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How do I get my documents attested?
Your employer will usually ask for your degree, and a family visa needs your marriage and birth certificates. Each has to be attested first: certified in the UK, then by the UAE. Here’s which documents you need and the order to do it in.
In 30 seconds
- Attest each document in this order: the right copy, then an FCDO apostille in the UK, then the UAE Embassy in London, which adds the UAE foreign ministry’s stamp at the same time
- Doing it yourself costs about £115–165 a document plus a £25 fee for each application, and takes about 4 to 8 weeks. An agent charges about £180 a document and takes days
- Start at least 3 months before you fly. Visas for your family can’t be applied for until these documents are done
FCDO apostille£45A document, paper service
UAE Embassy and MOFA£70A document, one step since Feb 2025
VFS fee£25An application of up to 5 documents
Allow4–8 weeksDoing it yourself. Days with an agent
Which documents do I need?
Tick what applies to you. It lists the documents to attest, what to do with each, and what it’s likely to cost.
Which documents do I need?
Children moving with you
Who does it
Your degree certificate
A solicitor or notary certifies a copy, then an FCDO apostille, then the UAE Embassy and MOFA
A solicitor or notary certifies a copy, then an FCDO apostille, then the UAE Embassy and MOFA
Your marriage certificate
A certified copy from the register office, then an FCDO apostille, then the UAE Embassy and MOFA
A certified copy from the register office, then an FCDO apostille, then the UAE Embassy and MOFA
Birth certificates, one for each child
A certified copy from the register office (the full version, naming the parents), then an FCDO apostille, then the UAE Embassy and MOFA× 2
A certified copy from the register office (the full version, naming the parents), then an FCDO apostille, then the UAE Embassy and MOFA× 2
Documents to attest41 needs a certified copy first
Doing it yourself£535About AED 2,622. An agent: about £720
FCDO apostille: 4 × £45£180
UAE Embassy and MOFA: 4 × £70£280
Certified copies: 1 × about £50 Estimate£50
VFS fee: 1 application × £25£25
Start now. Doing it yourself usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, and your family’s visas wait until it’s done. Based on your move date, 5 Jan 2027.
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Get the right copy first
The UAE Embassy only attests a document that already has a UK apostille, and the FCDO only gives an apostille to a document signed by a UK official it can check. So start with the right copy.
| Document | The copy you need | Before the apostille |
|---|---|---|
| Degree certificate | Your original certificate, or a copy of it | A UK solicitor or notary certifies it. The FCDO can’t apostille a degree certificate on its own |
| Birth certificate | A certified copy from the General Register Office or a register office. Get the full version, which names the parents | Nothing: it can be apostilled as it is. Photocopies aren’t accepted |
| Marriage certificate | A certified copy from the General Register Office or a register office | Nothing: it can be apostilled as it is |
| Divorce or change of name | The court’s sealed divorce order (decree absolute or final order), or your deed poll | A deed poll needs a solicitor or notary to certify it first |
Order fresh certificates. A new certified copy from GOV.UK takes a week or two, and avoids an old or damaged one being turned down. Scottish certificates come from National Records of Scotland, and Northern Irish ones from GRO Northern Ireland: the FCDO apostilles those too.
The order to do it in
- Get the right copy of each document, as above
- Have your degree certified by a UK solicitor or notary. Prices vary, so ask a few: we use £50 a document in our estimates
- Get an FCDO apostille. Apply on GOV.UK and post your documents to the Legalisation Office. The paper service costs £45 a document and can take several weeks, longer in summer. Registered legalisation companies can get it done in a day or two, for a fee
- Get the UAE Embassy in London to attest it. Apply on the UAE foreign ministry’s (MOFA) website, signing in with UAE PASS: you can set up a visitor account without an Emirates ID. A VFS courier collects your documents, usually within a day. It costs £70 a document, plus a £25 VFS fee for each application of up to 5 documents for one person or close family, and takes about 2 to 3 working days
- You get a digitally attested PDF by email, with a QR code that UAE offices can check online. Your original documents come back to you
No separate MOFA step after you land. Since 24 February 2025 the embassy adds the UAE foreign ministry’s attestation at the same time as its own. A document attested at the embassy before then, with a paper stamp, still needs MOFA attestation in the UAE: AED 150 a document, online or at a service centre.
What it costs
| Doing it yourself | Through an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Certified copy (degree, deed poll) | About £50 a document Estimate | Included |
| FCDO apostille | £45 a document | Included |
| UAE Embassy and MOFA | £70 a document | Included |
| VFS admin fee | £25 an application, up to 5 documents | Included |
| Per document, all in | About £115–165 | About £130–185 Typical quotes |
| Time | About 4 to 8 weeks | About 1 to 2 weeks |
New certificates from GOV.UK cost extra, and so does tracked post both ways. Try the numbers for your family in the moving fund calculator.
Doing it yourself or using an agent
- Yourself: cheapest, and fine if you start early. The slow part is usually the FCDO’s paper service
- An agent: registered legalisation companies handle the solicitor, the apostille and the embassy for you, and send everything back. Worth it if you’re short of time
- Your employer: some pay for your degree, or for the family’s documents. Ask HR before you pay
- Check any agent is registered with the FCDO, and that their price includes the embassy fee
What else might be asked for
- Arabic translation: some offices ask for a legal translation, most often of the marriage certificate. Get it done in the UAE, after attestation, by a translator licensed by the Ministry of Justice
- School records: a transfer certificate from a UK school doesn’t need attesting for a school in Dubai. Bring school reports and the certificate signed and stamped by the head
- Your partner’s degree needs attesting too if they’ll work. See the partner at home
- Driving licence: a UK licence is swapped without attestation. See Can I drive on my UK licence?
Do it before you fly. Each step needs the original document, and every step is in the UK until the embassy. Sending certificates back from Dubai takes longer and costs more. Sponsoring your family has to wait until they’re done: see Which UAE visa do I need?
What to do next
- Use the picker above to list your documents
- Order fresh birth and marriage certificates from GOV.UK
- Ask HR whether they need your degree attested, and whether they’ll pay for it
Sources
- UAE Embassy London: digital attestation
- UAE Embassy London: attestation information and fees
- MOFA: attestation of documents and certificates
- GOV.UK: get a document legalised (apostille)
- GOV.UK: order a copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate
- UAE PASS
- VFS Global: UAE attestation
- Dubai British Foundation: KHDA registration documents
- Hague Apostille: the UAE Embassy’s move to digital attestation
- u.ae: family residence visa
- u.ae: residence visa for working