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How to Get a Foreign Document Attested in the UAE
How to attest a foreign document (birth certificate, marriage certificate, or degree) for use in UAE visa or government procedures. Covers the home-country-to-MOFA chain with exact MOFA fees.
Gov. fee
AED 150 (UAE MOFA, standard processing). Home-country and UAE Embassy fees vary by nationality.
Timeline
2–6 weeks end-to-end. UAE MOFA step: 1–3 working days.
For
UAE residents and visa applicants who need to authenticate a foreign-issued document…
Steps
3
Start
Your document must pass through a home-country authentication chain before UAE MOFA will…
Last updated: April 2026
- 1Complete Home-Country Authentication
- 2Submit to UAE MOFA
- 3Collect the Attested Document
Step by step
Complete Home-Country Authentication
Your document must pass through a home-country authentication chain before UAE MOFA will accept it. The standard chain is: notarization by a certified notary → authentication by your home country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or equivalent) → attestation by the UAE Embassy or Consulate in your home country.
Where to go
Notary, home country Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE Embassy in your home country (in that order)
Address / portal
Check your home country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal for current procedures. Check the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (mofa.gov.ae) for the UAE Embassy address in your country.
Est. cost
Varies by country. Notarization typically equivalent to USD 20–80. UAE Embassy attestation fee typically USD 30–100.
Est. time
1–4 weeks depending on your country and UAE Embassy workload
Advice
If your home country is a Hague Apostille Convention member, you may be able to get an apostille instead of the full home-country chain. The UAE has accepted apostilles since 2021. An apostille replaces the home Ministry and UAE Embassy steps — submit directly to UAE MOFA (step 2). Confirm with the UAE authority requesting your document whether an apostille is sufficient for your use case.
Note
UAE MOFA will reject a document that has not passed through the home-country authentication chain. Do not submit to MOFA without completing this step first.
Submit to UAE MOFA
Submit the fully authenticated document to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs for final attestation.
Where to go
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) eServices portal or in-person center
Address / portal
Online: mofa.gov.ae (eServices portal). In person: MOFA attestation center or any approved typing center in Dubai.
Est. cost
AED 150 per document (standard, 1–3 working days). Express processing is available for a higher fee. Approved typing centers charge an additional service fee of AED 50–150.
Est. time
1–3 working days (standard); same-day or next-day (express)
Advice
The online eServices portal is the fastest route for most applicants: upload document scans, pay AED 150 online, then physically drop the original at a MOFA center or approved typing center. Typing centers and PRO services can handle the full submission on your behalf for an additional service fee.
Collect the Attested Document
Collect the document from the MOFA center or typing center once processing is complete. Verify the MOFA stamp is present before submitting the document to the requesting UAE authority.
Where to go
MOFA center or typing center used for submission
Address / portal
Same location as used in step 2
Est. cost
No additional fee
Est. time
Included in step 2 processing time
Advice
If the UAE authority also requires an Arabic translation, have it translated by a UAE-certified legal translator after receiving the MOFA-attested original. Return to MOFA to have the Arabic translation attested separately — AED 150 per page of translation.
Overview
Foreign documents must pass through a chain of authentication before UAE authorities will accept them. The standard chain has three stages: notarization and ministry authentication in the country where the document was issued, a stamp from the UAE Embassy or Consulate in that country, and final attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) inside the UAE.
The UAE MOFA step is the only stage handled inside the UAE, and the fees are fixed: AED 150 per document for standard processing (1–3 working days). The home-country stages vary by nationality and document type and are typically the slowest part. MOFA attestation can be completed online via the MOFA eServices portal or in person at a MOFA center in Dubai.
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