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Company document attestation in Dubai is the MOFA stamp that lets a UAE bank, DET or court rely on a commercial document such as an MOA, a commercial power of attorney, a certificate of incorporation or a board resolution. MOFA charges AED 2,000 per commercial document, more than thirteen times its AED 150 fee for a personal one. Published market totals for an MOA or POA run AED 2,350 to AED 2,800.
Which company documents need it, and when
You attest the document someone has asked for, not your whole file. These are the requests that come up most:
| Situation | Documents usually requested |
|---|---|
| Opening a corporate bank account | Attested MOA or AOA, board resolution, partnership contract and amendments |
| Partner change on a mainland licence | Notarised MOA amendment, share transfer agreement if shares move |
| Licence renewal of a branch | Parent company's current licence, if DET asks for it attested |
| Using a UAE company paper abroad | MOA, licence or resolution, before the foreign embassy's own stamp |
The bank row is from the Emirates NBD business account FAQ; check the live list with your bank, as lists change. The corporate bank account page covers the full bank file.
The MOFA fee and how documents are counted
| Document | MOFA fee |
|---|---|
| Commercial document (company papers) | AED 2,000 |
| POA of a commercial nature | AED 2,000 |
| Personal POA | AED 150 |
| Commercial invoice through eDAS | AED 150 flat, plus service fees |
| Late eDAS invoice payment | AED 500 per invoice |
| Courier, normal or express | AED 40 or AED 150, before VAT |
Source: MOFA FAQs, checked .
Two details change the bill. First, the MOFA FAQ does not name the MOA, certificate of incorporation or board resolution one by one. They sit with commercial documents, so plan on the commercial fee and confirm when you submit. Second, MOFA says a commercial contract or agreement may count as several documents depending on what it covers. A shareholder agreement that also appoints managers and transfers shares can be billed as more than one.
The POA rule catches people out. A POA that lets your manager sign for the company is commercial. A POA that lets a relative collect your personal paperwork is personal. Draft them as separate documents if you need both.
Foreign documents: three stamps, in order
A certificate of incorporation or resolution issued abroad cannot go straight to MOFA in the UAE. The order is:
- Notary in the issuing country. A local notary certifies the document or the signature on it.
- Home-country legalisation and the UAE embassy. The issuing country's own authentication, then the UAE embassy or consulate there.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final stamp, at the commercial rate.
Embassy fees vary by country and we have not listed them. Each stamp checks the one before, so a missing notary stamp stops everything after it.
For personal certificates (degrees, birth and marriage certificates), the certificate attestation page covers that route and the personal fee.
UAE documents going abroad
When a Dubai company needs its own papers recognised in another country, that country decides which stamps it wants. Ask the receiving party, or that country's embassy, before you start. Two UAE bodies stamp company papers: MOFA attests commercial documents, and Dubai Chambers attests signatures on business documents for its members. See chamber of commerce attestation for the Chamber side.
What it costs in total: market prices
MOFA's fee is the only fixed government price in the UAE. The rest comes from published price lists of Dubai attestation, document clearing and PRO firms, checked :
| Item | Market price |
|---|---|
| MOA or commercial invoice, UAE-side total incl. MOFA | AED 2,350 to AED 2,800 |
| POA, UAE-side total incl. MOFA | AED 2,350 to AED 2,800 |
| Provider fee per commercial document | AED 200 to AED 500 |
| Translation of a commercial document | AED 150 to AED 300 |
| Notarisation | AED 200 to AED 500 per document |
| Re-attestation of a document | AED 300 to AED 800 |
The UAE-side totals do not include the foreign notary and embassy legs, which depend on the country.
Mistakes that cost a second AED 2,000
- Attesting a draft. Once the MOA is amended, the attested old version is useless. Attest the signed final version.
- One POA doing too much. Split commercial and personal powers, and keep each to what is needed.
- Copies when an original is required. Ask the receiver before you start.
- Translating before the last stamp. The translation must show every attestation.
- Names spelled differently. The company name and signatory names should match the licence and passports across every document.
- Ignoring eDAS deadlines. Late invoice payment adds AED 500 each, and importers can run up several.
Passing the MOA and company papers to the team
Send scans of the MOA, certificate of incorporation, resolutions or power of attorney, with where each was issued and who will receive it. The partner team sets the stamp order for each paper, books the notary, arranges the embassy leg for foreign documents, submits to MOFA and orders an Arabic translation if the receiver wants one. Sets usually come back because one paper missed a stamp in its home country, or the company name differs between documents. You do not handle couriers or MOFA appointments. One total price is agreed first, the notary, embassy and MOFA fees shown apart from the service charge. For runner work beyond attestation, see document clearing in Dubai.
