Attestation of Canadian Documents for UAE Work Visa: What you should know
If you need a Canadian document attested for use in the UAE, it’s important to understand the process. You might have heard that the attestation of documents for a UAE work visa is a difficult process, but if you take the proper steps, it’s not as hard as you think.
The first thing to know is that the Canadian Attestation process is different from most other countries because Canada doesn’t issue Apostilles. Instead, they have an equivalent process called “Authentication and Legalization”.
The first step is Authentication of Documents – This is where the document is sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) to be approved. Once that happens, you’ll get a Certificate of Authentication that can be attached to the document.
The next step is Document Legalization – This is where your document is sent to the UAE Embassy where they’ll add a Certificate of Legalization to the back page.
After both of those steps are completed, you’ll return your document to the UAE to be attested at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Once that’s completed, they’ll send it back to you or the destination of your choosing.
It sounds complicated, but as we mentioned earlier, knowing the proper steps is half the battle. There can be some variables depending on the type of document and the province in which the document was issued. Here are a couple examples of variations to the normal document attestation process:
For Canadian University Degrees, attestation at the UAE Embassy requires a copy of the transcripts to be sent to them directly from the University.
Some documents require notarization before they can be authenticated and legalized. To do this, you simply have a public notary, or an attorney witness the document signings, and then they will attach a signed notary seal to show that the document is legitimate.
Of course, there are other variations and things to know about the attestation of Canadian documents for the UAE, but with this understanding you should be able to navigate the process fairly smoothly. As always, if you need help, Legalization Services Centre Canada is always here to answer questions and help expedite the process. Let us know if we can help!