U.S. documents for United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention — Not a party to the Apostille Convention (absent from HCCH status table); embassy attestation required.. An apostille will not be accepted. U.S. documents must be authenticated and then legalized: state authentication certificate (for state documents), U.S. Department of State authentication, and legalization at United Arab Emirates's embassy or consulate in the United States.

The route, step by step

1. State authentication (state documents)

   Request an authentication certificate from the state competent authority, naming United Arab Emirates as the destination.

2. U.S. Department of State authentication

   Submit the state-certified or federal document to the Office of Authentications with Form DS-4194 and $20 per document.

3. Legalization at the United Arab Emirates embassy or consulate

   Since 2025-08-21 attestation is handled through VFS Global (1025 Vermont Ave NW, Floor 2, Washington DC; 313-379-3053). Personal/educational documents must first be authenticated by the US Dept of State; corporate documents first by the state Secretary of State. Fees not published on the embassy page. Further MOFA attestation applies in the UAE.

4. Translation

   Confirm whether United Arab Emirates requires a translation and at which stage.

Using U.S. documents in United Arab Emirates

The UAE is not a Convention party. U.S. documents are authenticated by the state (for state documents) and the U.S. Department of State, then legalized at the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C., which since August 2025 accepts submissions through a VFS-operated attestation center. After arrival in the UAE, documents are attested again by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs before they are accepted by employers, courts, the Ministry of Education or family courts. Typical documents: degree certificates for employment visas, marriage and birth certificates for family sponsorship and school enrollment, FBI background checks for some positions, POAs for property and company matters (often required to be in Arabic or bilingual), and corporate documents, which attract substantially higher embassy fees. Arabic translations by a legal translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice are required for most official uses.

Why U.S. documents are sent to United Arab Emirates

• employment visa / degree attestation
• family residence visa (marriage, birth certificates)
• school enrollment
• business setup
• medical licensing

United Arab Emirates-specific points

• Non-Hague: notarize/state-certify, then US Dept of State authentication certificate (Form DS-4194, $20/doc, ~4 weeks by mail), then legalization at the destination country's embassy/consulate.
• Educational documents must come from a regionally accredited US institution; print CHEA accreditation proof.
• Consulates in Houston, Los Angeles and New York also serve.