Documents · MOFA Attestation
Before a UAE marriage certificate is used abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests it. We arrange that for certificates from our own weddings and for those issued without us, by a UAE court or a church.
Choose Your Starting Point
Marriage certificate attestation in the UAE is done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MOFA, for every emirate. It confirms the signatures and seals on a UAE certificate, the first step before the certificate is used abroad. We arrange it after a wedding we prepared with you, and for a certificate you already hold from a UAE court or a church.
Attestation is part of what follows the ceremony. We settle the destination country in the consultation, so the application can go in once the certificate is issued.
A certificate you already hold can come to us too: from the Abu Dhabi court without us, from another UAE court, or from a church in the Emirates. Some need a step with their issuing authority before MOFA.
Certificates issued outside the UAE are not part of this service. They are legalised in the country that issued them and by the UAE embassy there, under MOFA’s rules for documents issued abroad.
Still planning the wedding itself? The civil marriage routes we arrange
MOFA’s system decides from the issuing authority and the document type whether a certificate is attested digitally or by courier. Certificates from the Abu Dhabi court mostly go digitally, unless the embassy where you register the marriage asks for a printed copy.
Before the Application
MOFA needs the original certificate, the authority that issued it and the country where it will be used. A digital certificate with a QR code or reference number is uploaded and attested online. A paper one goes through an approved courier, unlaminated and in Arabic or English or with a certified translation. Applications are made with UAE PASS and cannot be changed once submitted.
A digital certificate as the issuing authority’s own PDF, never a scan or a photograph. A paper certificate as the original, and not laminated.
MOFA’s system sets the route from the authority that issued the certificate and the type of document. Digital or courier cannot be chosen.
Named in the application and fixed from then on. It decides whether an attestation by a UAE embassy is included in the same service.
Arabic or English, or with a legally certified translation. A certificate from the Abu Dhabi court already carries both languages.
Up to five documents go into one application, all on the same route. A rejected application cannot be reopened, so a new one is filed.
Some countries also want their own embassy in the UAE to legalise the certificate. Some embassies take the papers from us, others accept them only from you.
The Attestation Journey
Who issued it, in what form, and the country where it will be used.
We confirm it is the original, complete and eligible, and whether it needs a translation.
Filed with MOFA for the destination country, which is fixed from then on.
A digital certificate is attested online; a paper original travels by approved courier.
Where your country asks for it, the legalisation at its embassy follows.
The attested certificate, and any translation, delivered to you or sent on.
The Embassy Step Some embassies take the certificate from us on your behalf; others accept it only from you, and then the appointment is yours, prepared by us.
What's Included
One advisor keeps the certificate moving between the ministry, any embassy and the translator, and tells you where it stands at each step.
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Frequently Asked Questions
MOFA’s published service details, as read in October 2026.
Who issued the certificate and where it is going are enough for a first answer.
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The Next Step
Tell us who issued your certificate and the country where it will be used. We reply within 48 hours with the route it takes and what it needs from you.
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