Request Attestation Without Knowing Your Route First
Most people arrive at attestation already anxious: unsure which stamp comes first, which embassy is theirs, or whether the certificate in their hand is a step away from finished or five steps away. You do not need to solve that before you contact us. Our request is built the other way around — you answer a short sequence of plain questions about the document you hold, and the route is worked out from your answers rather than assumed. This page walks through exactly what the request asks, why each question matters, how to prepare your files so nothing is rejected, and what we do the moment you press send.
- Answer plain questions about your document — we work out the route
- Know exactly what to upload before you start
- Understand what happens after you press send
- Your documents are handled with care and discretion
You should not have to be an attestation expert to ask for attestation
Attestation is confusing for a reason. There is no single universal process: the correct chain depends on where the document was issued, what kind of document it is, where it will be used, and whether the issuing country and the destination sit inside or outside the Hague Apostille framework. A degree from India and a marriage certificate from Egypt do not travel the same road, and neither of them travels the road a UAE-issued bank letter takes. Competitors often hide this by showing one tidy numbered graphic and hoping it fits everyone. It does not.
So we do not ask you to pick your route from a menu you cannot yet read. The request replaces that with a guided conversation. You tell us the few facts you certainly know — you know where your certificate came from, roughly what it is, and where you want to use it — and those facts are enough for us to identify the chain that applies to you specifically. Everything technical, from which UAE mission abroad must legalise the document to whether a certified Arabic translation or a Ministry of Education recognition step belongs in your sequence, is our job to determine, not yours to guess.
One thing we will never do at this stage is invent a figure or a deadline to close the sale. Attestation cost is made of several separate layers charged by different bodies, and processing time depends on factors nobody can honestly promise away — the document type, the country, the queue at each authority, whether a translation is needed. The request gives you an honest map of your route and the cost layers that will apply to it, not a made-up round number designed to feel reassuring. Clarity is the reassurance.
What the request asks, in order — and why
1 - Where was it issued?
Inside the UAE, or in another country. This first fork decides everything downstream. A UAE-issued document begins at a local competent authority and ends at MOFA; a foreign-issued document must first be authenticated in its own country and legalised by the UAE mission there before MOFA can act on it in the Emirates.
2 - Which country?
If it was issued abroad, name the country of issuance. This is not small talk: it fixes which UAE embassy or consulate must legalise the document, because it must be the UAE mission in the country where the paper was issued, not the mission where you happen to live now. It also tells us whether an origin-country apostille or a foreign-ministry step comes first.
3 - What is the document?
Its family — educational, personal or civil, legal, or commercial — and its exact title. Different families enter the chain through different prior authorities: a degree passes an education authority, a birth certificate a health or civil authority, a company contract a chamber of commerce. Getting the family right at the start prevents a document being sent to the wrong first desk.
4 - What is its current status?
How far along the chain the document already is: freshly issued and unstamped, notarised, apostilled, legalised by a foreign ministry, stamped by the UAE embassy abroad, or already carrying a MOFA attestation. Your starting point decides which steps remain. A document that already holds the UAE embassy stamp needs only its final step; one that holds none needs the whole journey.
5 - Upload the document
Clear photographs, or the verified digital PDF, of every page — including the reverse side, every stamp, and any apostille or endorsement already attached. We read the images to confirm the document type, spot lamination or damage that would cause rejection, and check whether the existing stamps match what you reported in the status question.
6 - Destination and contact
Where the document will be used — inside the UAE, or onward in another country — and how to reach you. Destination matters because a document leaving the UAE needs a further legalisation by the destination country's mission after MOFA, while a document staying in the UAE ends at MOFA. Your contact details let us come back with the route rather than a form letter.
7 - We review before anything is committed
Nothing is sent anywhere on the strength of your answers alone. We read what you submitted, confirm the exact chain that applies, flag anything missing — a prior stamp, a translation, an equivalency step — and come back to you with the route and its cost layers before a single fee is paid or a document is moved. The review is the point at which guesswork ends.
Why the first thing we ask is where your document was born
Of all the questions in the request, the country of issuance carries the most weight, because it silently decides who is allowed to touch your document and in what order. The official position is precise: a foreign document must be legalised by the UAE embassy or consulate in the country where it was issued. Not the UAE mission nearest your home, not a mission in a third country you can reach more easily — the mission in the country of issuance. A degree printed in the Philippines is legalised by the UAE mission in the Philippines even if you are reading this in Dubai.
