ATTESTATION SERVICE GUIDE

WHAT IS THIS GUIDE FOR?This guide will help you understand what happens when you place an attestation order with us for

documents for use in the UAE. You'll learn about which documents you can attest, the processof attesting a document, and where to send your documents to help prevent delays to your order. If

you would prefer to speak to someone on the phone, feel free to call us on +971 4 305 0622.

WHICH DOCUMENTS CAN BE ATTESTED?

Any document that has been legally issued in the UK can be legalised for use in the UAE. These include (but are not limited to):

QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS*Degree Certificate (Bachelor, Masters, Doctorate)High-School Certificate and Results SheetsProfessional Award (Diploma, Membership, Associate, etc)

IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTSPassport (Certified Copy of Photo Page)Driving LicenceFingerprints

REGISTRAR-ISSUED DOCUMENTSBirth, Marriage, Death or Adoption CertificateCertificate of Non-Impediment (CNI), Nulla Osta,Singleness Certificate

FINANCIAL DOCUMENTSBank Statement, Building Society Statement/PassbookOriginal HMRC DocumentsImport / Export Documents

COURT ISSUED DOCUMENTSDivorce DocumentsLast Will & TestamentCourt RulingsBancruptcy Documents

POLICE DOCUMENTSCriminal Records Check (CRB)Police ReportsDisclosure Documents

MEDICAL DOCUMENTSFit Note / Sick NoteMedical ReportBlood/X-Ray Results

COMPANY DOCUMENTSIncorporation & Association DocumentsStatements, Notices & Annual Returns, etcBoard Results

Please keep in mind the above are only examples. We should be able to legalise any legally-issued document if required. Feel freeto get in touch for more information.

WHICH COUNTRIES CAN YOU ATTEST DOCUMENTS FROM?In theory, we can legalise documents from any country for use in the UAE and across the GCC. With the help ofour colleagues around the globe, we have already attested documents from over 50 countries, and more are beingadded every week. We're confident we'll be able to attest any document that you send us.

Below is a list of the most commonly requested countries that we legalise documents from:

AUSTRALIA

Technically it is possible for us to attest a document from any country for the UAE. Even if your country isn’t one of theones listed above, please contact us with your requirements and we’ll do our best to find a solution for you.

NEW ZEALAND SOUTH AFRICA CANADA

INDIA CHINA RUSSIA USA

FRANCE SPAIN TURKEY + MANY MORE

DON'T SEE YOUR COUNTRY ON THE LIST?

THE ATTESTATION PROCESSThere's a lot of misinformation surrounding the attestation process. Legalisation is simply the

process of authenticating the validity of a document from one country, so that it can be presentedin a different country. The process itself broadly falls into FOUR distinct procedures:

Certification of the document(s) by a registered Solicitor or Notary Public (where needed)Legalisaton by the relevant Foreign Affairs Department in the country of issueApplication of Attestation Stamps by the local UAE Embassy in that countryAttestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in the UAE

When we handle your enquiry, we will ask you what type of documents you are attesting and fromwhich country, so we can more accurately advise you which of the above steps are required. The

general procedure for attesting a document is detailed below.

CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE

Some documents will require certification before they can be presented to the Foreign AffairsDepartment in your country. The most common of these are Educational and Company Documents. ASolicitor, or Notary Public, will either sign the document directly, or take a certified copy of thedocument. Where you have a preference as to whether the original is used for attestation, or the copyis used, we will try to oblige. Please bear in mind however that certain documents have to be presentedin a specific way.

If you are intending to arrange your own copies, please ensure that the solicitor signs it using theirpersonal signature and not their shorthand working signature. Failure to do this may lead to delays toyour order. Please also ensure that your Solicitor/Notary is registered with the Foreign AffairsDepartment in your document's country of issue. Otherwise, there is a high chance of your documentbeing rejected.

This is also the stage of the process where translation will take place (if required). If your document isn'tin either English or Arabic, it will have to be translated before it can be certified and the rest of theprocedure can take place.

LEGALISATION PROCEDURE

Any document required for attestation will more than likely need to be seen by the Foreign Affairsdepartment of your government. They will check the validity of either the person signing the documentor the seal or stamp on the document. Once they are satisfied that the document is genuine, they willattach a piece of paper to the reverse of the document. This is called an Apostille in countries that aremembers of the Hague Apostille convention. Other countries have different names for this stamp, butin essence they are all the same.

If your documents have already been certified but the original signatory cannot be located, the ForeignAffairs department may require a new document to be issued if they aren't able to validate the originaldocument or copy. You may also need new copies issued if your documents are too old.

EMBASSY PROCEDUREThe third step that we handle is to obtain the necessary stamps from the UAE Embassy. These areplaced on the reverse of the Apostille/Verification Stamp itself. The Embassy has a different chargingstructure for personal and commercial documents. We will try to advise whether the Embassy willdeem any document to be commercial in nature so that we can accurately provide the correct servicefee.

In some circumstances however, the Embassy’s opinion may differ from ours, in which case additionalcommercial surcharges will become payable. This will also lead to a slight delay to your order whilstadditional fees are provided to the Embassy. Fortunately this situation is rare!

MOFA PROCEDUREThe final step that we handle is to obtain a stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Dubai.The document(s) will be returned to Dubai from the country of issue, where they can be checked andhave the correct stamp applied so that they are ready for use in the UAE. Once this process iscompleted, the attested document can be delivered directly to any address in the UAE - even to yournew employer, if that's what you require. This will add 1 working day to the service timescale.

