Types of Certificates That Need Attestation in UAE (2026)

Educational Certificates

Educational certificates form the largest category of attestation requests in Dubai. Degree certificates and diplomas are required for employment visa applications, as MOHRE mandates attested qualifications for work permits. Transcripts and marksheets are needed for educational enrollment and professional licensing. Transfer certificates are required when students move between schools internationally. For a foreign university qualification, recognition from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (University Certificates Recognition) may also be required for certain professions and for Golden Residence applications — for Golden Residence, a qualification from a foreign university needs a recognition report from the Ministry, while a qualification from a UAE university is attested instead. School-level certificates continue to be equivalency-assessed by the Ministry of Education.

Personal and Family Documents

Personal documents require attestation for various life events and legal processes in the UAE.

• -Birth certificates — Required for family visa (sponsoring children), school admission, and newborn registration
• -Marriage certificates — Required for spouse visa, joint bank accounts, and property co-ownership
• -Divorce certificates — Required for updating marital status, remarriage, and custody proceedings
• -Death certificates — Required for inheritance proceedings, insurance claims, and visa cancellation
• -Police clearance certificates — Required for some employment and visa categories
• -Medical qualifications — health regulators such as DHA and DOH verify practitioner qualifications through primary source verification obtained by the regulator or a commissioned provider, rather than applicant-supplied attestation; DHA may additionally require a Ministry equivalency certificate for certain qualifications

Commercial and Business Documents

Business documents have a separate attestation path with higher MOFA fees. Common commercial documents requiring attestation include trade licenses for branch office registration, articles of association and memoranda of association for company formation, board resolutions for authorizing UAE operations, certificates of incorporation for proving company existence, powers of attorney for authorizing representatives, and financial statements for banking and regulatory compliance.

Documents That Do NOT Need Attestation

Not every document requires formal attestation. A UAE-issued document does not run the foreign chain — there is no origin-country authentication and no UAE embassy abroad. It may still need attestation for domestic use: a UAE birth certificate, for example, is attested by the issuing health authority (DHA, DoH or MOHAP) and then by MOFA as standard expatriate documentation. Informal documents like reference letters may not require attestation depending on the receiving authority. However, when in doubt, it is always safer to have documents attested — having an unnecessary attestation causes no harm, but missing a required one can delay your visa or application significantly.