To attest a police clearance certificate for a UAE visa, get it from the authority in your country of nationality, complete any home-country authentication your country requires, have the UAE embassy or consulate attest it, then finish with MOFA attestation in the UAE. Translate it first if it is not in English or Arabic. If you are inside the UAE with a cancelled residence visa, a UAE-issued certificate is used instead. The requirement is new and phased, so this guide covers who needs it, the exact order of steps, and the mistakes that get applications stopped.
Key Takeaways
• It is a 2026 requirement. The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) now asks for a police clearance certificate, also called a good conduct certificate, from listed nationalities applying for new visas.
• The chain has a fixed order. Issuing authority, UAE embassy or consulate, then MOFA. Skipping or reordering a stamp invalidates the certificate.
• An apostille does not replace the embassy step. The UAE is not a Hague Apostille Convention party.
• Translate before you attest. A translation added afterwards falls outside the embassy’s seal and is rejected.
• Move quickly. Certificates are generally accepted for about three months from issue, and attestation can use up weeks of that window.
Who Needs a Police Clearance Certificate for a UAE Visa?
Since 16 June 2026, nationals of listed countries must submit a certificate issued by the competent authority in their country of nationality and attested by the relevant UAE Embassy or Consulate. The rollout has three phases, reaching 45 nationalities by 15 November 2026.
Phase | Effective date | Examples of nationalities |
|---|---|---|
Phase 1 | 16 June 2026 | India, Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nepal |
Phase 2 | 15 August 2026 | Bangladesh, Philippines, Nigeria, Sudan, Tunisia, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Cyprus, Albania, Mauritius, Fiji |
Phase 3 | 15 November 2026 | China, Iran, South Africa, Serbia, Belarus, Georgia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Slovenia, Seychelles |
ICP has not published one consolidated public list. The schedule above is compiled from notices circulated through free zones and registration authorities, and versions differ at the edges. Confirm your nationality with the authority or consultant filing your application before you start the chain.
Which Visa Applications Need It
The requirement targets new visa and entry permit applications, mainly employment and investor residence visas. Standard renewals are generally not affected, though some free zones have asked for it on renewals, so treat that as a case-by-case check. See our guide to UAE residence visa renewal documents for what renewals usually need.
Reports differ on scope. One tracker says the ICP circulars cover every emirate except Dubai, which sets its own document requirements through GDRFA, while others describe a UAE-wide rule. Because the position changes as phases land, having the attested certificate ready costs little compared with a rejected file.
A missing certificate or a defect in it can suspend processing or lead to refusal of the visa. If you are applying for a Dubai investor or employment visa, our visa services team can confirm the current requirement for your file.
How to Attest a Police Clearance Certificate for a UAE Visa
1. Obtain the certificate. Apply to the police or justice authority in your country of nationality. It must be recent, so apply only when you are ready to start attestation.
2. Translate if needed. If the certificate is not in English or Arabic, get a certified translation before any attestation stamp is applied.
3. Complete home-country authentication. Where your country’s foreign ministry or notary must authenticate the document first, do that now. Requirements vary by country.
4. UAE embassy or consulate attestation. The UAE mission attests the certificate. For some nationalities the mission is in a different country from the issuing one; for example, Fiji nationals attest through New Zealand. Where there is no UAE embassy in the country, a mission accredited from a neighbouring capital handles it and adds weeks.
5. MOFA attestation in the UAE. Apply on the MOFA website or the UAE MOFA app and hand the original to the selected courier. MOFA requires the original, no lamination, and every earlier attestation already in place.
6. Submit with the visa file. Provide the attested original with the application through your employer, sponsor or PRO.
The same chain applies to other personal papers. See our guides to degree attestation in Dubai and marriage certificate attestation for a UAE visa, and what MOFA attestation is for the final stage. An apostille cannot substitute for the embassy step; our guide to attestation vs apostille for UAE documents explains why.
If You Are Already Inside the UAE
Applicants with a cancelled UAE residence visa can generally obtain a UAE-issued certificate instead of a home-country one, where the immigration authority requests it. The Ministry of Interior issues a federal certificate online, and Dubai Police issue one for people whose UAE history is Dubai-based. Because it is already a UAE government document, the overseas embassy chain does not apply.
Applicants on a visit visa are usually asked for the home-country certificate and the full chain above. If you plan to move from a visit visa to residence, read our guide to changing a visit visa to a residence visa without leaving the UAE.
Police Clearance Certificate Attestation Fees and Timelines
• MOFA attestation: AED 150 per personal document.
• UAE embassy or consulate abroad: AED 150 per document.
• Issuing authority and home-country steps: set by your country and vary widely.
• MOFA courier inside the UAE: 3 working days on normal delivery and 1 working day on express.
• Validity window: about three months from the issue date is the commonly accepted shelf life, so start attestation immediately after the certificate is issued.
These are government fees. Agency and courier charges are extra, and rates can change, so confirm the current figures on mofa.gov.ae before budgeting.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Attesting before translating. A translation added after attestation falls outside the seal and is rejected.
• Relying on an apostille. The embassy and MOFA stamps are still required for UAE use.
• Getting the certificate too early. Attestation can use weeks, and an expired certificate means starting over.
• Using the wrong issuing country. The certificate must come from your country of nationality unless you are in the UAE with a cancelled residence.
• Laminating the original. MOFA rejects laminated documents.
• Assuming the rule does not apply to you. The nationality list keeps changing, so confirm before you file.
Get Your Certificate Attested Without Delays
Check your nationality, start the chain the day the certificate is issued, and translate before you attest. Takween Advisory handles document attestation in Dubai and MOFA attestation, and our visa services and PRO services cover the filing with UAE authorities. Investors can also see our investor visa service, and Golden Visa applicants can review Golden Visa documents and processing time. Book a free consultation to confirm what your visa file needs.