Documents Legalisation Services for UAE in UK

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Requirements for UAE Legalisation

For personal documents, the UAE Embassy in London now applies both the embassy attestation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) attestation. Your document comes back fully legalised and ready to use in the UAE — there is no further step to complete on arrival. For company documents the embassy applies its own stamp; MOFA attestation is completed in the UAE by you or your PRO.

Who needs UAE legalisation

UK documents are routinely required by UAE authorities for:

Employment visas — degree certificates and, for many roles, transcripts and professional qualifications, for the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation work permit. Teachers need degree, transcript and teaching qualification attested for KHDA (Dubai) or ADEK (Abu Dhabi); doctors, nurses and other clinicians need qualifications attested for DHA, DOH or MOHAP licensing.

Family sponsorship — marriage certificates to sponsor a spouse and birth certificates to sponsor children, plus school enrolment.

Company formation — certificates of incorporation, memorandum and articles, certificates of good standing, board resolutions and powers of attorney for mainland and free-zone registration, bank accounts and trade licences.

Property and legal matters — powers of attorney for buying or selling property, wills for DIFC and Abu Dhabi registration, court orders and probate.

Golden Visa and residency — qualifications, marriage and birth certificates supporting long-term residency applications.

Which documents can be legalised for the UAE

Personal documents
Birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates · ACRO police certificates · DBS certificates · passport copies · affidavits and statutory declarations · powers of attorney · wills · medical reports · court orders · deed polls · certificates of no impediment

Educational documents
Degree certificates · academic transcripts · diplomas and professional qualifications · teaching qualifications (PGCE, QTS) · school certificates and transfer certificates · letters from institutions

Commercial documents
Certificates of incorporation · memorandum and articles of association · certificates of good standing · board resolutions · commercial powers of attorney · contracts and agency agreements · certificates of origin · invoices · certificates of free sale · company bank letters

The UAE legalisation process, step by step

  1. Solicitor certification (where required). Copies, translations, educational certificates and signed documents are certified by a UK solicitor or notary. Public documents go straight to step 2.
  2. FCDO apostille. Each document is stamped individually by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
  3. UAE Embassy attestation. We submit the document for attestation by the UAE Embassy in the UK and collect it once stamped. No chamber of commerce stage is required for the UAE.
  4. MOFA attestation. For personal documents the embassy in London applies the MOFA attestation at the same time, so the document is complete when it returns. For company documents, MOFA attestation takes place in the UAE.

You send us your documents once and receive them back with the apostille and the embassy stamp — and, for personal documents, the MOFA stamp — by Special Delivery or courier.

Legalisation Charges and Processing Times

Full Legalisation Process

The Full Legalisation Process includes:

Services for Personal Documents

Includes UAE Embassy and MOFA attestation — ready to use in the UAE.

Services for Company Documents

Includes UAE Embassy attestation. MOFA attestation is completed in the UAE.

Embassy Legalisation Only

The Embassy Legalisation Only Process includes:

We offer this Service for Personal & Company Documents

To proceed please contact us at info@apostilleandcertification.com / +44 20 7856 0115  / Whatsapp +44 75393 77776 confirming

Feel free to use our enquiry form if you prefer.

Our Attested Document

Below is an example of how a legalised document looks after completing the legalisation process.

UAE Embassy Legalisation Stamp UK

Arabic translations

Many UAE authorities — courts, the Ministry of Justice, MOHRE and the land departments — require an Arabic translation. In most cases the translation must be produced by a translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice, which is done in the UAE after legalisation. Where a UK certified translation is accepted, we can arrange it and legalise it alongside the original. Send us a scan of the document and tell us which authority will receive it, and we’ll advise.

If you’re planning to move UAE for work, studies, business setup, or family sponsorship, you may be aware of the term document legalisation. At Apostille and Certification Services Limited, we assist you with UAE documents legalisation UK processes.

Our professional team ensures your paperwork is handled effectively. While we don’t legalize the documents by ourselves, we only manage the entire process on your behalf with the relevant UAE authorities.

Why is UAE Legalisation Required?

To make your UK-issued documents accepted in the UAE, you have to go through an authentication process, which is known as legalisation for UAE from UK or legalization of documents UAE.

Here are the documents that require legalisation.

  • Birth certificates
  • Marriage certificates
  • Degree certificates
  • Police clearance certificates
  • Incorporate documents

Moreover, UAE legalisation is mandatory to prove the authenticity of your documents so they are recognized by the UAE authorities.

How We Help With Legalisation for UAE from UK

Please note that we aren’t a government body, and we don’t directly legalize documents. What we do is to support you throughout the UAE legalisation process. When you choose our services, we do the following.

  • Review your documents thoroughly to ensure they meet all requirements
  • Let you know whether any additional certificates are needed or not
  • Submit the documents to the relevant UK authorities
  • Handle the UAE embassy legalisation UK on your behalf
  • Keep you updated at every step

Why Should You Choose Professional Assistance for UAE Documents Legalisation UK?

It can be time-consuming and confusing to manage the legalization of documents UAE on your own, especially if you aren’t familiar with the legalization process.

So, choose our reliable support to manage document legalisation for UAE from UK. Our experienced team handles the entire process efficiently and professionally – making your journey smooth and hassle-free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not for personal documents. The UAE Embassy in London now applies both the embassy attestation and the MOFA attestation, so the document you receive from us is complete and ready to present to any UAE authority. For company documents, the embassy applies its stamp and the MOFA attestation is done in the UAE.

7 to 10 working days for personal documents and 7 to 14 working days for company documents, from the day we receive them. If your document already has an apostille, the embassy stage alone takes 7 to 9 working days (personal) or 7 to 11 (company).

£195 per personal document and £610 per company document for the full service, including solicitor certification where needed, the FCDO apostille and the embassy attestation — and MOFA attestation for personal documents. Embassy-only is £150 for personal and £550 for company documents.

The UAE Embassy charges commercial documents at a far higher rate than personal ones. Our fee reflects the embassy’s charges.

No. The UAE is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so a UK apostille alone isn’t recognised — the document must also be attested by the UAE Embassy. Our full service covers both.

For birth, marriage, death and divorce certificates and ACRO or DBS certificates, yes — the FCDO apostilles the original. Degree certificates and most other documents can be done from a solicitor-certified copy, so you keep the original.

No. The UAE authorities will not attest a laminated document. If your certificate is laminated, order a replacement from the issuing body before sending it to us.

Typically your degree certificate, transcript and teaching qualification (PGCE or QTS certificate), plus an ACRO police certificate. KHDA and ADEK also require the attested documents for teacher licensing, so keep the originals safe after your visa is issued.

Often, yes, for courts, MOHRE and property matters. Most UAE authorities require a translation by a UAE Ministry of Justice-licensed translator, done in the UAE after legalisation. Tell us which authority will receive the document and we’ll advise.

MOFA attestations can be verified online at verify.mofa.gov.ae using the reference number on the attestation stamp.

Yes. Choose DHL International when you order and we’ll courier the legalised documents to an address in the UAE.