Question 1

Does the UAE accept apostille documents or require consular legalisation?

Accepted Answer

The UAE is not a contracting party to the 1961 Hague Convention. Consular legalisation through the UAE embassy in the issuing country plus MoFAIC attestation inside the UAE is therefore mandatory for every civil, academic and commercial document — apostille alone is rejected at every UAE government counter (MoHRE, GDRFA, courts, schools).

Question 2

How long does it take to legalise documents for the UAE in 2026?

Accepted Answer

Realistic end-to-end timing is 3–4 weeks: ~1 week for the issuing-country MoFA, 1–2 weeks for the UAE embassy in that country, and 2–3 business days for MoFAIC inside the UAE. Our priority track compresses this to 8–10 business days using direct-courier embassy lanes.

Question 3

Do UAE authorities require Arabic translation of foreign documents?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Documents in any language other than Arabic must be translated by a translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice before submission to MoFAIC, courts, MoHRE or employers. Translations done abroad are not accepted unless they are themselves attested through the same consular chain.

Question 4

How much does UAE document attestation cost in 2026?

Accepted Answer

End-to-end government fees alone are typically AED 2,000–3,000 per document (issuing-country MoFA + UAE embassy fee around AED 150 per page + MoFAIC AED 150 per attestation). Add the MoJ-licensed Arabic translation and our handling fee — the total is published in the country quote funnel after a free 5-minute eligibility check.

Question 5

Do spouse and children need their own document attestation for a UAE residence visa?

Accepted Answer

Yes — marriage and birth certificates must be fully attested through the same consular chain for spouse and dependent residence visas under GDRFA rules. We process them together with the sponsor's diploma to compress timelines and consolidate embassy courier runs.

Question 6

Why do UAE embassies reject documents and how do I avoid it?

Accepted Answer

Submitting to the wrong UAE embassy abroad. Embassy jurisdiction is set by the issuing-country state where the document was registered, not by the applicant's current residence — a Maharashtra-issued degree must go through the UAE Consulate in Mumbai, not the UAE Embassy in Delhi. We handle jurisdiction routing automatically based on the document's issuing authority.

Work Visa Documents for the UAE — MoFAIC Attestation