United Arab EmiratesDoes not use apostilles

Process

What applies instead

Documents are first legalised by the foreign ministry of the country that issued them, then attested by the UAE embassy or mission there, and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds its own attestation; the Ministry says the route, digital attestation or an approved courier service provider, is chosen automatically from the issuing authority and document type.²

Contacts

Who to contact

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, Attestation service²

Status

How to check whether the United Arab Emirates has joined

Countries join the Apostille Convention from time to time. The Hague Conference keeps the list of members in its status table. We last checked it on 18 October 2026, when the United Arab Emirates was not on it.¹

Other direction

If your document comes from a member country

An apostille from a contracting party does not by itself make a document usable in United Arab Emirates. Ask the authority in United Arab Emirates that will receive the document which steps it requires. An apostille only confirms the signature, the role of the person who signed and any seal or stamp on the document. It does not confirm what the document says. The office that receives the document decides what it accepts.

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