Australia Certificate Attestation for the UAE

Sun-soaked beaches, coastline for miles on end, and an abundance of exotic wildlife. There's plenty that's familiar for an Aussie moving over to the UAE. But one thing they might not be familiar with is the process of attestation.

Attestation? What's that?

Basically, it's a way for the government department in Australia to confirm the legitimacy of a document so it's valid for use in another country. Think of it like a passport for your documents, ensuring easy travel to any country across the world. This usually involves having the document notarised, and then taking it to the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT). They will add their stamp to the document which means it's ready for use in another country.

Sounds pretty simple, but that's not always the case. Attesting documents is a complicated process. Each country has specific requirements that you need to fulfil to the letter or your documents risk getting rejected. Don't worry though - in this post, we'll give you an in-depth overview of the attestation of documents in Australia, how UAE Embassy attestation works, and all of the processes involved before and after. Let's get started!

What is the Australia Certificate Attestation process?

Attesting an Australian certificate for the UAE involves anywhere between four to six steps, depending on the type of document you're attesting.

1. Verification - Sometimes, you might need to get your document verified by one institutional body or another (e.g. My eQuals Australia). This can often be the case with educational documents. If you're attesting your document with Vital, we're generally able to handle this process for you, although there are universities that insist that you do it yourself!
2. Certification by Australian Notary Public - Before any document can be presented to the Australian government for legalisation, it must first be certified by a practicing Australian Notary Public. In this stage, the Notary will check the legitimacy of the document(s) being presented to them. They will then attach a notarial cover sheet to certified copies of the original documents and add their official seal.
3. Australian Government Certification - Once a document has been notarised, it is then presented to the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) in Australia. Their office will check that the seal and signature of the Notary Public matches their official record and certifies it accordingly. Once certified, they will add their stamp to the certification.
4. UAE Embassy Attestation - The final step in Australia is for the document to be attested by the UAE Embassy in Barton, a district of Canberra, ACT. An official UAE-government sticker and seal is attached alongside the certification by DFAT during this stage. This attestation sticker confirms to the UAE authorities that the document has gone through all the necessary steps in Australia.
5. MoFA Attestation (UAE) - In the UAE, another attestation stamp is needed which is handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in any of the UAE emirates. The addition of this stamp confirms that the Australian processes have been completed correctly. Some employers will do this for you, so you should check with them beforehand to avoid paying for anything you don't need! Unless your document requires translation, this is often final step needed to use your document in the UAE.

Do my Australian Certificates need to be translated?

In certain circumstances, your document may also require translation into Arabic. Again, your employer may handle this for you so it's best to check first! If required, the whole document and its relevant stamps are translated from English into Arabic by a recognised certified translator. Once the translation has been done, then everything has been completed to make it fully useable within the UAE.

Sounds like a walk in the park! How do I get started?

Hold your horses! It's not as easy as it sounds. For one, it’s hard to know if the documents you need to attest need to be officially verified or not, and by which body. Imagine the scenario - you spend all that time and money getting your document notarised, only to take it to DFAT and it ends up getting rejected. Now everything’s delayed because you need to find out exactly which institution needs to verify your documents for you. Then you need to get them notarised again, making things even costlier and more complicated. It can be a massive pain.

Assuming you know exactly which documents you need to attest and the exact requirements for each one, you’ll then need to send them to the UAE Embassy in Canberra, and then find a way to send the documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE. Between transporting your documents back and forth and finding a good notary, you’re not really saving yourself any time or money!

I changed my mind. Please help!

Don't worry, you're in the right place! Vital Certificates have been attesting documents from all over the world since 2006, so we have the knowledge and the experience to help, whatever your circumstance. Our 100% Guarantee ensures your documents will be attested first time, so you never have to worry, so you never have to worry about which notary to pick or which document type you have.

Get in touch using one of the methods below, and we’ll advise you on how to move forward. Or if you want a deeper dive into the intricacies of attesting an Australian certificate for the UAE, check out our dedicated page here.