UAE Visa Documents to Notarise From Australia
Table of contents
For a UAE work or family residence visa, the Australian documents that matter are your degree and your civil certificates, and they need DFAT authentication followed by UAE attestation. An apostille will not do, because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention on our last check. A notary is needed for some documents, not all.
Key takeaways
- Ask DFAT for an authentication, not an apostille, and say the document is for the UAE.
- Employment visa: the degree is the document most often attested. Some professions also need a UAE ministry or licensing body to assess it.
- Family sponsorship: expect an attested marriage certificate and attested birth certificates for children.
- Registry certificates can usually go to DFAT directly. Degrees need the university's verification. Powers of attorney and declarations need a notary first.
- When we last checked, UAE attestation for Australian documents ran as a digital service, with one application covering both the UAE Embassy in Canberra and the UAE foreign ministry.
What does this page cover?
This page is about the documents for moving to the UAE: an employment visa, and sponsoring a spouse or children on a family visa. Company documents, commercial powers of attorney and free zone paperwork are covered on our UAE apostille and attestation page.
The UAE has changed how it attests Australian documents in recent years, and may change it again. The UAE Embassy in Canberra's page on the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) website is the source to check before you start. Your employer's PRO or HR team is the second source, because it knows what the UAE authority handling your file wants.
Why is an apostille not enough?
Check the HCCH status table on the day. On the table as we last checked it, the United Arab Emirates does not appear as a party to the Apostille Convention.
For a country outside the Convention, DFAT issues an authentication rather than an apostille. The destination country then adds its own attestation on top. Asking DFAT for an apostille on a document bound for the UAE is a common and avoidable mistake. DFAT will issue what you ask for, and the UAE will not recognise it.
Both certificates do the same basic job. They confirm the signature and seal on the document, whether a registry officer's, a university officer's or a notary's. Neither checks the contents.
Which documents does each visa usually need?
Employment visa: your degree
UAE government guidance on preparing to work in the private sector says degrees are authenticated by the foreign ministry of the issuing country and then by the UAE. For Australia, the foreign ministry step is DFAT. For some professions, a UAE ministry or the licensing body for the profession must also attest or assess the qualification. Your employer, or that licensing body, will say which applies.
Ask whether the employer wants the degree certificate, the transcript, or both. Each is a separate document for attestation, and each needs its own certificates.
Family sponsorship: civil documents
Sponsoring a spouse or children typically means an attested marriage certificate and attested birth certificates. Dubai's family entry visa requirements, for example, list an attested birth certificate. Order the standard certificates from the state or territory registry. A decorative wedding certificate is not a registry document, and DFAT does not legalise ceremonial or commemorative marriage certificates.
Legal matters: powers of attorney and declarations
These are private documents. The UAE Embassy has said they must be signed before a notary or legal authority in Australia before DFAT authenticates them. A power of attorney letting a relative in the UAE deal with a lease or a bank before you arrive is a common example. Ask the UAE landlord, bank or authority for its template first.
| Document | Usually for | Notary needed first? |
|---|---|---|
| Degree certificate or transcript | Employment visa, professional licensing | Only for a notarised copy with the verification statement |
| Marriage certificate | Sponsoring a spouse | Usually not; DFAT can take the registry original |
| Birth certificates | Sponsoring children | Usually not; DFAT can take the registry original |
| Power of attorney | Lease, bank or car before arrival | Yes |
| Declaration or affidavit | Explaining a name difference or other gap | Yes |
Should you attest the original degree or a notarised copy?
DFAT's published list of documents it can legalise describes two routes for a university document:
- the original, once the university has verified it; or
- a copy notarised by an Australian notary, where the university has also verified the original and the notary's certificate states that the original record was verified with the issuing institution.
A plain "true copy" certificate from a notary is not enough for DFAT. Nor is a copy certified by a Justice of the Peace, which is not accepted for overseas use and cannot be authenticated.
Which route suits you depends on whether you are willing to part with the original. The UAE attestation will be attached to whatever is submitted. If you attest the original, the stamps and stickers go on your only degree certificate. If you attest a notarised copy, the original stays clean, but you need a notary who will coordinate the university's verification. Ask your employer whether it will accept an attested copy before choosing.
Start with the degree. University verification is outside your control, and it sits at the start of the chain. Do the registry certificates in parallel.
How does the UAE attestation step work?
When we last checked, the UAE Embassy in Canberra ran attestation of Australian documents as a digital service through MoFA:
- You apply on the MoFA website, logging in with UAE Pass, the UAE's digital identity, select Australia, and pay online.
- A MoFA-approved service provider collects the original documents from you.
- One application covers both the UAE Embassy in Canberra and MoFA. The older practice of attesting at the embassy in Australia and then again inside the UAE does not apply to documents processed this way.
