---
title: "Attestation"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/attestation
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/attestation.md
type: glossary-term
description: "Attestation is the chain of official stamps that makes a document issued abroad legally usable in the UAE, ending with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# Attestation

> Attestation is the chain of official stamps that makes a document issued abroad legally usable in the UAE, ending with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Also known as: Legalisation, Legalization, Apostille, MOFA attestation, Document authentication.

## What Attestation means for a buyer

A UAE land department, court or bank will not rely on a foreign document simply because it was signed before a notary abroad. It must be attested, also called legalised, so that each authority confirms the signature of the one before it.

The [Dubai Land Department](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dld) sets out the chain for a foreign power of attorney, and the same pattern applies to other documents:

1. [Notarisation](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/notarisation) in the country where the document is signed.
2. Authentication by that country's foreign ministry. In the UK this is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which issues an apostille certificate.
3. Legalisation by the UAE embassy in that country.
4. Final attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), which can be done after the document arrives in the UAE.

A certified legal translation into Arabic is then usually needed.

Buyers most often need this for a [power of attorney](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/power-of-attorney), for the corporate documents of a foreign company buying property, and for marriage or birth certificates when sponsoring family on a property-linked visa.

The point UK buyers get wrong is assuming the apostille finishes the job. For use in the UAE, the embassy and MOFA steps are still required. Each stage has its own fee and processing time, and the whole chain commonly takes two to four weeks, less with an agency. Build that into any deadline in your [SPA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/spa) or sale contract.

## Related terms

- [Notarisation](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/notarisation): Notarisation is the formal witnessing of a signature or certification of a document by a notary public, required before many documents are accepted in the UAE.
- [Power of attorney](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/power-of-attorney): A power of attorney is a notarised document authorising another person to sign and act for you in a UAE property transaction you cannot attend.
- [KYC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/kyc): Know Your Customer is the identity and risk check a developer, broker or bank must complete on a buyer before accepting their money or instructions.

## In depth

- [Buying UAE property from the UK: process, currency, mortgages and a budget in pounds](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/buying-uae-property-from-the-uk)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/attestation. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.