If you have received a job offer in a mainland Dubai company, your HR department may ask you to provide attested education certificates. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), attestation of certificates is an important legal requirement for employment visa and work permits. Through attestation, it is ensured that the degrees and diplomas are genuine and recognized at the official level.
In some cases, an equivalency certificate, also known as a Certificate of Recognition, is issued by the UAE Ministry of Education (MOE) to verify that your degree or diploma complies with UAE’s educational requirements. All Degree certificates obtained from outside the UAE need to be attested. This article discuss in detail the procedure and steps required to attest your educational certificates in the UAE.
Document attestation is a procedure that confirms the validity of seals and signatures on documents and instruments, regardless of where they originate. In the UAE, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) attests documents digitally; while outside the UAE, it attests them through its embassies and consulates.
Without attested certificates, you would be delayed in processing your residence visa, work permit, or professional license. For equivalency certificates, attestation is often a primary requirement in addition to the fields of healthcare, engineering, and education.
Attestation of your academic certificates is a simple process but must be done carefully and, in a certain way, one has to adhere to these four basic steps:
The first step is to have your degree or diploma notarized by a recognized authority of the country from where it is issued-whether it is a notary public, your university, or any other duly authorised department. Notarization is done for the very reason of making sure that the document is authentic and was issued by a valid institution.
Once notarized, the document will then require attestation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or its equivalent, of the home country. In some countries, this may be accompanied by some additional validation from the Department of Education or the Human Resource Development prior to the Foreign Ministry attestation. This step gives governmental recognition to your certificate.
After the document is attested in the home country, it should be submitted to the UAE Embassy or Consulate in that country. This serves to attest to the legal validity of the certificate by the UAE government. Submission is usually either directly by the client or by some authorized service provider.
The final step is attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in the UAE. This is the step that gives validity to the document for use inside the UAE. Upon completion of this process, your certificate will be used for visa purposes, employment contracts, and professional licensing purposes.
The UAE Equivalency or the Equivalence Certificate are considered essential documents for the validation of foreign degrees and diplomas. The UAE requires a Ministry of Education (MOE) Certificate of Equivalency for foreign degrees to enable admissions, licensing, employment, and Golden Visa eligibility. The certificate ensures your degree is up to the academic standard required by the UAE.
The UAE Certificate of Equivalency, or Certificate of Recognition, serves merely to establish that your own degree or diploma is in compliance with the UAE educational framework.
Before applying for the Certificate of Recognition, your degree should be verified through one of the accredited partners of the Ministry of Education in UAE such as Data Flow and Qadra Bay. This ensures that your degree is local and internationally acceptable.
Verification process:
Note: Arrange certified legal translation into Arabic if documents are not in English or Arabic.
After degree verification, you will proceed with applying for the Equivalency Certificate through the portal of the Ministry of Education.
For applying the attestation or equivalency in the UAE, these tips will be helpful in avoiding most common pitfalls:
The need for certificate attestation is specified in the UAE government portal under “Preparing to Work” and is also part of the employment visa processes. The “Documents Attestation” service is available for local and foreign documents through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If your profession requires it, you should also apply for an equivalency certificate through the Ministry of Education (MOE). These specifications are in compliance with UAE laws and regulations to ensure that just genuine and authorized qualifications are recognized.
Failure to have certificates attested or equivalency obtained when required can lead to serious circumstances. It may delay the work permit, affect the professional licensing application, or in some instances, the employer may not be able to complete the hiring process. The attestation and related recognition of certificates safeguards both employees and employers from fraudulent qualifications.
The process of attesting and legalizing educational certificates is daunting, especially if unfamiliar with the attesting processes in the UAE. From notarization to embassy attestation to MOFA approval and equivalency application, at Notary Public Dubai, lawyers can assist you in every step of the attestation and equivalency processes. With professional guidance, you can avoid delay, error, and rejection.
Contact Notary Public Dubai today to ensure that your certificate attestation and equivalency process are handled smoothly and fully compliant with UAE requirements.