How do I legalise my documents for the United Arab Emirates?
The 1961 Hague Convention abolished the requirement for consular legalisation for public documents for member nations. However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a seven member federation of Emirates, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, and a prominent member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is not a member of the Hague Convention. This means that any document issued by UK authorities, to be used in the UAE, needs legalisation by the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Embassy in London. Prior to that, these documents need to be issued an apostille certificate by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO).
The documents that need to be legalised can range from various types of personal documents, identity documents and educational certificates to business and commercial documents. Depending on the purpose of your visit to the UAE, the documents will be legalised by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in London. For instance, if you apply for a UAE work visa, your personal, professional and educational documents will need to be legalised. Similarly, if you would like to sponsor a residence visa for your family members, you will have to get your spouse’s and children’s (below 18) birth certificates, marriage certificate passport copies, primary school certificates and other such documents legalised.
The FCO might also require attestation by a Notary Public or Solicitor in the UK, registered in the FCO database, prior to apostille certification for certain documents. The Embassy requires commercial documents to be attested by the Arab-British Chambers of Commerce (ABCC) in London.
Legalisations.org.uk can fulfil all your requirements for document legalisation, verification, attestation and ratification. When you submit the requisite documents to us, our consultants will take care of the entire process, right from obtaining appointments at the FCO office and the UAE Embassy in London, to delivering the certified documents to you. You can trust us to provide efficient, transparent and cost-effective document legalisation services at all times.
Please see the process as below that we follow:
STEP 1
Send Us the
Original Document
STEP 2
We quality check
documents internally
STEP 3
The document is
solicitor certified and then
Apostilled 24 hours.
STEP 4
If required, we take the
document to the required
embassy for legalisation
STEP 5
Documents Returned
Back to you Domestically
or Internationally
United Arab Emirates
Legalisation
Processing Time: Please see pricing page
Pricing: Please see pricing page
Please use the dropdown menu’s for your document requirement. The pricing and document type will be generated after pressing the button below. Please note that to complete your order you will need to use the dropdown menus per document order. After the pricing table, you will then be taken to our order page. Following this you will be sent to our upload page to upload the documents which you can also complete later.
Service Inclusions:
- Solicitor Stamp
- FCO Submission and Collection
- Embassy Legalisations
- Precheck of documents
- Free Resubmissions
- Same Day Send Out
Start Legalisation Order
The button above will redirect you to our legalisation order form via our main RLS website. You will be able to select your service, your return address and method and make payment via it.
After making your order, we advise you contact our legalisation consultants by emailing your requirement to: applications@rapid-visas.co.uk.
Important Notes for Legalisation by the UAE Embassy in London
All documents must be legalised by the UK FCO office, prior UAE Embassy legalisation. The FCO office accepts only original documents, signed by the UK Registrar’s Office, for birth certificates, marriage certificates and death certificates. Any other document has to be certified by a solicitor or by a Notary Public in the UK.
Foreign issued documents are usually not accepted by the Embassy, except in case of certain countries. Certain foreign documents may be acceptable, based on the type of document and the circumstances involved. However, these documents must be attested by the relevant diplomatic body of the country of origin, in the UK. They have to be further notarised, and then apostilled by the FCO, before submission to the UAE Embassy in London. Certain jurisdictions might require the documents to be attested by their country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before attestation by the concerned London diplomatic mission.
The UAE Embassy in London accepts documents from foreign countries, such as the Republic of Ireland, Iceland, Jersey, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, provided that they have been issued with an apostille certificate by the UK FCO or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the respective country, such as Governors’ Offices of Jersey, Isle of Man and Guernsey, the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Irish Foreign Office.
However, please note that foreign educational documents are not accepted for legalisation. The UAE Embassy in London will also not accept Irish and Icelandic educational certificates for legalisation.
For the legalisation of educational documents, the Notary Public must certify the original document directly, for the FCO to attach its apostille stamp at the reverse of the original document. As long as the apostille certificate is attached to the document itself, the notarial certificate can be bound together with the educational document.
Documents that originated from the UAE need attestation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE, prior to legalisation by the London UAE Embassy. For British Overseas Territories documents, attestation is required by the Government of Territories concerned, before submission to the FCO office for the apostille certificate.
Documents cannot be legalised by the UAE Embassy in bundles. Notarisation and apostille certification of every document must be completed separately, except documents such as Certificate of Incorporation or Change of Name, with respect to the same company, or degree certificates and transcripts, with respect to the same course and individual. These certificates can be submitted in a bundle, under the same notarial certificate and apostille and only one consular fee is applicable.
