What is Certificate Attestation for UAE?
The protocol that is followed in order to legalize the documents that are to be submitted to the embassy, is what is known as certificate attestation. This process is a part of obtaining visas like employment visa, resident visa or student visa. Certificate attestation of commercial documents is also carried out at the time of performing business in or from the country or opening a new branch. Dubai attestation is one of the most common procedures that is followed for the commercial documents because of the scope of business in the emirates.
Certificate attestation is done by the respective authorized departments of the government and the non-governmental organizations as well. The authentication process starts at the regional level, which is followed by the state level legalization and then the central and finally the embassy. Although, in the case of UAE, additional verification of the documents is necessitated from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is based in the country and deals with all the foreign matters.
Certificate Attestation for UAE Visa
Obtaining a visa is a part of every trip to a foreign nation, be it for tourism or for a long-term cause. Although the processes for different types shall vary depending on the country it is being issued for. UAE visa for employment, residency, or education has distinct procedures and even the requirement of the documents differs too. Following are a few types of visas and their document requirements.
Employment Visa
Considering the rising employment opportunities in the country, the UAE work visa is in demand now. Generally, this visa is issued at the time when the applicant has already attained a job in UAE. Certificate attestation is required for this type of visa. The required documents are listed below:
- Degree Certificate
- Birth Certificate
- Medical Certificate
- Bank Statement
- Relieving Letter
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae(CV)
- Aadhaar Card
- Income Certificate (if applicable)
- Covering Letter, etc.
Student Visa
A student visa is acquired when you are a student who is willing to pursue an education in the UAE. The validity of the visa depends on the duration of the course and other related factors. The list of documents which require attestation in the process is given below:
- Degree Certificate/ Diploma Certificate (if applicable)
- Previous College/School Id Card
- Aadhaar Card
- Bonafide Letter
- HSC/SSC Certificate
- School/College Leaving Certificate
- Transfer Certificate
- Covering Letter, etc.
Resident Visa
At the time of procuring temporary or permanent residency in a country, a resident visa is required. The procedure for the issuance of resident visa for UAE is different compared to tourist visa as a resident visa is a visa for a long-term stay while a tourist visa is obtained at the time of visiting the country for tourism. The documents that are required for a resident visa for UAE that mandate attestation are listed below:
- Birth certificate.
- Marriage certificate/Single Status certificate
- Police Clearance Certificate
- Passport Copies
- Good Conduct Certificate
- Aadhaar Card
- Bank Statement
- Covering Letter, etc.
Certificate Attestation Procedure for UAE
Certificate attestation for UAE is done centrally by the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs). The UAE requires personal and educational documents, as you will be asked to submit attested documents at the time for an employment visa, immigration, spouse visa, family visa, etc.
Having an attestation seal from the UAE embassy on your documents conveys that your documents have been successfully verified and stamped from the UAE Embassy in your country. UAE Embassy attestation is a must-have requirement after getting an attestation from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). These documents are further needed to be attested by the UAE government before granting a visa for the UAE, which is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in UAE. The generalized process for the certificate attestation for UAE is as follows:
- Regional Level: It is the beginning level of the certificate legalization process. This stage of verification can be done by the notary or the University from where the documents were issued, as per the requirement or from the Chamber of commerce in the case of commercial documents.
- State Government: The verification of certificates from the state is performed by three different organizations as per the necessity of the document type. These departments are the State Home Department (SHD), Human Resource Department (HRD), and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). SDM is independent of the state government, however, the verification performed by this authority is considered on the state level.
- MEA Stamp: MEA or Ministry of External Affairs is the last stage of authentication from the home government after which an MEA stamp is applied to the document. MEA is the central department that deals with the foreign affairs of the country.
- Embassy Attestation: It is carried out by the officials of the concerned country the documents are being legalized for. It is the final stage of the certification for most nations after the Ministry of External Affairs.
MOFA Attestation: MOFA attestation is carried out by the government of Saudi Arabia. The officials provide a stamp and signature on the respective documents so as to make it credible to be submitted to the government.
Personal Document Attestation
Among the three types, personal documents are those that possess the personal information of the candidate. Personal Documents necessitate different kind of procedure that starts with the notary and then follows the state level and central level attestation by the Home Department and MEA respectively. The process is mentioned below:
Educational Document Attestation
Academic documents that contain one's achievements in the curriculum are known as the educational documents. These are attested with varying processes based on their issuance.
Commercial Document Attestation
The documents that are issued at the time of setting up a business or for the processes after are listed under commercial documents. A non-governmental organization called Chamber of Commerce attests the commercial documents before forwarding them to the MEA. The step by step procedure is as follows:
How to get certificate attestation for UAE?
There are methods of approach for acquiring certificate attestation for UAE. Although, the process is indirect and nearly impossible to procure individually. The best way to ensure authenticity in the legalization of documents is to employ the experts. Attestation agents are the professionals who render services for certification of your documents and certificates. Involving the services will allow you to reach the authorities sooner and get the documents attested. All you have to do is fill the inquiry form and specify the kind of facility required.
Business in UAE
Every entrepreneur dreams of taking the business from a garage to a multinational company. UAE feeds this dream by rendering access to businessmen worldwide a chance to expand their business in the country, then it can be starting a whole new capital in the nation or opening a new branch.
Certificate attestation for business visa is required at the time when the duration of stay is longer than normal. Attestation of commercial documents is necessitated for this process of visa issuance. The process is done by the Chamber of Commerce and is followed by the Ministry of External Affairs and the UAE embassy attestation.
Some of the commercial documents that are attested at the time of performing business in the UAE are listed as follows:
Export and Import business documents
- Bill of Entry:
- Commercial Invoice.
- Bill of Lading / Airway bill :
- Import License.
- Insurance certificate.
- Purchase order/Letter of Credit.
- Industrial License.
Starting a new business in UAE
- Articles of Incorporation.
- Intellectual Property (IP) Assignment Agreement.
- Operating Agreement/ Founder's Agreement
- Non-Disclosure Agreements.
- Employee Contracts
- Offer Letters.
- Shareholder Agreement.
Opening a new branch in UAE
- Board resolution.
- Establishment License.
- Get GST registration.
Certificate attestation for UAE is a procedure that is applicable in various areas. Being a complex process, it is best approached through professionals so that authenticity in the legalization of documents is attained. It is important to make sure that the legal documents are handled with care and processed with the proper course of action.
The process is carried out at different levels of the governmental and non-governmental organizations and hence, is intricate to be accessed by one person alone. Assistance, in this case, is more facile than doing it all on your own.
posted on 15 Jun, 2019. Posted In attestation.