Complete Guide to Attestation Costs in Dubai (2026)

Understanding Attestation Costs in Dubai

Certificate attestation in Dubai involves multiple government agencies, each with their own fee structure. The total cost depends on three main factors: which country issued your document, what type of document needs attestation, and how quickly you need it processed. This guide breaks down every fee you will encounter so you can budget accurately and avoid surprises.

MOFA Attestation Fees (UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

MOFA attestation is the final step in the attestation chain and its fees are the most transparent — these are official government fees published on mofa.gov.ae.

• -Standard MOFA Attestation: official government fee per document — processing takes 2-3 working days
• -Express MOFA Attestation: higher official fee per document — processing completed within 1 working day
• -Commercial Document Attestation: higher official government fee per document (trade licenses, board resolutions, AOA)
• -VAT: 5% applies on top of all MOFA fees
• -Payment method: Online via mofa.gov.ae using UAE Pass authentication

Embassy and Consulate Attestation Fees

Embassy fees vary significantly by country. Indian documents are processed through the UAE Embassy’s application channel in India, and Philippine documents through the consulate, each at its own official fee. UK documents are first authenticated via the FCDO apostille service online and US documents through the US Department of State, both at their published government fees — for UAE use, each must then be attested by the UAE Embassy in that country before MOFA. These fees are subject to change and should be confirmed before submission.

Home Country Authentication Costs

Before embassy attestation, documents must be authenticated in the issuing country. These costs vary widely.

• -India (MEA/HRD): official fee applies, depending on the state and document type
• -Philippines (DFA Apostille — replaced the red ribbon in May 2019): official DFA fee applies per document
• -UK (FCDO Legalisation): official fee applies per document (online application)
• -USA (US Department of State): official fee applies for the authentication certificate issued for non-Hague destinations such as the UAE
• -Translation costs: official per-page rate for MOJ-certified translation (if required)

How to Save on Attestation Costs

While government fees are fixed, there are legitimate ways to manage your attestation budget. Processing multiple documents together reduces per-document service fees. Starting the home country authentication before arriving in the UAE avoids rush charges. Using standard MOFA processing instead of express lowers the official per-document fee. Planning attestation timelines around your visa deadlines prevents emergency premium charges. Getting documents right the first time — correct format, proper notarization, no lamination — avoids rejection and resubmission fees.