The country also tells us whether an apostille enters the picture at all — and here a common belief needs correcting at the outset. Whether the issuing country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention changes the origin-country steps, but it never removes the UAE consular steps, because the UAE itself remains outside that convention. An apostille issued in the origin country does not, on its own, make a document usable in the Emirates. In practice it often becomes the base the UAE mission then legalises. So knowing your country lets us tell you honestly whether you are on an apostille-plus-legalisation road or a pure consular-legalisation road.
This is why a country name that seems obvious to you is a decision point for us. It sets the sequence of prior authorities in that country, the mission that legalises, and whether your document ever meets an apostille at all. Answer it as precisely as you can — the exact country on the certificate, even if you have since moved several times.
Not sure which route applies to your document?
The words the status question uses — so you can answer it right
- Freshly issued
- The document as it left the issuing body, with no authentication stamps beyond its own seal and signature. This is the earliest starting point, and it means the full chain still lies ahead.
- Notarised
- A notary or comparable officer in the origin country has certified a signature or a copy. Common for powers of attorney, affidavits and private documents that need an official act before a ministry will touch them.
- Apostilled
- The origin country, if it belongs to the Hague Convention, has attached an apostille certificate. Useful there, but on its own it does not satisfy UAE requirements, since the UAE stands outside that convention and still requires consular legalisation.
- Foreign-ministry legalised
- The issuing country's own ministry of foreign affairs has certified the document — the standard step in non-Hague routes, and often a prerequisite the UAE mission there insists on before it will add its stamp.
- UAE-mission legalised
- The UAE embassy or consulate in the country of issuance has legalised the document. This is the pivotal intermediate stamp: with it, only the final UAE step remains; without it, a foreign document cannot be completed inside the Emirates.
- MOFA-attested
- The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has attested the document — the final UAE-side step. If your document already carries this and stays in the UAE, it may need nothing more; if it is heading abroad, a destination-country mission stamp may still follow.
- Equivalency / recognition
- A separate step, distinct from attestation: recognition of a foreign degree by the UAE Ministry of Education, required for some regulated professions. A document can be fully attested yet still need this before an employer or authority accepts it.
- Certified translation
- Where a document is not in Arabic or English, a certified legal translation is frequently required before it can be used or, in some cases, before a step in the chain. Whether yours needs one is part of what the review determines.
How to prepare what you upload so nothing bounces back
- Photograph or scan every single page, front and back — including blank-looking reverse sides, which often carry the stamps that matter most.
- Do not crop. Keep the full page in frame with all four corners and every seal, sticker and endorsement visible; a stamp cut off at the edge is a stamp we cannot verify.
- Keep originals intact and never laminate a certificate you intend to attest. Laminated documents are rejected outright and the lamination cannot always be removed without damage.
- Send clear images, not scans of scans or photos of a screen. Good light, flat paper, sharp text — we need to read names, numbers and seals exactly as an authority will.
- Include the identity page of the passport for the document holder, and the Emirates ID where the document belongs to a UAE resident, so names can be matched across the file.
- For an educational file, include the degree and its transcript together; they are frequently authenticated as a set and separating them slows the sequence.
- If an apostille or a bundle of stapled pages is already attached, photograph it as it stands — do not remove staples or separate pages yourself, since some missions require documents kept whole and others require them separated.
- Note anything unusual in the request: a lost original replaced by a duplicate, a name spelled differently across documents, or a certificate in a language other than Arabic or English.
The mistakes we catch most often at intake
The mistakeAssuming an apostille alone means the document is ready for the UAE.
The fixBecause the UAE stands outside the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille does not replace consular legalisation. Tell us it is apostilled and we will slot in the UAE mission and MOFA steps that still remain.
The mistakeBringing a foreign document into the UAE with no UAE embassy stamp and expecting to finish it here.
The fixMOFA attests only after the embassy in the country of issuance. If the stamp is missing, the document must return to that country first. Reporting the true status lets us plan for that instead of discovering it late.
The mistakeLaminating a certificate to protect it before attestation.
The fixLamination causes outright rejection. Send it to us unlaminated; if it is already laminated, flag it in the request so we can advise before it reaches a counter that will turn it away.
The mistakeUploading a photo that crops out the very stamp we need to see.
The fixFrame the whole page, corners included, and shoot the reverse side too. Stamps live in margins and on backs; a partial image forces a second round of requests.
The mistakeTreating a commercial invoice or certificate of origin like an ordinary document.
The fixThese follow a separate electronic commercial route, not the standard document flow. Tell us it is trade paperwork and we route it correctly from the start rather than down a path it does not belong on.
The mistakeForgetting that a degree may need Ministry of Education recognition on top of attestation.