The submission timing at the consulate is 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
Conclusion
To apply for and obtain UAE visas for stay in the country for a longer duration, such as an employment visa, family visit visa or residence visa, UK-issued documents need to be legalised by the UAE Embassy in London. This is also applicable for study visas and business visit visas to places such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Since the UAE is not a member of the 1962 Hague Convention, consular legalisation is required, along with the apostille issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Legalisations.org.uk has for years provided apostille, consular legalisation, notarisation and certified translation services to individuals and corporate clients. Our consultants are well-versed with the legalisation procedures of various jurisdictions around the world, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Legalisation of UAE documents can be confusing and expensive, if the process is not understood correctly. By using our services, you will save precious time and money, and get the requisite documents delivered to you at the earliest. We can also take care of any translation requirements, with our expert translators ensuring the accuracy of your documents.
We will take a look at all your requirements to provide a suitable quote and turnaround time. You can trust our consultants to provide prompt customer services, safe and discrete handling of documents and complete guidance, at the most competitive rates.
Kindly send us an email at info@legalisations.org.uk, for all your queries regarding document legalisation. You can also call us at 0845 224 9482. Fill this contact form, and one of our representatives will get back to you at the earliest.
The Most Common Documents We Legalise
Standard Personal Documents
- Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates
- HMRC letters
- ACPO, ACRO, Police Letters
- No Impediment Certificate
- Court Documents
Corporate Business Documents
- Incorporation Certificate
- Appointment Reports
- Mem & Arts
- Company Letters
- Companies House Certs
- Minutes & Resolutions
Educational Documents
- Degree, Masters, Diploma
- GCSE, CSE, O Level
- Professional Qualifications
- Training Certificates
- Transcripts & Reports
- School Letters
Frequently Asked Questions
Consular legalisation by the UAE Embassy in London is a vital part of the UAE visa application process. After your documents are attested and apostilled by the UK FCO, you will need to obtain an appointment with the legalisation department of the Embassy, and submit the requisite documents, along with the attestation fees. The Embassy also accepts documents via post. However, sending the documents by post can take time and you risk losing important documents. You will also have to submit an enclosed covering letter, the online payment receipt and a self-addressed envelope for the return of the documents.
However, when you choose services provided by Legalisations.org.uk, the process is completely hassle free. Our consultants will personally deliver the documents to the FCO and then the Embassy of UAE in London, on your behalf. For documents that require prior notarisation, before FCO legalisation, our consultants will get them attested, stamped and dated by an accredited Notary Public or Solicitor in the UK.
We will also ensure that the documents are in the correct order and format, according to the prescribed standards of the FCO and the UAE Embassy. These documents will be collected by our consultants and delivered directly to you, while ensuring complete safety of the documents.
Apart from this, we also offer consultancy services in various other matters concerning document legalisation. We offer certified translation services, if the UAE Embassy requires certain documents to be translated into Arabic.
Documents to be used in the UAE need to be first issued an apostille certificate by the FCO and then submitted to the UAE Embassy in London, for further legalisation.
Cost of this process will depend on the service package you choose. For instance, for FCO apostille services, we offer a standard package (next-day delivery) and a premium package (within 2-3 hours). The FCO’s apostille fee in the standard package is £30 and for the premium package is £75.
Consular fees for document legalisation are £36 per document (AED 150 + third party transaction fees) for individual and educational documents. For commercial documents, the fee is £465 (AED 2,000 + third party transaction fees). For court documents, where a company is a party, the consular fee might be £36 per document.
The consular fee is updated the first day of every month, according to the fluctuating exchange rate of the British Pound (GBP). The Embassy does not accept cash, personal or company cheques, postal orders and banker’s drafts.
Legalisations.org.uk will charge an extra service fee for any additional requirements chosen by you in the application form, such as DHL international service, special delivery and so on. Once you complete the form, the consular fees and service charges will be added accordingly, to provide you with the final quote. You can make the payment through this payment form, and send the documents to us. We will notify you if any additional payment has to be made, based on your requirements.
Legalisations.org.uk might charge extra service fees, depending on the package and services you choose in your order form, such as DHL delivery, special delivery and so on. Once you complete the form, all consular charges and service charges will be added and a quote will be provided, based on the number of documents and the list of services chosen. You can make the payment directly through our order form, and then proceed to submit the documents to us..
