and a paper one. You enter the issuing authority and the document type, and MOFA’s system decides the route.
| Route | When it applies | What you get | Time MOFA states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Attestation | A supported UAE authority issued the document as an original digital PDF with a verification element (QR code, barcode, link or reference number) | The attested PDF by email or under My Requests, with the attestation on the last page | Within 2 hours during official working hours |
| Courier-based attestation | Everything that doesn’t qualify for the digital route | The attested paper document, delivered by the approved courier you selected | 1–3 business days, depending on the courier |
A scan or a phone photo of a paper certificate is not an “original digital document” in MOFA’s terms, so it won’t pass the digital route. And MOFA says plainly: don’t pick a wrong issuing authority or document type to try to get a different route. That’s one of the listed reasons for rejection.
Commercial invoices and certificates of origin are a separate track. MOFA handles those through its Commercial Document Attestation Service (eDAS), not this one. Trade licences, contracts and other company papers can still go through the normal service; our commercial document attestation page covers those.
The two options for finishing the attestation
Once you enter the destination country, MOFA may offer more than one way to finish. These are the two options it describes, in its own wording:
| Option on the form | What the service includes | What’s left for you |
|---|---|---|
| “Embassy/Consulate of the Selected Destination Country in the UAE” | MOFA attestation only | If the destination country wants its own embassy’s stamp, you take the document to that embassy or consulate in the UAE yourself |
| “UAE Embassy/Consulate in the Selected Destination Country” | MOFA attestation, then attestation by the UAE Embassy or Consulate that covers that country | Nothing on the UAE side. Both steps are done inside the one application |
If the UAE has no embassy in your destination country and covers it from a neighbouring one, MOFA assigns the right mission automatically. You don’t need to work out which one.
Not every country gets both options. The destination decides which ones appear, and whether the UAE mission step is included at all.
Which option should you pick?
MOFA leaves it to you (“choose the option that best suits your preferred attestation journey”). In practice the answer sits with whoever will receive the document, not with you or with us. So ask them one direct question before you apply: which stamp do you need to see after the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
- If they say their own embassy or consulate in the UAE must legalise it, choose the first option and plan for the embassy visit here.
- If they say the UAE Embassy in their country is enough, the second option saves you that separate step.
- If they only say “attested by MOFA”, get that in writing. It usually means MOFA alone, but a short email now is cheaper than a second application later.
One more thing to settle first: the destination country itself. MOFA says it must be known before you submit and can’t be changed afterwards. If you aren’t sure yet whether the document is going to Germany or Austria, wait.
Five things to check before you press submit
- The details match the document. Issuing authority, document type and the holder’s name must match what’s on the paper or PDF. A mismatch is a rejection reason.
- Up to five documents per application. They all have to follow the same route. A digital document and a courier document go in separate applications.
- The document is unaltered. No edits, no missing pages. For the digital route, the PDF must open properly and must not be password-protected.
- Language. Ask the receiving country whether the attested document must also be translated, and whether the translation needs its own attestation. If the document is going to an Arabic-speaking office or the receiving office wants Arabic, a legal translation in Dubai by an MOJ-licensed translator may be part of the job.
- Payment. MOFA shows the total before you pay. It depends on the number of documents, the option you chose, the attestations included and whether the document is personal or commercial.
If MOFA rejects the application
A rejected application can’t be corrected or reopened. You read the reason in the notification, fix it, and submit a new application. MOFA says you don’t have to wait for any refund before you reapply. Whether you get a refund at all follows the Ministry’s own refund procedures, so check the status in your application or ask MOFA customer service (80044444).
The reasons MOFA lists are mostly avoidable: wrong information, details that don’t match the document, an altered or non-original document, the wrong issuing authority or document type, or a document that was eligible for the digital route but was sent through the courier route.
How to check the finished attestation
When it’s done, keep the reference number and the issue date. Anyone abroad who wants to confirm the attestation can enter both on verify.mofa.gov.ae under Document Status. If your downloaded PDF has no attestation page, MOFA says not to use it: download it again, and contact customer service if it still looks incomplete. We wrote a separate guide on how to verify a MOFA attestation if the receiving office asks how.
The rules above come from MOFA’s Documents Attestation service page, read in October 2026. MOFA updates the service from time to time, so check that page if something on the form looks different.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the attestation option after I submit?
No. MOFA doesn’t let you change the completion option, or anything else, once the application is submitted. If you need the other option, you file a new application, as long as that option is offered for your destination country. That’s why it’s worth asking the receiving office which stamp it needs before you pay.
Does the digital route include the UAE Embassy abroad?
It can. The destination country decides whether the UAE Embassy or Consulate step is available. If you choose “UAE Embassy/Consulate in the Selected Destination Country”, MOFA’s attestation and the UAE mission’s attestation are both completed inside the same service. With the other option, the service covers MOFA only.
Can I upload a scan of my paper certificate for digital attestation?
No. Digital attestation needs the original digital PDF issued electronically by the authority, with a verification element such as a QR code or reference number. A scan, photo or self-made copy doesn’t qualify. Paper documents follow the courier route, which MOFA assigns automatically.
Do I need UAE PASS if I live outside the UAE?
Yes. MOFA requires UAE PASS to sign in to the attestation service. Its page says non-residents can create an account at uaepass.ae. If that isn’t practical for you, a UAE-based agent such as Wordcraft can prepare and submit the application for you.
How many documents can go in one MOFA application?
Up to five, according to MOFA, as long as they all follow the same attestation route. The first document you add sets the route. A document that needs the other route, digital or courier, has to go in a separate application.
Can I change the attestation option after I submit?
No. MOFA doesn’t let you change the completion option, or anything else, once the application is submitted. If you need the other option, you file a new application, as long as that option is offered for your destination country. That’s why it’s worth asking the receiving office which stamp it needs before you pay.
Does the digital route include the UAE Embassy abroad?
It can. The destination country decides whether the UAE Embassy or Consulate step is available. If you choose “UAE Embassy/Consulate in the Selected Destination Country”, MOFA’s attestation and the UAE mission’s attestation are both completed inside the same service. With the other option, the service covers MOFA only.
Can I upload a scan of my paper certificate for digital attestation?
No. Digital attestation needs the original digital PDF issued electronically by the authority, with a verification element such as a QR code or reference number. A scan, photo or self-made copy doesn’t qualify. Paper documents follow the courier route, which MOFA assigns automatically.
Do I need UAE PASS if I live outside the UAE?
Yes. MOFA requires UAE PASS to sign in to the attestation service. Its page says non-residents can create an account at uaepass.ae. If that isn’t practical for you, a UAE-based agent such as Wordcraft can prepare and submit the application for you.
How many documents can go in one MOFA application?
Up to five, according to MOFA, as long as they all follow the same attestation route. The first document you add sets the route. A document that needs the other route, digital or courier, has to go in a separate application.
Where Wordcraft Comes In
We ask the receiving office’s question for you, choose the matching option, prepare the MOFA application and handle the courier route, the destination embassy’s stamp in the UAE when it’s needed, and any legal translation by our MOJ-licensed translators. We collect and return your documents free of charge in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah.
Send a photo of the document on WhatsApp at +971 56 681 3996, or call toll-free 800 9673, and tell us which country it’s going to. We reply with a written quote in 10–30 minutes. Government fees are payable at cost; we confirm the exact fee and our service charge in writing before any work begins. If you have a deadline, tell us and we’ll confirm what’s possible before we start.
