MOFA attestation in Dubai costs AED 150 per personal document, such as a degree, birth certificate or marriage certificate, and AED 2,000 per commercial document in 2026. That is only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fee. Foreign documents also need home-country authentication and UAE embassy attestation first, plus courier and translation costs where they apply.
The government fee is fixed, so your total depends on how many steps come before MOFA and who handles them. This guide separates the fixed fee from the costs that vary.
Key Takeaways
- Personal documents: AED 150 per document at MOFA.
- Commercial documents: AED 2,000 per document at MOFA.
- MOFA is the last step, not the whole bill: home-country, embassy, courier and translation costs sit on top for foreign documents.
- Category matters: choosing a personal category for a commercial document, or the reverse, changes the fee and can get the file rejected.
- Pay online: the fee is paid through the MOFA website or app.
MOFA Attestation Fees in the UAE in 2026
The table below shows the fee MOFA charges for each category. Attestation charges in the UAE are set per document, so a family file with a degree, a marriage certificate and a birth certificate is three fees.
| Document type | MOFA fee | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal and educational | AED 150 per document | Degree, birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate, police clearance | Same fee whether the document was issued in or outside the UAE |
| Commercial | AED 2,000 per document | Business documents such as trade licences, MOAs and board resolutions | Pick the correct category on the portal; it decides the fee |
New to the process? Our guide on what MOFA attestation is and when you need it explains the basics.
What Else Adds to Your Total Attestation Cost?
If your document was issued outside the UAE, MOFA is the final stamp. The steps before it carry their own charges, and these are not fixed:
- Home-country authentication: notary, foreign ministry or apostille fees, set by the issuing country.
- UAE embassy attestation: charged by the UAE mission in the issuing country, and it varies by country.
- Courier: MOFA takes the original document, so you pay for pickup and return.
- Legal translation: needed if the document is not in Arabic or English.
- Service fees: any agent or PRO provider you use charges on top of the government fees.
Documents issued in the UAE skip the foreign steps, so MOFA is usually the main cost. For the full foreign route, see our document attestation service in Dubai.
How to Pay for MOFA Attestation
- Finish the earlier stamps. For foreign documents, complete home-country authentication and UAE embassy attestation first.
- Log in. Sign in on mofa.gov.ae with UAE PASS and open the attestation service.
- Choose the category. Select certificate for individual documents or commercial for company documents.
- Pay the fee online. Use the payment methods the portal offers.
- Hand over the original. A courier collects the physical document and returns it once attested.
Some UAE embassies offer a digital route where one application covers the embassy and MOFA stamps. Check your embassy’s page on mofa.gov.ae to see if it applies.
How Long Does MOFA Attestation Take?
The MOFA stage typically takes 1 to 3 working days once your original document reaches MOFA. The overall time depends mostly on the steps before it. If you want the final stage handled for you, see our MOFA attestation service in Dubai.
Common Mistakes That Increase Your Attestation Cost
- Wrong category: a commercial document filed as personal, or the reverse, risks rejection and a refiling.
- Photocopies or laminated documents: MOFA does not accept them, so the courier trip is wasted.
- Missing embassy stamp: a foreign document must carry the UAE embassy attestation before it reaches MOFA.
- Untranslated documents: documents must be in Arabic or English, or legally translated.
- Unplanned bundles: the fee is per document, so list every document you need before you apply.
Need MOFA Attestation Handled End to End?
Takween Advisory manages the full chain, from the issuing country to the final MOFA stamp, with document attestation and legal translation. For personal records, see our marriage certificate attestation service.
Book a free consultation and tell us which documents you need attested and where they were issued.
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