Aussie guide to document attestation UAE

Document attestation UAE — a guide for Aussies working abroad

Getting your Australian documents attested when you’re working overseas can be an arduous process. Document attestation UAE for Australian documents requires a visit to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in your capital city, as well as a visit to the UAE Embassy in Canberra. Neither of these visits is doable remotely from the UAE and the requirement to fulfill these in person to get your document attestation UAE sorted can quickly become expensive when you’re adding international airfares to the equation.

Document attestation UAE: what is required?

There are a number of different types of documents that may need to be attested when you’re working in the UAE, including personal documents, educational documents and commercial documents.

  • your birth certificate;
  • your marriage certificate;
  • your academic qualifications, such as your degree testamur;
  • your professional qualifications or licences;
  • police checks;
  • business documents such as an ASIC certificate of incorporation.

Read more about attestation in our Ultimate Guide to Document Attestation.

Why do you need an attestation certificate from Australia for document attestation UAE?

Attestation is the legal process of authenticating documents for use overseas. In order to have your Australian documents officially recognised in the UAE, you will need to obtain authentication from DFAT in an Australian capital city. This certificate acts as confirmation that your documents are genuine and have been issued by a competent authority in Australia.

How to get your attestation certificate when you’re working overseas is a multi-step process. It starts with getting a notarised copy of the original document before you then get that stamped by DFAT and attested by the Embassy. This can be tricky when you’re not local to an Australian notary, or the DFAT office in Sydney, or the embassy in Canberra, but we can help.

Attestation from the UAE embassy and DFAT must be done in person — but that person doesn’t have to be you!

There’s no getting around the need to make visits to the UAE Embassy and DFAT in person. However, you don’t have to be the person to make the visit. Our end-to-end service incorporates all of the steps required to get your document attestation UAE, without requiring you to leave the UAE.

The easiest way to get your Australian documents authenticated while you’re abroad is to get a local Australian agent to do it on your behalf. We are the only fully virtual agency in Australia, built specifically to fill a requested need from our overseas clients, with a particular focus on Australian’s in need of document attestation UAE.

The entire document attestation UAE process done for you

Our document attestation UAE process includes:

  1. Visual check: we sight — and in some cases advise you on how to obtain — copies of your original Australian document. For clients who have worked with us before, we can save copies of your originals in our secure system so you don’t have to track them down the next time you need them certified. We’ve found that many of our clients working abroad tend to keep working abroad, and so need attestation for different purposes as a part of their journey.
  2. Verification: we verify the authenticity of your document to be sure it’s the real deal.
  3. Notarisation: our appointed notary will issue a Notarial Certificate for your Australian document, this confirms its legitimacy.
  4. DFAT authentication: obtain Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) authentication.
  5. UAE Embassy attestation: we can do this online or visit the UAE Embassy in Canberra, if urgent, so a consular officer can attest your notarised and authenticated documents.
  6. Delivery service: we send your certificate of attestation to you in the UAE via courier.

Can I get Australian document attestation in Dubai?

If you already have a notarial certificate, DFAT authentication including UAE Embassy (Canberra) legalisation in relation to your documents, you can get these documents finally attested via the Authenticate your document at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation (MOFA) in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or your Emirate of residence. MOFA will not attest your documents unless you have the legalisation stamp of the UAE Embassy (Canberra). It’s therefore imperative that your documents are compliant prior to visiting MOFA.

Simplified document attestation UAE services

There are some companies offering local services for Australian documents in the UAE, but they usually outsource to Australian attestation service providers like us because they can’t fulfill the DFAT and Embassy visits remotely. Getting all steps of the process for document attestation UAE managed by one attestation service provider makes for a more streamlined process with genuine personal service to be sure your important certificates are processed by professionals in line with both Australian and UAE guidelines.

It’s also important to get your documents authenticated by a reliable source, especially when working overseas — it’s not worth the risk to be unsure of the veracity of your attestation certificate.

Can you still get personal service in Dubai to get this done?

Yes! Our virtual service was specifically designed for our many clients already overseas. For some of these clients, we may have done some initial work for them before they left Australia, and on arriving in the UAE they find they need further documents attested to fulfill a work or UAE visa requirement. Our personal service treats you as an individual. We’ve seen it all, so can help advise you on the specifics of your circumstances and the documents you need attested, whether you are at home in Australia, living in Dubai, living in another location in the UAE or elsewhere.

Virtual attestation services — how does it work?

We handle the entire process for you, to provide a complete end-to-end attestation service.

Step 1: order & upload

Order the docs you need using our quick online order system and upload copies of your originals for us to process — in most cases you don’t need to send any originals to us. You can order personal documents or you can order corporate documents. Simply upload copies of the documents you need, along with a copy of your passport and you’re good to go.

Step 2: sit back, we're on it

We’ll notarise, authenticate and attest your docs including DFAT, embassy visitation and anything else required specific to your circumstances.

Step 3: receive your attestation certificate

Your notarised, authenticated and attested documents will be returned via courier.

How much for certificate attestation in UAE?

Cost considerations for DIYing your attestation certificate from the UAE

Now, you can of course DIY the attestation process and manage all of the steps yourself, but it’s not a straightforward undertaking to get all 3 approvals (notarisation, DFAT authentication, Embassy attestation) when you’re here in Australia, much less when you’re based in the UAE.

The key costs to consider are:

  • Travel costs to Sydney and Canberra
  • Notary fees
  • DFAT fees
  • Embassy filing fees
  • Postage
  • And of course lots and lots of TIME!!!!

Cost of document attestation UAE using a UAE-based attestation provider

You could use a UAE-based provider, but it’s likely to be a more expensive and convoluted option with more people involved in the process. We’re regularly approached to partner with overseas providers to help them offer this service to people with Australian documents living in the UAE, because they literally cannot fulfill the requirements from the Emirates and so rely on Australian-based partners.

Cost of document attestation UAE using an Australian-based attestation provider

A virtual, Australian-based service (like ours!) gives you a streamlined, process-driven service for document attestation UAE that you can rely on to just get it done. We offer quick, easy and affordable attestation products with genuine personal service. Our fixed fee includes every step of the process, so you don’t need to worry about a thing. We have a 5-star rating on Google and hundreds of happy customers. Check out our personal prices for attestation services and corporate prices for attestation services.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to get an attestation certificate from the UAE embassy or DFAT, you’ll need to go through a few steps. But don’t worry, with the help of a virtual attestation service provider, it’s easy and stress-free. You can apply for your certificate without leaving the UAE, and have confidence that the entire document attestation UAE process is managed so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

Ready to get started?

Reliable, easy document attestation in UAE

Skip the embassy. Skip the DFAT queue. Skip the admin. Take the stress out of document attestation UAE and let us manage the entire process for you.

Further reading