Attestation Services in Dubai
Our own desk is in Bur Dubai, so Dubai files move fastest — Dubai Courts notarisation, consulate legalisation and MOFA, with collection anywhere in the emirate.
Typical turnaround · 2-4 working days
Dubai is where we are based, and it shows in the turnaround. What actually differs here from the rest of the UAE is the mix: Dubai holds consulates rather than embassies, notarisation runs through Dubai Courts rather than ADJD, and a large share of commercial files originate in free zones whose documents follow their own route.
Attestation is mostly a federal process. MOFA is MOFA, and a degree certificate needs the same chain of stamps regardless of which emirate the holder lives in.
What changes in Dubai is the layer underneath that, and it changes in three specific ways.
Consulates here, embassies in the capital
This trips people up constantly. Dubai holds consulates; the embassies are in Abu Dhabi, because that is the capital.
For most documents a consulate is sufficient and the work stays in Dubai. For anything requiring embassy-level legalisation, the file travels to Abu Dhabi regardless of where you live — which is why an honest Dubai timeline depends on which of the two your document actually needs. We establish that at intake rather than discovering it midway.
Notarisation goes through Dubai Courts
Powers of attorney, affidavits, corporate resolutions and certified true copies for use in Dubai are notarised through Dubai Courts, not the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. The requirements are not identical.
Companies with entities in both emirates hit this most often: an instrument drafted and notarised in one, then presented to an authority in the other, and returned. If the receiving body is in Dubai, the notarisation belongs in Dubai.
Free zones each have their own paper trail
A large share of Dubai commercial work originates in a free zone, and they do not all behave the same. DMCC, JAFZA, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai Internet City each issue documents that receiving authorities treat slightly differently from a mainland DED licence.
DIFC is the genuine outlier. It runs its own common-law framework with its own courts and registry, and documents originating there frequently need handling that has no equivalent on the mainland. Tell us the licence type at intake and the route is settled before anything is submitted.
Property files
Powers of attorney for Dubai property transactions are checked closely by the Land Department, and a general power is routinely refused where a special one naming the property and the act was required. If a sale or transfer is the reason for the POA, say so at the start — the wording is the thing that decides acceptance.
Walk in, or we collect
Our desk is at Bur Dubai, so Dubai clients can hand documents over directly if that is easier. Otherwise we collect and return across the emirate — Business Bay, Marina, JLT, Deira, Downtown, the free zones and the outer communities.
Who you deal with in Dubai
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Dubai Courts — Notary Public
Notarisation of powers of attorney, affidavits, corporate resolutions and certified true copies for use in Dubai.
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
Federal attestation step applied after the issuing-country chain. Identical requirement nationwide.
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Consulates in Dubai
Dubai holds consulates; embassy-level legalisation happens in Abu Dhabi. Which one your document needs sets the timeline.
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Dubai Land Department
Property transactions, where powers of attorney are scrutinised and a general power is commonly refused.
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Free zone authorities and DIFC
DMCC, JAFZA, DSO and Dubai Internet City each follow their own document route; DIFC operates a separate common-law framework entirely.
Questions & Answers
Typically 2-4 working days once documents are with us — the quickest of our locations, because our own desk is here. The exception is a document needing embassy-level legalisation, which travels to Abu Dhabi where the embassies are, and adds to the timeline. We tell you which applies before you commit.
Probably not. Dubai holds consulates; the embassies are in Abu Dhabi as the capital. For most documents a consulate is sufficient and everything stays in Dubai. Send us a scan and we will confirm which your file needs.
It can. DMCC, JAFZA, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai Internet City documents are handled slightly differently from a mainland DED licence, and DIFC is a separate legal framework with its own courts and registry. Send the licence at intake and we will confirm the route.
Yes. Our desk is at Bur Dubai and Dubai clients are welcome to hand documents over directly. Otherwise we collect and return anywhere in the emirate at no charge.
That needs a special power naming the property and the act, not a general one — the Land Department routinely refuses general powers for property transactions. Tell us the property and what the attorney must do, and we will make sure the wording matches before it is executed.
If the receiving authority is in Dubai, the notarisation belongs in Dubai. Instruments notarised elsewhere are sometimes returned, which is the most common avoidable delay we see from companies operating across both emirates.
Attestation Services in Dubai | Green Apple
Visa, job, university, company formation — share the objective and we'll return a full attestation plan with timelines and fees within one business day.