Note: All documents must first be authenticated in the home country, and the process is as follow:
Certificate attestation prior to coming to Dubai:
Before you come to Dubai, you must attest your documents from your home country, and the procedure is as follows:
If you are in your home country before coming to the UAE:
1. Ensure your documents are valid by contacting the Ministry or Department of Foreign Affairs in your country. Make sure you have the original document and a copy, both of which will be stamped so that you can verify the authenticity of the certificate as well as the issuing authority.
2. Obtain a copy of the document and take it to the UAE embassy or consulate in your country. The embassy will review the documents to ensure they come from the legitimate government body in your country.
3. Once you arrive in Dubai, submit attested copies of your documents to the relevant government sector. In addition, you should speak with your company or university about the attestation process as they will be familiar with it and will be able to provide you with the exact information you need.
If you are not in your home country before you come to Dubai or UAE, you have two options.
1. For authentication, you should take the documents to your home country's embassy and then to the Foreign Affairs department of the country to verify the authenticity of the embassy attestation. Finally, take the documents to the UAE embassy for final certification.
2. Or else you can also send the documents back to your home country to finish the original process.
After your documents have been attested in your home country, you will need to have the attestation process done in the UAE. The procedure for doing so is explained below in this article.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) advises residents and visitors wishing to attest academic certificates and other documents issued outside the country to obey the proper procedures to avoid being rejected.
Before submitting documents to the ministry for attestation, all documents must be authenticated by the authorities in their home countries (Procedure mentioned above).
An attestation by the MoFAIC is usually a mandatory procedure in the UAE in order to determine the authenticity of certificates and documents needed for employment, visas, studies, medical care, or anything else.
It is the MoFAIC that provides UAE attestation services for documents issued inside or outside of the country.
Ministry officials have made it clear that to certify educational certificates issued outside the country, documents must be verified and attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where they were issued, and they must be approved by either the UAE embassy abroad or the UAE foreign mission within the country.
Documents submitted for attestation to MoFAIC must be issued by the relevant government authorities in that country.
It was earlier warned that Emiratis and students would be scammed by messages asking for financial support when studying abroad.
In particular, fraudsters posing as UAE missions or employees in different countries have been contacting students through mobile phones or emails requesting financial support for studying at universities or paying their tuition so they can graduate. As such messages are fake, the ministry warned the public not to respond.
Through its official website and smart application, the ministry offers a smart certification service for documents, commercial invoices, medical documents, and marriage contracts.
The Procedure of certificates attestation in the UAE
STEP 1: Get registered
1. Visit the MoFAIC registration portal.
2. Choose the customer type (individual or company).
3. Fill out the information in the required fields and submit.
4. Users with SmartPass accounts can log in using their credentials. If you don't already have a SmartPass account, you will need to create one. With a SmartPass account, UAE nationals and foreigners both can access all smart services offered by the UAE.
Step 2: Request for MoFAIC attestation in the UAE (Application)
1. As soon as you log in to the portal, the page redirects you to a smart form
2. Complete the form with the required information
3. You will need to attach the document you wish to have attested
4. Choose the appropriate authority for attestation and submit it
Step 3: Approval of applications
Upon submission, your application will be reviewed by your chosen authority. You will receive an approval if all conditions are met so that you can make the payment.