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Typing center services in Dubai today are mostly form work: Emirates ID applications, medical fitness applications, Ejari typing where the center is licensed by Dubai Land Department, power of attorney and contract typing, translation and attestation help. Published price lists put typing at about AED 40 to 200 per form. What a private typing shop cannot do is submit a Dubai visa. That is the job of the 85 Amer centers.
Typing centers used to handle visas until GDRFA moved that work to Amer centers (the about page has the history). Since then, a typing center that is not an Amer center fills in forms for other departments.
What a private typing center does
| Service | What the center does | Who decides the application |
|---|---|---|
| Emirates ID application or renewal | Types the ICP form, uploads photo and passport | ICP |
| Medical fitness test application | Types the registration form | Dubai Health |
| Ejari typing | Types the tenancy details, if licensed by DLD | Dubai Land Department |
| Power of attorney typing | Prepares the text for the notary | Notary public |
| Memorandum of association typing | Prepares the draft for the licensing step | DET or the free zone |
| Translation | Arranges legal or simple translation | The receiving authority |
| Attestation help | Prepares and sends certificates for MOFA stamping | MOFA |
Hours and services differ a lot from shop to shop, and no authority publishes a list of private typing centers. The area pages on this site show private shops taken from public business directories such as HiDubai, marked as private, next to the licensed counters; start from typing center locations in Dubai. Directory hours can be out of date, so check before a long trip.
Typical typing prices in Dubai
| Typing job | Typical charge |
|---|---|
| Any form, general range | AED 40 to 200 |
| Visa or entry permit typing | AED 50 to 150 |
| Emirates ID form | AED 40 to 100 |
| Ejari typing | AED 60 to 150 |
| Power of attorney typing | AED 100 to 200 |
| Memorandum of association typing | AED 200 to 400 |
| Legal translation, per page | AED 80 to 200 |
Source: published price lists of Dubai typing centers, PRO firms and free zones, checked . These are service charges only. Government fees, notary fees and DLD fees come on top. For comparison, Amer service charges run about AED 100 to 300 per GDRFA transaction.
Government fees you pay through a typing center
| Item | Official fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Emirates ID renewal, residents | AED 100 per year of residence, plus AED 100 smart application fee | ICP service page |
| Emirates ID late renewal fine | AED 20 a day, up to AED 1,000 | ICP |
| Medical fitness test, normal | AED 270 | Dubai Administrative Resolution No. 66 of |
| Ejari at a trustee center | AED 220 in total | Dubai Land Department |
| MOFA attestation, personal document | AED 150 | MOFA |
| MOFA attestation, commercial document | AED 2,000 | MOFA |
All checked . ICP gives 30 days after expiry before the Emirates ID fine starts, and you can renew in the final six months. More on the Emirates ID renewal guide and the medical test guide.
Typing center or Amer center
Go to an Amer center for anything GDRFA decides: entry permits, residence visas, renewals, cancellations, status change and visit visas. Go to a typing center for forms that other departments decide. A typing shop that offers to do your visa is either sending it to an Amer center or should not be taking it. Ask which Amer center will file it.
For a side by side view, see Amer vs Tasheel vs typing center. To find a licensed counter, use Amer centers near you or, for tenancy work, Ejari typing centers.
Before you hand over documents
- Ask for a full price: the typing charge and every government fee, as separate lines.
- Check every typed name and number against your passport before you sign.
- Keep the receipt and the application number. You need it for tracking.
- For Emirates ID, bring a new photo. ICP asks for one that differs from the photo on your current card.
- For legal documents, ask the receiving authority which kind of translation it accepts, and whether it wants a Ministry of Justice licensed translator.
Companies with many staff often move this work to a PRO. See PRO services in Dubai or, for residence files, the residence visa page.
