What is Attestation?

Date Posted:Wed, 5th Oct 2022

What is Attestation?

Attestation is the process of legalising certificates from one country to be used in another country. There can be many stages involved depending on the type of certificate and the country of issue. In order for you to be able to gain residency in the country you are going to work in your employer and the local authorities will require attested documents to be submitted as part of your application.

 

As the UAE and many other Middle Eastern Countries are a melting pot of different nationalities it would be almost impossible for your employer or the local authorities to recognise whether your documents are legitimate or not, this is where attestation comes into play. When you are told your documents are to be attested this means they need to be legalised by the authorities in the issuing country (e.g. the UK) as well as the embassy of the destination country (e.g. the UAE) located in the issuing country to guarantee that the certificates are genuine are able to be used in the destination country. We did say it can seem bureaucratic!   

What does the process look like?

As an example we'll outline below the process of attesting UK documents to be used in the UAE. 

1. The first step in the process is for the documents to be prepared for the UK authorities, like all parts of attestation this is not always as easy as it sounds. Each type of document will have a different certification process, for example UK degrees need to be witnessed by a UK Solicitor/ Notary Public registered with the FCDO, but a UK marriage certificate does not need to be. Once your documents have been correctly prepared they can be submitted to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

2. The FCDO will affix a white Apostille to your document which has been signed and sealed by their legalisation department and once completed the document is ready for UAE Embassy submission. 

3. The final stage of attestation in the UK (or the document's issuing country) is the UAE Embassy stamp. The Embassy will place their stamp and signature on the document and this will now be legally recognised by the UAE authorities. 

Final MOFA stamp

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is a Government office in the UAE who are responsible for legalising documents already attested in their issuing country, they are the final authority to verify a certificate is valid for use in the UAE. Their legalisation is similar to the UAE Embassy's stamp and signature so it is very important to not get the two of these mixed up.  MOFA is always offered as an additional service on our orders as it can be handled locally within the UAE by yourself or your employer but this is always needed for your visa to be processed.  

What other documents need to be attested?

Your employer will be able to advise what documents are needed for your visa however if you will be sponsoring your family then you will definitely need to have marriage and birth certificates attested for their visa applications.  

Important points on Attestation

1. Documents should always be attested in the country they are issued from first. There may be instances where there is not an operational UAE embassy in this country; if this is the case then we would investigate the alternative route to ensure documents are properly processed and ready to be submitted on time ensuring you can start your new life with as little hassle as possible.

2. The process will always vary depending on the document type and country of origin, we always check this information with the relevant authorities before submitting our clients documents to avoid delays or rejections. 

3. The attestation process, put simply, is to guarantee the legitimacy of all documents being submitted to the country you wish to live and work in. Getting it wrong can cause delays and even canceling of work contracts - certainly not the best way to start your new life.

We work closely with worldwide embassies, consulates and Government offices providing a stress-free way through the complexities of this process. In addition our work is compliant for visa processing and many other uses within the destination country.  

Our team at Argentum FZ LLC have 25+ years of experience ensuring documents get processed properly and on time, every time. So you can start your dream life rather than finding yourself in a nightmare. 

For more information please contact us and we would be delighted to help you anyway we can.  

 

For more information please visit our websie: www.argentum-llc.com