Educational certificate attestation

Because an employer, licensing body or visa authority needs proof that your degree is genuine before relying on it. Attestation provides that proof through a chain of official checks in the issuing country, at the UAE embassy and at MOFA. Without it, an offer, license or visa application that depends on your qualification may not progress.

Most formal education documents can, including bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, diplomas, vocational certificates, school leaving and transfer certificates, and transcripts or mark sheets. The document should be the original, not laminated, and from an institution the issuing country's authorities can verify. We check yours before anything is submitted.

It depends on who is asking. Many employers and licensing bodies want the transcript alongside the degree, while others accept the certificate alone. MOFA treats the certificate and transcript as two separate documents, so each is attested and charged on its own. We check the receiving body's requirement before you pay for both.

MOFA charges AED 150 per document, as educational certificates count as personal documents. A degree and its transcript are two documents. Fees in the issuing country and at the UAE embassy vary and are paid at cost, while our service fee is quoted separately, in writing, before we begin.

Sometimes. It depends on whether the authorities in the issuing country will verify the qualification, and on whether the receiving body in the UAE accepts that mode of study. Some do and some don't. Send us the certificate and details of the course, and we'll tell you honestly what is likely before you spend money on it.

No. MOFA states that documents must not be laminated and rejects laminated ones, and that applies to degrees, diplomas and school certificates alike. If your certificate has already been laminated, ask the institution that issued it whether it can provide a replacement or duplicate, which can then go through the normal route. Send us a photo first, and keep future originals in a plain sleeve instead.

Source: MOFA: attestation FAQs

The organisation receiving it decides, whether that's your employer, a licensing body, a university or a school. MOFA's attestation certifies that the signatures and seals on the certificate are genuine; it doesn't judge the level or content of the qualification. Some receivers run their own checks or ask for formal recognition as well, and we tell you at the start where attestation ends and their decision begins.

Source: MOFA: documents attestation service

For many jobs, yes. The UAE government portal u.ae says some jobs require expatriates to present attested academic certificates for their residency and employment procedures. The certificate is authenticated by the foreign ministry in the country of origin, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, before MOFA's stage. Your employer confirms whether your role needs it, so ask HR early and send us their list.

Source: u.ae: preparing to work in the UAE

Only if it isn't in English or Arabic. MOFA asks for the original in Arabic or English, or accompanied by a legally certified translation, so a certificate in another language needs its translation in place before the MOFA stage. Whether that translation is prepared in the issuing country or in the UAE depends on your route, and we confirm which before you start.

Source: MOFA: documents attestation service

Yes, up to five. MOFA allows up to five documents in a single application, provided they all follow the same route, so a degree, its transcript and a school certificate can often go together. Each one is still charged as a separate document, at AED 150 each, and digital and courier-based documents need separate applications. The total is shown before you pay, and we list it apart from our own fee.

Source: MOFA: documents attestation service