The fixAttestation and equivalency are different steps. If your degree is for a regulated profession, tell us the purpose so we can flag whether recognition belongs in your sequence before you rely on the document.
You have read what the request asks. Send the few facts you already know and clear images of the document, and we will come back with your route and its cost layers — before anything is committed.
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What the authorities require, and what we actually do for you
The official requirements
- A defined chain set by governments: prior authentication in the origin country, legalisation by the UAE mission there, and a final attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs — with an extra destination-country step for documents leaving the UAE.
- Fixed rules on what is accepted: originals or verified digital documents, non-laminated, in Arabic or English or accompanied by a certified translation, presented after — never before — the prior competent authority has acted.
- Separate fees charged by each body along the way, and processing that depends on the document, the country and each authority's own timelines — none of which any agent controls or should promise away.
What MANJAZ does
- Reads your answers and images, identifies the exact chain your specific document must pass, and tells you where it currently stands within that chain and what remains.
- Sequences the steps in the right order, coordinates the origin-country, embassy and MOFA legs, and arranges certified translation or flags a Ministry of Education recognition step where your case needs one.
- Sets out the cost as its honest separate layers rather than one blurred number, keeps you informed as the document moves, and never guarantees an acceptance or an outcome that only the receiving authority can decide.
I need to... — how the request handles the common cases
I already moved to the UAE, and my foreign degree has no embassy stamp.
What is usually neededThe request flags at once that the missing UAE-mission legalisation must be obtained in the country of issuance before MOFA can finish it. We plan the return-and-legalise leg rather than let you discover the gap at a UAE counter.
I hold an apostilled certificate from a Hague-member country.
What is usually neededWe treat the apostille as the base, not the finish line. Because the UAE stands outside the convention, your route still adds the UAE mission legalisation and the final MOFA attestation on top of the apostille.
My document is a UAE-issued degree I need for a licensed profession.
What is usually neededAlongside the attestation chain, the request captures the purpose so we can flag whether a separate Ministry of Education recognition step is also required — a step attestation alone does not cover.
I run a company and need import invoices handled.
What is usually neededCommercial invoices and certificates of origin follow a separate electronic commercial route, not the standard document flow. The request routes trade paperwork there from the outset instead of down the personal-document path.
My certificate is in a language other than Arabic or English.
What is usually neededWe flag that a certified legal translation is likely part of your route, sequence it at the correct point relative to the stamps, and keep the translation and attestation as one coordinated file rather than two disconnected errands.
I am still in my home country and would rather finish steps before I relocate.
What is usually neededCompleting the origin-country and UAE-mission steps before you move is one branch of a clear route decision, not a sales add-on. Tell us where you are now and we will lay out which steps are best done there and which wait for the UAE.
The document you upload is often among the most sensitive you own — a birth certificate, a degree, a marriage record, a company contract, a power of attorney carrying your name, your dates and your identity numbers. We treat it accordingly. The images and details you submit are used for one purpose: to scope your route and to carry out the attestation you asked for. They are not a mailing list, a marketing asset, or material to be passed around beyond the people handling your file.
Practically, that means a few things. We ask only for what a step actually needs, rather than every document you happen to have. Where a passport or Emirates ID copy is required to match names, that copy is used to match names and nothing else. Physical originals, when they must move through the chain, are tracked and returned to you. And when you would rather ask a sensitive question before uploading anything at all, you can — the request is a conversation, and it can begin with a question rather than a file.
We will not overstate this with badges or claims we cannot substantiate. What we can say plainly is the principle we work to: your documents are handled with care and discretion, shared only with those who must act on them to complete your attestation, and never treated as anything other than yours.
What happens next, so the wait is never a black box
The first thing that happens is a human read of your submission. We look at what the document is, what stamps it already carries, where it was issued and where it is going, and we compare the images against what you told us — because a status reported from memory and a status visible on the page do not always agree. If they differ, that is useful, not a problem: it is exactly the kind of thing better caught now than at a government counter.
Next we translate your case into a concrete route: the specific sequence of authorities your document must pass, the point it currently sits at within that sequence, and the steps that remain. This is where the confusion you arrived with gets resolved. Instead of a generic diagram, you get your chain — with the right UAE mission named, the prior authorities identified, and any translation or recognition step placed where it belongs rather than discovered halfway through.
With the route settled, we set out the cost as its honest layers — the authority fees in the origin country, the UAE mission fee, the final MOFA fee, courier movement, any certified translation, and our own service fee — kept separate so you can see what is a government charge and what is us. We do not fold them into a single teaser figure, and we do not attach a countdown clock to steps whose timing sits with authorities and queues rather than with us. What we commit to is keeping you informed as the document actually moves.