- The attested document is returned to you by courier.
Two conditions on the embassy's page catch people out.
- One document, one certificate. The embassy says documents certified in a bundle are not accepted. Each document needs its own DFAT certificate, so ask the notary to prepare each as a separate notarial act.
- Only Australian documents. A document issued in another country must be attested through the UAE mission in that country. The Canberra service will not take, for example, a New Zealand degree held by someone living in Australia.
Check whether you can register for UAE Pass before you arrive in the UAE. If you cannot, ask your employer or the embassy how Australian documents are attested for applicants not yet there.
What about translation into Arabic?
UAE authorities may want an Arabic translation of some documents, done inside the UAE by a translator they recognise. The rule differs between authorities and emirates, and we have not confirmed the current position for each. Ask the receiving authority before paying for a translation in Australia. An English document may be attested as it is, and the translation question often arises only when the document is used. If the authority does accept a translation made in Australia, use a NAATI-certified translator, whose declaration can be notarised and authenticated by DFAT in the same way as any other private document. See NAATI translation with a notary.
Where does Home Affairs come in?
It does not, for a UAE visa. The Department of Home Affairs deals with Australian visas, where a certified copy made by an authorised person is usually enough and attestation is not required. Advice written for an Australian visa does not carry over to the UAE, and the reverse is also true. If you are sponsoring a UAE family member to Australia later, their UAE documents are attested in the UAE, not by an Australian notary.
How should you prepare, in order?
- Get the list in writing from your employer's PRO or HR team, naming each document and whether an attested copy is acceptable.
- Start the degree: ask the university how it verifies documents for DFAT, and decide on original or notarised copy.
- Order fresh registry certificates for the marriage and each child, and never laminate them.
- Sign any power of attorney or declaration before a notary, as a separate document each.
- Lodge with DFAT for authentication, stating that the documents are for the UAE.
- Apply for UAE attestation through the digital service, then arrange any Arabic translation the UAE authority asks for.
Employers sometimes set a start date before the documents can realistically be ready. Everything in the chain happens in sequence, so share this list with your employer early.
Here is an illustration, not a real case
A Sydney civil engineer accepts a job in Abu Dhabi and will sponsor his wife and daughter. His employer's HR team asks for an attested degree, marriage certificate and birth certificate. He wants to keep his degree certificate unmarked, so a notary coordinates the university's verification and certifies a copy with the statement DFAT requires. The two registry certificates go to DFAT directly. DFAT authenticates all three as separate documents. He then applies for UAE attestation through the digital service using UAE Pass.
In short
For a UAE work or family visa, ask DFAT for authentication, not an apostille, and then apply for UAE attestation. Registry certificates usually skip the notary. A degree needs the university's verification, and a notarised copy must carry the verification statement. Powers of attorney need a notary first. See apostille and authentication for how the chain fits together.
People also search for
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- How do I certify a copy of my degree?
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- How do I prepare a marriage certificate for overseas?
Moving to the UAE? Send us the list your employer gave you, and we will explain each step before you book.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an apostille for the UAE?
No. As of our last check, the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention. Ask DFAT for authentication, then have the document attested through the UAE's digital service.
Which documents does a UAE employment visa usually need attested?
Most often the degree, and sometimes the transcript. Some professions also need a UAE ministry or licensing body to assess the qualification. Your employer's HR or PRO team will say which apply.
Which documents do I need to sponsor my family in the UAE?
Typically an attested marriage certificate and attested birth certificates for children. Order standard certificates from the state or territory registry, not decorative ones.
Does my marriage certificate need a notary first?
Usually not. DFAT can generally authenticate registry certificates directly. Confirm with DFAT before lodging.
Should I attest my original degree or a notarised copy?
Either can work if the university verifies the original. Attesting the original marks your only certificate. A notarised copy must state that the original was verified with the university, and your employer must accept it.
Can a Justice of the Peace certify my degree for the UAE?
No. A JP certification is not accepted for overseas use and cannot be authenticated by DFAT. Use the original or a notarised copy with the verification statement.
Do I still need MoFA attestation after I arrive?
When we last checked, the UAE Embassy said one application through its digital service covered both the embassy and MoFA for Australian documents. Check the current page before you apply.
Can I put several documents under one certificate?
No. The UAE Embassy has said bundles are not accepted. Each document needs its own notarial act where relevant and its own DFAT certificate.
My degree is from New Zealand, but I live in Australia. Can the Canberra embassy attest it?
No. The embassy says documents issued outside Australia must be attested by the UAE mission in the country that issued them.
Do my documents need translating into Arabic?
Possibly, depending on the UAE authority using them. Some want a translation made in the UAE by a translator they recognise, so ask before paying for one in Australia.
