MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Attestation, UAE

According to the federal labor law of the United Arab Emirates, foreigners or locals applying for a resident permit in any part of the UAE are first required to provide an attested certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the previous country they are living in. For example, if someone is looking to move to the UAE from India, the person’s documents will be attested from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in India and the concerned State Home Department and then will need to be submitted to the UAE Embassy in Delhi, India. The same is with every country around the globe.

However, if an expat needs to get educational documents attested, they will be attested from the Education Ministry of the expat’s state before they can further be attested by the External Affairs. Getting documents attested from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is the last procedure in the line of getting certificates attested and takes place after the procedures are completed like MEA, HRD, and Embassy attestation. After the certificates are attested by the country of issuance, the expat can pay a visit to the MOFA office in Abu Dhabi or Dubai in order to get MOFA attestation in the UAE. For MOFA attestation in the UAE, it is required to carry original attested certificates, passport, and the required fee.

Why Documents Need Attestation

For an individual’s documents to be considered legal and legitimate, they need to undergo proper assessment and reviews from the state’s government departments to be declared trustworthy and legitimate. It is advised to get the documents attested before presenting them for licensing and registry purposes in the UAE, as they cause significant problems in the crucial processes of licensing and registration. For this very reason, documents are attested, so that they are cleared for reliability in legal procedures. Normally, attested documents are required while going through legal procedures of like acquiring a visa, license, forming a company in the region or acquiring a resident visa and registering a business.

Inbound & Outbound Documents

Like those coming to reside in the UAE, those moving out of the UAE are required to get their documents attested as well from the government of the United Arab Emirates. The most significant body for attestation in the UAE is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) related to all activities carried out in the land. Other then attesting marriage and birth certificates, MOFA UAE is also responsible for attesting certificates concerning partnership withdrawals, maid contracts, clearance documents and etc. According to the rules laid down, an individual looking to get documents attested will be required to first Dubai Courts Notary Public first, then a visit to the Ministry of Justice and then in end, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Attestation and business consultancy services in Dubai and Abu Dhabi usually offer services of both outbound and inbound documents.

Documents That Need Attestation

To be precise, there are normally 2 types of documents that are required to be attested by the government of any states; educational documents and non-educational documents. Typically, some of the documents termed as non-educational that demand to be attested by any government of the UAE are establishing commercial agent, marriage certificates etc

Documents that are usually attested are as follows:

• Educational certificates, including a matriculation certificate, HSC, Diploma, Degree, Masters Degree, PHS Degree, etc.
• Private diplomas, including Technical Diplomas, Computer Diplomas, HVAC, Lift Technician, Fire and Safet, etc.
• Non-educational documents, including birth certificates, marriage certificates, Divorce, PCC, Fingerprints, Registration documents, TC, etc.
• Commercial documents, including Invoice, MOU, Registration Documents, MOA, Incumbency Certificate, Partnership deed, Incorporation Certificate, Trade Licenses, Commercial Registration, Power of Attorneys, etc.

Time Frame of Attestation

Not every document is attested and delivered to an individual under the same timeframe. The timeframe of attestation totally relies on the procedure of attestation of the country. The timeframe can also differ on the basis of what kind of document is required to be attested.

How To Get Documents Attested in Dubai

To provide certain attested documents during any legal proceedings in the UAE holds crucial importance and is very common as well. Down below are the steps listed that are required to be taken in order to get documents and certificates attested. As already mentioned above, an individual must pay a visit to Dubai Notary Public Courts, Ministry of Justice as well as Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to complete the procedure of document attestation. Every step is as follows:

•  Notary Public:

The first requirement to visit Dubai Notary Public Courts in order to get documents attested is to bring along certain documents, to be exact a minimum of 2 original documents along with other supporting original documents – passport or Emirates ID. some of the documents are required to be in both English and Arabic, and when a requirement of such sort appears, an individual must make sure the documents are legally translated and stamped. After getting inside the Notary Courts, two notaries are required to be met with, which means two tokens will be needed. The documents will be verified by the first Notary while the job of the second Notary will be to reverify the documents and compare the signatures. Once the documents are verified by both the Notaries, proceed to pay at the counter an amount of 110 AED for each notarization. Once the fees are paid the documents can be collected from the second notary, as well as the notary public courts will save one of the original document copy with themselves.

•  Ministry of Justice:

A visit to the Ministry of Justice can be paid personally as well can be paid by a relative or friend. The only requirement from the Ministry of Justice is to acquire their stamp on the documents being attested. It will be required to pay a cost of 52 AED before going ahead and getting the documents attested. The whole process does not take more than a few minutes. 

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Once all the mentioned above is completed, the last and final step is to pay a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and secure their attestation stamps on the documents. The fees of the MOFA attestation stamp vary from document to document, usually which is costed around AED 150. 

Why Professional Consultancy Needed

A professional consultancy and attestation firm in the UAE can help individuals understand the difference, get guidance through the procedures of attestation and all the other matters of possible confusion.

A lot of people situated in the United Arab Emirates also need their documents to be attested for a couple of possible reasons. For example, an individual starting employment in an organization can be asked to provide attested school documents and other academic papers before the company’s HRM. However, the unclear line between attestation and notarization confuses a lot of people. While there are people who clearly know the difference, there are some who do not know the clear difference between the two and all the services of attestation in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

What We Do

RIZ & MONA Consultancy bring the best documents attestation services in UAE. You can contact us via our WhatsApp # 971-56-9971225 or email us at info@rizmona.com