A passport with travel stamps
Attestation

Personal certificate attestation

Birth, marriage and death certificates issued abroad need attesting before UAE authorities will rely on them for visas, school places or family and legal matters. We prepare each certificate, take it through every stage and return it to you; the stamps themselves come from the issuing authorities, the UAE embassy and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

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Overview

When personal certificates need attestation

Personal certificates prove the relationships and life events that UAE processes depend on. A spouse's residence visa rests on a marriage certificate, a child's visa or school place on a birth certificate, and an inheritance or insurance claim on a death certificate. If the certificate was issued outside the UAE, the receiving authority will normally expect it to be attested first.

The route for a foreign certificate runs through the issuing country's foreign ministry, then the UAE embassy or consulate there, then MOFA. Some countries want a local step before the foreign ministry, for example certification by the civil registry, and the details change from country to country. We confirm the route for your certificate before anything moves.

If the certificate was issued in the UAE, it goes to the body that issued it and then to MOFA. Some UAE birth and death certificates already carry a digital MOFA attestation, which can save you a step altogether.

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Personal certificates at a glance
At a glanceBirth certificateMarriage certificateDeath certificate
Common use in the UAEChild's visa, Emirates ID, schoolSpouse sponsorship, family benefitsInheritance, insurance, banks
Who usually appliesA parentEither spouseA relative or family representative
Final stageMOFAMOFAMOFA
MOFA feeAED 150AED 150AED 150
TranslationIf not in English or ArabicIf not in English or ArabicOften needed for court use
Process

How it works

Each step shows who does what, so you always know where things stand.

  • You
  • Global Sky PRO
  • Authority

  1. Step 1: Tell us the purpose

    You

    Send a photo of the certificate and tell us what it's for, such as a spouse visa or a school place. The purpose decides which stages and translations you need.

  2. Step 2: Check the details

    Global Sky PRO

    We compare names, dates and places with the passports involved and look for stamps already on the certificate, so you only pay for stages still missing.

  3. Step 3: Issuing-country stages

    Authority

    The issuing country's authorities and the UAE embassy there attest the certificate, following their own requirements.

  4. Step 4: MOFA attestation

    Authority

    MOFA completes the UAE attestation once the earlier stamps are in place.

  5. Step 5: Hand back and translate if needed

    Global Sky PRO

    We return the original and, where the receiving authority asks for it, arrange an Arabic legal translation.

Getting the details right first time

Personal certificates are often decades old, handwritten or issued under a previous name. Those quirks rarely stop an attestation, but they can cause trouble later if the visa or school file shows a different spelling.

Before we submit, we check the certificate against every passport it relates to. If the spellings differ, we explain your options, which may include a correction or a supporting document from the issuing country, so the attested certificate lines up with the rest of your file.

If you're sponsoring family

A family visa application usually needs more than one attested certificate: a marriage certificate for a spouse and a birth certificate for each child. Attesting them together means one route plan, one set of checks and fewer courier runs.

The residence visa itself is decided by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) or, in Dubai, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs Dubai (GDRFA Dubai). We prepare the certificates so they're ready when the visa application starts.

FAQs

Personal documents: your questions

Short answers here. Your situation may differ, so ask us before you decide.

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Which personal documents need attestation?

The ones we're asked about most are birth, marriage and death certificates issued outside the UAE. MOFA also treats documents such as court-issued certificates, personal powers of attorney and good conduct certificates as personal documents. Whether yours needs attesting depends on the authority receiving it, so tell us what it's for and we'll confirm.

Do I need attestation to sponsor my family?

In most cases, yes. To sponsor a spouse you'll normally need an attested marriage certificate, and for each child an attested birth certificate. The visa decision is made by ICP or GDRFA Dubai, not by us, and their checklist depends on your circumstances. We confirm the documents your application needs before you start.

Do I need a translation too?

Only sometimes. MOFA accepts originals in English or Arabic and asks for an official translation of anything in another language. Some receiving authorities, courts especially, want an Arabic legal translation even of an English certificate. We check with the purpose in mind and arrange translation by a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) when it's needed.

Can an old or handwritten certificate be attested?

Usually, yes, provided the issuing authority can still verify it. Older certificates sometimes need a freshly issued copy or extract from the civil registry before the foreign ministry will stamp them. Send us a clear photo of both sides and we'll tell you whether yours can go ahead as it is.

What does MOFA charge for a personal certificate?

MOFA charges AED 150 to attest each personal document. Fees in the issuing country and at the UAE embassy are separate, vary by country and are paid at cost. Our own service fee is quoted in writing before we begin and always shown apart from the government fees.

How do I apply for personal document attestation with MOFA?

You apply on the MOFA website or the UAE MOFA app, signing in with UAE PASS, and pay online by card, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. For a paper certificate, a courier booked through the service collects the original and returns it to the same address once it is attested. Anyone can submit an attestation on your behalf, which is how we handle this stage for you, with every government fee shown separately from ours.

Source: MOFA: attestation FAQs

What if there is no UAE embassy in the country that issued my certificate?

MOFA asks you to contact it directly, through its call centre on +971 800 44444 or the Contact Us page on its website. Its FAQs don't set out a single alternative route, so the answer depends on the country where your certificate was issued. Tell us the country before you send the original anywhere, and we'll help you raise it with MOFA and plan the remaining stages once the route is clear.

Source: MOFA: attestation FAQs

Does attestation prove the details on my certificate are correct?

No. MOFA describes attestation as certifying that the signatures and seals on a document are genuine, not as checking the facts written in it. If a name, date or place is wrong, the correction has to come from the authority that issued the certificate, ideally before attestation starts. Whether the certificate is then accepted is decided by the receiving authority, such as ICP or GDRFA Dubai for a residence visa.

Source: MOFA: documents attestation service

Can I attest my certificate if I now live outside the country that issued it?

Yes, but the route follows the country that issued the certificate, not the one you live in. MOFA requires a foreign document to be attested first by the foreign ministry of the issuing country and then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, before the UAE stage. Each UAE mission sets its own procedures, so whether you or a representative must attend depends on that country. We confirm this before you post anything.

Source: MOFA: attestation FAQs

How can I check that the MOFA attestation on my certificate is genuine?

You can check a MOFA attestation electronically through MOFA Verify at verify.mofa.gov.ae. MOFA's attestation service page says digitally attested documents carry a verification element on their last page, with a reference number and date, so their authenticity can be confirmed online. Keep the reference number from every application, because the Document Status option on MOFA Verify asks for it together with the issue date.

Source: MOFA: documents attestation service

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Attestation is performed by the issuing authorities, the relevant embassy and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We handle preparation, submission and collection. Last reviewed 31 October 2026 by the Global Sky PRO team.

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