Please note that this process is included in the standard product charge. If you would like to performthe MOFA Attestation yourself, please let one of our advisors know when you speak to them, either viathe phone or email.

ATTESTATION NOTESWe can help you attest your documents no matter which country you're from. The process forattesting a document can vary wildly however, depending on the country in which it was issued, andsometimes even the state! Therefore, it's very difficult for us to write a general guide as to what theprocess looks like for attesting a document from any country. Though we've tried to detail the processabove, some countries may require additional procedures within this sequence, whilst the type ofdocument being attested can also affect what the process will look like.

Moreover many countries don’t have set prices between the different types of documents it is possibleto attest. For example, the US has different prices and different requirements for even the samedocuments from different states, leading to thousands of possible permutations. Therefore, it’sdifficult to know in advance how much it could cost to attest a given document. The best way to get anaccurate quote would be to send us a scan of your document. We can then consult with our colleaguesin whichever country the document is from and offer you our best price. Once the quote is accepted,you can start arranging how you would like to pay for our services.

PAYMENT, COLLECTION AND DELIVERYDetailed below are the different methods of payment that we accept, information about where to send

your documents once you've made an order, and how to use our collection service if you require it.

You'll also learn about what happens after your order, and how your attested documents will be

shipped.

PAYING FOR YOUR ORDERPayment for all attestation services is required in full before any work can be started. We accept both Visa andMastercard for AED and GBP orders, and American Express for orders made in GBP only. You can also pay byeither Cash, Cheque or Bank Transfer. Cheques should be made out to Vital Certificates Ltd and included withyour documents.

If you decide to make a bank payment, please be sure to provide your order reference number, and agree toaccept all charges. The details for making a bank deposit are as follows:

National Bank of Abu Dhabi-NBADEmaar Square Branch

Building 3, Ground floorDubai

P.O Box 4436

BANK DETAILSCIF (identification code): 8035455059AED account number: 6206176525

AED account IBAN: AE810350000006206176525Swift code: NBADAEAA

A full invoice will be sent to you upon receipt of payment. Pro-forma invoices are also available should youneed one for your company’s finance department. Once payment has been accepted, we will start to arrangethe logistics of getting the documents back to the country of issue. You will be kept up to date at every stageof the process, so you know where your documents are at all times.

ACCOUNT DETAILS

Account Name: Vital Certificates Ltd (Dubai Branch)

SENDING/ARRANGING COLLECTION OF YOUR DOCUMENTSWhen you book your attestation service, you will be provided with an order reference number. To preventdelays to your order, please make sure that you include this reference number with your documents. Thisenables us to correctly assign your documents to your order details so that we know what to do with them,and where any documents should be returned to.

We arrange collection of all documents via Aramex, so there is no need for you to arrange sending yourdocuments to us. We can collect your documents from anywhere within the UAE at a time that suits you. Oncethe collection has been arranged, reference details will be sent to you so you know what you have to do toprepare your documents for collection.

If you are outside of the UAE, we will provide you with the address of our colleagues in whichever country yourdocument was issued in, so the attestation process can begin. You'll need to provide us with your order andshipping reference numbers so we can track your documents, and make sure they arrive safely at theirintended destination.

DELIVERYOnce the attestation process is complete, we will return your attested document(s) to any nominated addressaround the world. For deliveries we will usually recommend Aramex, although courier options are alsoavailable should you prefer.

For international deliveries we would highly recommend that you choose a courier delivery. Internationalpostal services to the UAE can be extremely unreliable and slow. Courier delivery to the UAE typically onlytakes 2-3 working days. Bear in mind that the UAE operates on a different working week to the UK (Sundayto Thursday) so most orders shipped on either Thursday or Friday from the UK will usually be delivered onSunday in the UAE.

We will use a recognised courier company for your document(s). This includes (but is not limited to) UPS,DHL or Fedex. You are also welcome to arrange your own courier collection if preferred. Please advise oursales team at the time of your order.

You are also welcome to collect your document(s) in person at one of the above addresses. Again, pleaselet us know and we can contact you once they are ready to be collected. Delivery of your documents willdepend on which speed of service you chose when purchasing your attestation.

ABOUT VITAL CERTIFICATES

Vital Certificates LtdLevel 25The H Hotel Office TowerOne Sheikh Zayed RoadDubai, PO Box 123885United Arab Emirates

Phone: +971 4 305 0622Email: sales@vitalcertificates.ae

Registered in England and Wales number 6568017Dubai Trade Licence number 734816

Vital Certificates is a specialist organisation that offers official attestation & translation services toexpats from around the world living in the UAE. You can trust that any documents we attest for usein the UAE are GUARANTEED to be accepted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for residential visas.We also work closely with the Department of Economic Development where company documents

require attestation for UAE company formation.

Our parent company, Vital Certificates Ltd, was formed in the UK in 2006. For nearly 10 years wehave been helping clients like you as if we were dealing with our own documents. The services weprovide to you are always carried out quickly and professionally. We pride ourselves in the work

that we do and ensure that we process orders as quickly as possible to enable you to get what youneed, when you need it.

If you feel like you need any more information before placing an order, feel free tocontact one of our attestation advisors on +971 4 305 0622 or by emailing

sales@vitalcertificates.ae. They'll be more than happy to assist you.

THANK YOU FOR READING