Updated 17 October 2026 · Author: Evgenii Salamatin, founder of Parallax

The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (according to the HCCH status table as of 17.10.2026), so an apostille does not make a document valid in the UAE. Consular legalisation is required: certification in the issuing country, then at the UAE embassy in that country, and final attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). A power of attorney for Dubai can be executed with a Dubai notary by video call.

Why an apostille does not work for the UAE

An apostille is valid only between countries that are parties to the 1961 Convention. The UAE is not on the HCCH list of contracting parties (checked 17.10.2026); among its Gulf neighbours, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman, for example, are parties. A document with an apostille still has to go through the UAE embassy and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the apostille on it does not shorten anything.

Older instructions call the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs MOFAIC; today the ministry and its attestation service operate as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at mofa.gov.ae.

Legalisation chain for documents issued in Russia

  1. Notary in Russia. Civil registry documents (birth and marriage certificates), education documents and company constitutional documents are legalised as notarised copies; notarised powers of attorney and statements are legalised in the original.
  2. Russian Ministry of Justice. A certification note from the Ministry of Justice is placed on a document issued or certified by a Russian notary.
  3. Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The state fee is RUB 350 per document and the processing time is 3 working days from the date the application is registered (according to the Consular Department as of 17.10.2026). Documents are accepted by appointment, through Moscow public service centres (MFC) or the ministry's regional offices; documents are not accepted by post or electronically.
  4. UAE Embassy in Moscow. Certifies the signature and seal of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
  5. UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Final attestation in the UAE. The document must be in Arabic or English or come with a certified translation, and must not be laminated.

In Russia, foreign trade documents (contracts, invoices, certificates of origin) are certified by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, not by the Foreign Ministry.

After MOFA attestation, an organisation in the UAE may ask for an Arabic translation by a licensed translator. We check the translation requirements with the receiving party before starting work.

Documents from other countries

The logic is the same: the document is certified by the competent authorities of the issuing country (usually a notary and the foreign ministry), then by the UAE embassy in that country, then by MOFA. Some UAE embassies accept applications online through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs system, others in person; this is stated on the website of the specific embassy. If there is no UAE embassy in the country, MOFA suggests contacting the ministry directly. We clarify the steps for Belarus, Kazakhstan, Serbia and other countries for each specific document.

Documents most often legalised

DocumentWhy it is needed in the UAEForm of legalisation
University degreework visa, proof of qualificationsnotarised copy
Marriage certificatespouse sponsorship visanotarised copy
Birth certificateresidence visa for a childnotarised copy
Power of attorneyrepresentation before government authorities, company registration, transactionsoriginal
Articles of association, register extract, shareholder resolutionsa corporate founder in the UAE, bank checksnotarised copy

For a family visa, the marriage certificate and the children's birth certificates are usually legalised.

Legalisation timelines

Russian Foreign Ministry: 3 working days. UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs: up to 7 working days for documents issued outside the UAE when submitted through a service provider (according to MOFA as of 28.10.2026). More time goes on the notary, the Ministry of Justice, the UAE embassy and shipping the document between countries. For a Russian document, we allow 2 to 6 weeks for the whole chain; this is a guide, not a commitment.

Power of attorney in Dubai remotely: a notary by video call

Dubai's notary public operates under Dubai Courts. The rules for digital notary services were approved by Dubai Courts Director General Resolution No. 137 of 2022. Remote notarisation works like this (details on the power of attorney in Dubai via Zoom page):

  1. The applicant creates an account in the Dubai Courts digital channels: a resident through digital identity (UAE PASS), a non-resident with the unified number (UID) from their UAE entry permit.
  2. They choose the notary service, enter the details, upload the draft power of attorney and documents, and pay the fee.
  3. The notary checks the documents and makes a video call in the court-approved application between 07:00 and 21:00 to confirm identity, authority and agreement with the text.
  4. The applicant receives a one-time password (OTP), and the notary signs the document with an electronic signature and a digital seal.
  5. The finished power of attorney is sent to the applicant's personal email.

The application is rejected if registration is not completed within 5 working days, the details and documents are not uploaded within 60 days, identity cannot be confirmed, the fee is not paid or more than two calls from the notary are missed.

If you have neither an Emirates ID nor a UID from a previous entry to the UAE, the remote route may not be available. In that case, the power of attorney is executed with a notary in your country of residence and taken through the legalisation chain described above.

What a power of attorney in Dubai is used for

  • registering a company and amending the licence without the owner being present;
  • submitting documents to government authorities and the free zone administration;
  • property transactions and tenancy arrangements;
  • representation in court and before a notary.

Whether a specific organisation accepts the power of attorney, and to what extent, is up to that organisation: a bank, for example, may insist on meeting the owner in person. We check the scope of authority before notarisation.

How we work

Parallax handles legalisation and powers of attorney through a licensed partner in Dubai and partners in the country where the document was issued.

  1. We look at the document and its purpose: which organisation in the UAE will accept it and in what form.
  2. We prepare notarised copies and translations and take the document through the Ministry of Justice, the foreign ministry and the UAE embassy.
  3. We complete MOFA attestation and, if needed, arrange an Arabic translation in the UAE.
  4. For a power of attorney, we prepare the text, register the application and support the video call with the notary.

The price is per document, in euros, excluding 5% VAT. We fix the exact scope and fees in the estimate before payment. If you need a power of attorney for company registration, see the UAE business section.

Prices

ServiceWhat is includedPrice
Document legalisation for the UAEConsular legalisation and attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFAIC) of diplomas, certificates and corporate documents.€450Order
Power of attorney (POA) via ZoomNotarised power of attorney in Dubai remotely: drafting the text, translation, video call with the notary.€450Order

Prices in euros, excluding 5% VAT. We fix the exact scope and government fees in a quote before payment. Services are provided together with a licensed partner in Dubai.

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Frequently asked questions

No. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (HCCH status table as of 17.10.2026), so an apostille does not replace legalisation. The document is certified in the issuing country and at the UAE embassy, followed by final attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

For a Russian diploma: a notarised copy, a certification note from the Ministry of Justice, legalisation at the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, certification at the UAE Embassy in Moscow and MOFA attestation in the UAE. We allow 2 to 6 weeks for the whole chain. For other countries the logic is the same: the competent authorities of the issuing country, the UAE embassy, then MOFA.

Yes, through a representative acting under a notarised power of attorney. The Russian Foreign Ministry does not accept documents for legalisation by post or electronically, so the representative submits them in person or through Moscow public service centres (MFC).

It is certification by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs that confirms the authenticity of the signatures and seals on a document. For a foreign document, it is the last step after legalisation in the issuing country and at the UAE embassy. For documents issued outside the UAE, MOFA states a processing time of up to 7 working days when submitted through a service provider (according to MOFA as of 28.10.2026).

With Parallax, €450 per document, excluding 5% VAT. The Russian Foreign Ministry state fee is RUB 350 per document (according to the Consular Department as of 17.10.2026). Other fees depend on the document and the country; we fix the exact scope in the estimate before payment.

Yes. Dubai Courts notaries certify documents by video call: the applicant registers in the court's digital channels, uploads the documents, confirms their identity on the video call and receives the electronic document by email. A non-resident needs a UID from a UAE entry permit to register.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepts documents in Arabic or English or with a certified translation. The receiving organisation in the UAE may separately ask for an Arabic translation by a licensed translator; we check this in advance.

According to the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, legalised Russian documents do not expire. However, the receiving party may require recent documents: certificates are usually expected to have been issued no more than 3–6 months earlier.

Official sources