If you’re seeking post-secondary education and/or are looking for opportunities for employment, chances are you already heard of United Arab Emirates. This country offers one of the highest quality education in the Middle East, and is currently a hotspot for anyone wishing to join their diverse workforce. As international interest grows, naturally, the UAE becomes more strict about who they accept into their country and who they don’t. Before your documents are considered valid in UAE, they must first go through authentication and legalization or document apostille.
CANADIAN DOCUMENT APOSTILLE: AUTHENTICATION AND LEGALIZATION
What is “apostille”? And why must you do both authentication and legalization of your documents? This all due to the Hague agreement or Apostille Convention, which Canada hasn’t signed. Canadian documents need to go through two levels of authentication and legalization. This means that in order for your documents to be valid and usable in UAE, they need to be authenticated by Global Affairs Canada first, and then legalized at the consular section of the embassy of UAE in Ottawa.
VALIDATING DOCUMENTS: FOR EDUCATION
If you’re planning on studying in one of the prestigious universities in UAE, you will have to validate your Canadian university degree. Whether your degree is from the University of Toronto, McGill University or Queen’s University, such fine school’s transcripts and degrees can become targets of forgery. As such, the embassy is very meticulous with legalization. You must make sure that no discrepancies can be found between the documents submitted by you and your university.
The good news are that the signatures on the degrees are usually recognized by Global Affairs Canada. The degrees are then automatically ready to be authenticated by the GAC and legalized by the UAE’s consular section. Sometimes, certain degrees will require extra steps. In those cases, your university will need to provide some additional documents, such as transcripts or your academic files. This can be hard to keep track of when going through the process yourself, so we are here to help! If you’re in a hurry, we offer rush service, where you’ll get your documents authenticated and legalized in just 2 business days!
VALIDATING CANADIAN DOCUMENTS: FOR EMPLOYMENT
When joining the United Arab Emirates workforce, there’s a difference between non-corporate documents and corporate documents. Non-corporate documents include “vital statistics”. They’re simply your birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce certificates and death certificates. You will need the aforementioned if you’re planning to bring your family or spouse with you or if you need to declare single status. They will need to go through the process of authentication and legalization, too. However, there’s no need for notarization, as provincially issued vital statistics signatures are recognized by Global Affairs Canada.
NON-CORPORATE EMPLOYMENT
In addition to submitting your vital statistics, you might have to include a criminal record check. Our experts at LSC Canada recommend obtaining an RCMP police check instead of a local police issued one. An RCMP police check is always more thorough, as it’s based on fingerprints. It’s also globally recognized, including Global Affairs Canada, meaning that you don’t need to spend extra money on hiring a notary to notarize your local police check. This also saves you time, as the GAC may take up to 20 business days to process your documents. If you wish to speed the process along, we will be more than happy to oblige with our three different offered service times. Always double check to see if you have all the required documents!
Don’t forget to notarize any existing doctors notes or letters regarding prescription medication. Notarization is completed by a notary public or a lawyer. Only after you complete this step can you move onto authentication and legalization.
CORPORATE EMPLOYMENT
The United Arab Emirates are an attractive venue for new or existing corporate businesses. Whether you’re partnering with a business in UAE or expanding your chain, this lush country offers much reward. The documents you need to get authenticated and legalized depend entirely on the requesting party. They may include powers of attorney, certificates of incorporation, various certificates such as SCC, CPP, GMP, ISO, certificates of incorporation, certificates of origins, commercial invoices, tax residency letters, permits, etc. In addition to the two-step authentication and legalization process, a lawyer or a notary public must validate your documents. Notarization is often a prerequisite for apostille. If you’re unsure about any of these steps, don’t hesitate to contact us and an agent will be with you shortly!
NEED HELP? WE ARE HERE FOR YOU
It can be difficult to keep track of all the demands of the UAE Embassy as a client! We understand more than anyone, especially if this is your first time having to authenticate and legalize your documents. Our experts at Legalization Service Centre Canada have more than 10 years of experience with document authentication and legalization. We’re always working tirelessly to ensure the easiest process for you! Our client’s 5 star reviews will assure you of our quality, reliable and fast service, and our solid interpersonal relations with each embassies and consulates in Ottawa and Canada will provide you further confidence.