Corporate Document Translation in Dubai: MOA, Resolutions and Company Papers

You can run the company internally in English indefinitely. Arabic becomes necessary when a document crosses to a mainland or federal body: registering property, notarising at the ADGM notary, enforcing a judgment onshore, opening a mainland bank branch, or responding to a federal authority. The practical rule is to prepare Arabic whenever a document is destined for a recipient that works in Arabic, and to confirm that recipient's own requirements before you submit.

The Arabic. In a bilingual mainland instrument the Arabic text carries legal supremacy in interpretation, which means the English version you negotiated is the secondary text. If the two diverge, a UAE authority applies the Arabic. Treat the Arabic as the operative document, review it as carefully as the English, and use fixed Arabic legal terminology rather than a loose equivalent.

Full consular legalisation, not an apostille. The document is authenticated in the country of origin, then attested by that country's foreign ministry, then by the UAE mission there, then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE — and only after all of that is the certified Arabic translation produced against the fully stamped original. An apostille alone does not satisfy the published UAE chain.

As a rule, after — so the translation reflects every stamp the chain adds. There is one exception in the other direction: to enter attestation at all, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires the original to be in Arabic or English, or accompanied by a legally certified translation. A document in a third language therefore needs a certified translation early, just to begin the chain, and typically an Arabic translation again at the end for the receiving authority.

You are. Documents to the authority are to be in Arabic; it may allow another language but can require an Arabic translation, and the person submitting the translated copy is responsible for its accuracy and validity and bears the cost. That is a strong reason to have tax-sensitive records translated carefully and consistently, rather than assembled hurriedly during an audit.

No. Invoices and certificates of origin are attested through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs eDAS electronic system, a separate automated corporate track, while governance documents like an MOA or a board resolution follow the ordinary attestation route and, for foreign documents, the full legalisation chain. Sending one down the other's path is a routing error that costs time. eDAS attests the document; if a counterparty works in another language, the invoice may still need translation separately.

For a corporate purchase, the land department's published requirements include the memorandum of association and its annexes in legal Arabic translation, and for foreign and GCC companies that translation ratified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a free-zone no-objection letter where relevant. Translating the MOA without its annexes is a frequent reason such a file is returned, so treat the annexes as part of the requirement.

You gain an extra translation step at the start. Because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires the original to be in Arabic or English, or accompanied by a legally certified translation, a document in a third language needs a certified translation simply to enter the attestation chain — separate from the certified Arabic translation the final UAE authority will want once the document is fully stamped. Plan for both from the outset.

A translator registered on the Ministry of Justice roll for the relevant language pair, whose registration is current and whose name and number appear on the document. The credential is personal to the translator, not to an office brand — the framework, and how to check a stamp, is set out in full on our legal translation page. We will tell you, before work begins, who will sign your file.

Yes. Corporate and high-volume work is quoted on a project or account basis rather than at the standard per-page rate, and repeated content, such as recurring contract templates or board minutes, is priced to reflect the reuse of approved terminology. Companies with ongoing needs can agree a framework arrangement covering rates, turnaround expectations and a dedicated point of contact. Share the expected volume and document types and MANJAZ will prepare a tailored proposal.

Generally yes, provided the translation is produced by a Ministry of Justice-licensed legal translator and matches the source exactly, including schedules and signatures. Mainland notaries and licensing authorities work in Arabic, so a foreign-language memorandum is normally translated before notarisation. Banks vary: some accept certified translations of the MOA and board resolutions, others ask for attested originals as well. Each institution applies its own compliance checklist, so confirm in advance.

Yes, each amendment or addendum is a separate legal instrument and is normally translated as its own document, cross-referenced to the original memorandum. Notaries and licensing authorities usually require the translated amendment on its own so it can be filed against the existing record. Where several amendments have accumulated, some companies commission a consolidated translation as well, but the receiving authority decides whether it will accept a consolidated version.

Yes. Corporate translation covers commercial contracts, employment agreements, offer letters, HR policies, board resolutions, shareholder agreements, NDAs, tender documents and correspondence. For law firms we work from clean or marked-up drafts and preserve clause numbering, defined terms and formatting so bilingual versions can be compared side by side. For HR teams we translate onboarding, disciplinary and end-of-service documents into Arabic where UAE labour procedures require an Arabic text.

Yes. For company visa batches we set up a single point of contact, agree a spelling sheet for employee names as they appear in passports, and process the documents as one project rather than individual orders. Typical items are degree certificates, experience letters, marriage and birth certificates for dependants, and police clearances. Delivery is scheduled to match your PRO's submission plan, and each translation is issued as a separate stamped document.