Only after you have seen the route and the layers does anything move. The review exists precisely so that no fee is paid and no original travels on the strength of an assumption. You approve a route you understand, or you ask more questions until you do. Either way, the guesswork you carried into the request stays out of the decision you make on the way out of it.
The layers a quote is built from — separated, not blurred
| Layer | Charged by | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Prior authority fee | Origin-country authorities | For foreign documents, at the education, civil or commercial body that authenticates first. |
| Origin foreign-ministry fee | Issuing country's ministry | Where the route runs through a foreign ministry or apostille authority before the UAE mission. |
| UAE mission legalisation | UAE embassy or consulate | For any document issued abroad, at the UAE mission in the country of issuance. |
| MOFA attestation | UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs | The final UAE-side step for almost every document, charged per document and varying by category. |
| Certified translation | Licensed legal translator | When the document is not in Arabic or English, or the receiving authority requires an Arabic version. |
| Courier and movement | Courier providers | Whenever a physical original must travel between countries or authorities in the chain. |
| MANJAZ service fee | MANJAZ | Our coordination, sequencing and handling — stated separately so you always see what is us and what is government. |
Want this checked for your own document?
Questions people ask before they submit a request
No — that is the whole point of the request. You supply the facts you already know: where the document was issued, roughly what it is, and where you want to use it. From those, we identify the chain that applies to your document specifically, including which UAE mission is involved and whether translation or recognition steps belong in your sequence. Working out the route is our job, not a prerequisite you must meet.
Clear images or the verified digital PDF of every page of the document — front and back, with all stamps, seals and any attached apostille fully in frame. Where names must be matched, include the passport identity page, and the Emirates ID for a UAE resident. If an original is lost and you hold a duplicate, or a name is spelled differently across documents, say so in the request rather than leaving us to find it.
The images and details you send are used only to scope your route and complete the attestation you requested — not for marketing and not to be passed beyond the people handling your file. We ask only for what a step actually needs, use identity copies solely to match names, and track and return physical originals that must move through the chain. If you would rather ask a sensitive question before uploading anything, you can begin with a question instead of a file.
We will give you the cost as its honest separate layers — origin-country authority fees, the UAE mission fee, the final MOFA fee, courier, any certified translation, and our own service fee — rather than one blurred number. We will not invent a fixed total or a guaranteed deadline: timing depends on the document, the country and each authority's own queues, which no honest agent controls. What we commit to is a clear route, transparent layers, and updates as the document moves.
Not directly, and it is important to know this early. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests a foreign document only after the UAE embassy or consulate in the country of issuance has legalised it. If that consular stamp is missing, the document must be returned to its country of issue for the embassy step before the final UAE attestation can be done. The request flags this at once so it can be planned rather than discovered at a counter.
On its own, no. The UAE lies outside the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille does not replace consular legalisation for use in the Emirates. In practice the apostille usually becomes the base document that the UAE mission in your country then legalises, after which the final MOFA attestation is done in the UAE. Tell us it is apostilled and we build the remaining steps on top of it.
Yes, and the very first question in the request separates the two because their routes are different. A UAE-issued document begins at a local competent authority and ends at MOFA, sometimes through a digital channel. A foreign document must be authenticated in its own country and legalised by the UAE mission there before MOFA can complete it. Telling us where the document was issued is what lets us start it down the correct road.
Give your best description and upload the images — the pictures usually settle it. Attestation groups documents into a few families (educational, personal or civil, legal, commercial), and each family enters the chain through a different prior authority, so we confirm the family from what you send rather than expecting you to classify it precisely. Uncertainty is normal at intake and it is our job to resolve, not yours.
It depends on the route and the authorities involved, and it is one of the things the review clarifies for your specific case rather than a blanket rule. Some steps can be handled on your behalf with your documents and clear instructions; others may call for a formal authorisation. Rather than assume, submit the request and we will tell you plainly whether any authorisation is needed for the steps your document must pass.
Official references
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Attestation of Official Documents and Certificates
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Frequently Asked Questions
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Missions (embassies and consulates)
- HCCH — Status table of the Apostille Convention (UAE is not a party)
- UAE Ministry of Education — Recognition system for university certificates
This page is general information about document attestation, not legal advice. Attestation requirements, fees and processing times are set by the relevant authorities and embassies and can change — always confirm the current requirement with the issuing authority, MOFA or the relevant embassy, or ask us to check your specific case.
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