Please be advised that the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates has implemented alterations to its document attestation procedures, effective February 2025. These modifications, enacted without prior public announcement, necessitate a revised approach to legalising UK documents for use within the UAE.
Key Procedural Changes:
Revised Fee Schedule: A revised fee structure has been introduced, resulting in increased costs for attestation services.
Hybrid Digital Attestation: The embassy has adopted a hybrid digital-physical attestation process. This entails the creation of a digital scan (PDF) of the submitted document, upon which the official attestation is affixed. The attested PDF is then transmitted electronically to the applicant.
Physical Document Submission Remains Mandatory: Despite the introduction of digital attestation, the physical submission of the original document, bearing a valid apostille, remains a prerequisite for the attestation process.
Detailed Procedural Outline:
Apostille Acquisition: The original document must first be affixed with a physical apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Electronic apostilles are not currently accepted.
Physical Document Submission: The document, inclusive of the apostille, must be physically submitted to the UAE Embassy.
Digital Document Scanning: The embassy will proceed to create a digital scan (PDF) of the submitted document.
Digital Attestation: The official attestation will be applied to the aforementioned digital scan.
Document Return and Digital Transmission: The original document, bearing the apostille, will be returned to the applicant. The attested PDF will be transmitted via electronic mail.
Critical Considerations:
The official attestation will be exclusively affixed to the digital copy of the document, not the original physical document.
This procedural shift represents a novel approach and may initially lead to queries from UAE-based entities.
The Embassy will not affix an attestation to the physical document.
A Physical Apostille from the FCDO is still required.
Rationale for Procedural Changes:
The implementation of this hybrid digital-physical attestation process is intended to enhance the efficiency and security of document legalisation procedures.
Professional Assistance:
We recognise that these procedural changes may present complexities. Our organisation offers comprehensive document legalisation services, facilitating a seamless and efficient attestation process for your documents intended for use within the UAE.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for professional assistance with your document attestation requirements.
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