How do you attest your UAE marriage certificate?

Apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) online or through its app, logging in with UAE Pass. The ministry’s website decides whether your certificate goes through digital attestation or a courier service, based on who issued it and the document type. You cannot choose.¹

How long does it take?

Source: MOFA.¹ A digitally attested document is downloaded from “My Requests” on the ministry’s website. The attestation appears on the last page with a reference number, the date, the amount paid and a verification element.¹

What does it cost?

MOFA does not publish one figure on its service page. The fee depends on the number of documents, the completion option, the attestations included and whether the document is personal or commercial, and the total is shown before you pay.¹

Why attest it?

The Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court recommends that couples have the certificate attested by MOFA, and says to contact your embassy if you are unsure whether the marriage is valid at home.²

MOFA says an application “cannot be modified or corrected after it has been submitted”.¹

What about documents from abroad that you need to marry here?

For a Dubai civil marriage, documents issued outside the UAE must be certified by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, the UAE embassy there, and MOFA, with certified Arabic translations.³ MOFA says attestation of documents issued abroad is available through selected UAE missions, and to check the mission’s website in your country.¹ MOFA’s helpline is 800 44444.¹

Check every detail on the certificate at the court, then apply for attestation with UAE Pass the same week.