The UAE document legalisation can be a multi-step process. The documents need to be apostilled by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and then submitted to the UAE Embassy in London for legalisation.
The FCO may take anywhere between 3 hours to 24 hours for the apostille process, depending on the service package you choose. The documents will be delivered the next day, only if you submit them to us before 11am.
Legalisation can further take up to 2-4 working days. In total, you can expect the entire process to be completed within a week. Further, some documents, such as Power of Attorney and certain legal documents, might have to be signed by a UK Notary Public, prior to submission to the FCO. This might take an extra day.
The UAE is one of the most coveted destinations in the Middle East for employment opportunities. Emirates such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi have strategically placed offices of some of the top names in the sectors of financial services, hospitality, logistics, technology and infrastructure. Apart from a thriving expat community, the country is known for its tax-free salary regime.
To obtain employment in the Middle Eastern nation, UK citizens need a UAE employment visa. This could be a short-term work authorisation and temporary residency permit, or long-term work authorisation, requiring permanent residency in some cases.
To obtain a work visa, you will need legalisation by the UAE Embassy in London for specific documents. This will include your employment contract with your sponsor UAE corporate entity. Once you accept a job offer, your employer will apply for a residency permit on your behalf. You can start working, once you obtain a work permit from the UAE Ministry of Labour.
The seven emirates have their own immigration procedures. However, some of the common documents that need Embassy legalisation include:
Personal Documents
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Passport copies
- Police clearance certificates (ACRO)
- Death certificate
- Visa medical reports
- Divorce certificate
- Personal power of attorney
- Driver’s license
Academic Qualifications
- College degree certificates/ diploma certificates
- Post-graduate degree certificates
- Higher education certificates
- A-Level, BTECH, NVQ, HNC, HND, Level 1-3 certificates
- Certificate of secondary education
- Primary school certificates (for sponsoring visas for children below 18 years)
- PGCE, QTS, Teaching certificates
- Training certificates
In case of educational documents, a Notary should certify the original document and the FCO apostille certificate should be attached on the reverse.
If you are moving to the UAE on behalf of your UK employer, you might have to get a letter of introduction, issued by the company and attested by the Embassy.
You need to check with your sponsor company in the UAE, regarding any additional document legalisation requirements.
All the documents must be issued with an apostille certificate by the FCO, before they are submitted to the UAE Embassy in London for legalisation.
Many embassies require documents to be translated into their country’s official language to be able to use them or legalise them. However, the Embassy of the UAE in London has no such requirements for document legalisation. This means your documents can be submitted in English.
However, you should consult your sponsoring entity in the UAE, regarding whether they require UK-issued documents to be translated into Arabic; the official language of the UAE, before the documents can be accepted for use. For instance, if you are travelling to the UAE on an employment visa or a business visit visa, your sponsor company might require certain documents to be translated into Arabic and then legalised, such as background checks, power of attorney agreements and other legal documents, company financial reports, trademarks and others.
Legalisations.org.uk offers certified translation services, whenever clients require them for legalisation purposes. Since the UK does not have a regulated system of “sworn translators,” it is essential to ascertain the credibility of translators, so that the documents remain true to their original meaning.
Our wide network of professional translators comes from the Institute of Translators and Interpreters or Institute of Linguists. They will perform a detailed analysis of spellings, grammar, formatting, accuracy and completeness to ensure that the documents maintain their integrity and remain close to the original document. Further, these documents will be signed in presence of a Notary Public or Solicitor in the UK.
Kindly send an email to info@legalisations.org.uk, along with a copy of the document to be translated, if you would like certified translation services for your UAE Embassy legalisation needs. Our consultants will get back to you with the quote and turnaround time for complete translation, as soon as possible.
The UAE Embassy in London is located at:
1-2 Grosvenor Crescent,
Belgravia
London, SW1X 7EE
United Kingdom
Working hours of the Embassy are Monday to Friday; 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and consular hours are from Monday to Friday; 9:30 am to 12:00 pm and 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.
The bus routes that pass through the address in London are 13, 2, 137, 52, 9, C1 and 390. The nearest tube stations to the embassy are Jubilee, Victoria and District. You can also reach the destination through the southern and south-eastern railway routes. Some of the closest landmarks to the area include the Romanian Cultural Institute and the Embassy of Luxembourg.
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