The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so Indian documents cannot simply be apostilled. They pass through a chain of attestations, and the last one, by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), happens in the UAE.
The attestation chain
- Notarisation: where the document type requires it (for example, affidavits and copies of company documents).
- State authentication: by the State Home Department for personal documents, the State Education Department for educational documents, or a Chamber of Commerce for commercial documents.
- MEA attestation: by the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.
- UAE Embassy attestation: by the UAE Embassy or Consulate in India.
- MoFA attestation: by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, done in the UAE.
Commonly attested documents for the UAE
- Degree certificates for employment visas and professional licensing
- Birth and marriage certificates for family visas
- Certificates of incorporation and commercial invoices for business
Practical tips
- Make sure the names on all your documents match your passport exactly.
- Commercial documents often need an Arabic translation as well.
- Requirements vary by emirate, employer and purpose, so confirm before you start.
Read more on our UAE embassy attestation page, or ask us to check your documents.