Embassy and consulate legalisation in Dubai
Consular legalisation is the route used between countries that do not recognise each other's apostilles — which, for the UAE, means every country. We handle the counter work at embassies and consulates in the UAE and, through partner offices, at UAE missions abroad.
Working in Dubai
Dubai runs two parallel legal systems, and the paperwork differs between them. Onshore matters go through Dubai Courts in Arabic, where a Ministry of Justice legal translation is mandatory. DIFC operates in English under its own common-law court, which changes what needs translating and when.
Most of our Dubai work comes from three directions: free zone companies in DMCC, DAFZA and Dubai Internet City preparing corporate documents for overseas parents or banks; law firms filing in Dubai Courts; and residents dealing with visa, property and family matters that need attested certificates from their home country.
Embassy and consulate legalisation
Each mission sets its own rules, and they change without notice. Some accept postal submissions, some require an appointment booked weeks ahead, some insist the applicant appear in person, and several will only process documents submitted by an accredited agent. We keep a working record of current requirements for the missions we deal with regularly rather than relying on published guidance that is often out of date.
Typical files include documents going out of the UAE for use in a home country — a UAE marriage certificate for a European registry, a UAE trade licence for a foreign bank, a power of attorney for a property sale abroad — and documents coming in, where the UAE embassy in the issuing country must stamp before MOFAIC will accept it.
Where an embassy requires an Arabic translation as part of its submission, we produce it in-house so the file moves as one package rather than shuttling between providers.
How it works
- 1Send a scanEmail or upload the document, and tell us which authority will receive it.
- 2Get a written quoteA fixed price and a realistic date, with government fees shown separately from our fee.
- 3We handle the countersSubmission, tracking, fees and follow-up, with an update whenever the status changes.
- 4DeliverySigned PDF the moment it is ready, hard copies by courier or collected in person.
Questions we are asked
Which embassies do you work with?
We routinely submit to the missions represented in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and use partner offices for UAE embassies overseas. Tell us the country and we will confirm current requirements and lead time.
Do I have to attend the embassy myself?
Usually not. A number of missions do require the signatory to appear, particularly for powers of attorney. We tell you at the quoting stage whether your file is one of them.
Is legalisation the same as attestation?
In practice the words are used interchangeably in the UAE. Legalisation generally refers to the embassy or consulate stamp; attestation to the ministry stamps either side of it. A complete file usually needs both.
What does it cost?
Consular fees are set by each mission and vary enormously by country and document type. We quote the government fee and our handling fee separately so you can see both.
Do you serve clients in Dubai?
Yes. We handle Embassy and consulate legalisation for clients in Dubai, with collection and delivery in Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, Deira, Bur Dubai. Send a scan of the document and we will come back with a fixed price and a realistic date.
Request a quote
Prices vary by document, language pair and receiving authority, so we quote rather than publish a rate card. Most enquiries are answered within one working day.