UAE document legalization and visa process
Order NowWhy should I use Teaching Nomad to get my documents legalized?
Save the headache
Teaching Nomad can do all steps of legalization for you, including running your background check. Let us handle the entire process for you, stress-free.
Stay where you are
We can do your U.S. document legalization no matter where you’re located. We even take your documents to the embassy so you don’t have to worry about travel expenses.
Results guaranteed
You have a lot to do to prepare for your move or new job – let the experts take care of this for you! We guarantee our services and will keep you updated along the way.
Steps for getting ready to work in the UAE
Determine the documents required for legalization
To obtain a work permit for the UAE, you could be required to legalize any of the following documents: university degree, background check, teaching qualification, transcripts, higher education degrees, high school degree, etc. Get in touch with your employer to ensure that you’re getting the proper documents legalized.
If you are bringing a spouse and/or children with you to the UAE, you may need to legalize your marriage license and/or the birth certificates of your children.
If you are bringing along children but no spouse, you’ll need to provide one of the following:
- A divorce/spouse’s death certificate (only required if you are bringing children with you)
- A letter from your child’s father (in the event the father will not be traveling with children. ‘He authorizes the mother to sponsor the child(ren) for residence in the UAE’ this must be written on the document)
Note: Some prescription drugs require legalization. Contact the UAE embassy if you think you might need to have medication legalized.
Documents that typically need legalization:
Have other personal or corporate documents?
We can legalize those too!
For the UAE, you must obtain a background check/no criminal record report from a state or national (FBI) organization. If you live overseas and require assistance, Teaching Nomad can order a background check on your behalf.
An FBI check is not always required, but if your employer does require it, here’s some information about how to obtain an FBI background check. If you reside overseas you must order directly from the FBI, if you’re based in the US you can utilize the assistance of channeler, we suggest this one.
You can apply for a background check at a local police station or you can apply for a full national check here.
Here’s information for obtaining your background check from the Irish National Police.
You can obtain your background check through a local police station or through the Australian Federal Police.
Here’s information for obtaining a national police background check for New Zealand.
You can obtain a background check through the South African Police Department.
Need to order a U.S. state-level background check? We can help!
First, check with your employer to see if you need an FBI background check or if a state-level background check will suffice. If a state-level one will work, you can order one through us!
Just add “order a state-level background check” to our order form along with any other documents you need legalized!
In order to legalize U.S. documents for use in the UAE, they must go through a 3-5 step process, depending on what state the notarization is done in.
- Notarization. Certified copies of your original documents are typically accepted for attestation, however, verify this with your employer. Please only complete notarization if your employer requires the original document to be authenticated, otherwise, we can do the notarization!
- County Clerk. Documents notarized in the following states must be authenticated at the county level: Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, and Tennessee.
- Secretary of State. Take your documents to the SOS to get authenticated. If you are doing this step on your own, make sure you indicate that the document will be used for UAE and do not take apart staples!
- U.S. Department of State. Get your documents attested at the Department of State.
- UAE Embassy. Send your documents to the embassy for final legalization.
Ready to get started? Fill out our order form now.
1. Get your document notarized by a local notary. Getting a certified copy should work, but always consult your school to be sure.
2. Get your documents certified by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada. You can either mail the documents to them or submit your documents in person.
3. Submit your documents to the UAE Embassy; you might have to go in person.
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for Canadian citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
£298 for authentication of 1 document
£421 for authentication of 2 documents
£510 for authentication of 3 documents
1. Get your document notarized by a local notary or solicitor. They need to sign off on copied documents first to ensure they are authentic copies. They next need to sign using their personal signature in ink with their name printed below. Finally, their seal is required, Scotland is the exception but they may seal the document regardless.
2. Submit your documents to the FCO office in London or the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (depends on where they were issued). You can submit your documents via post or by visiting this website. Complete the form in its entirety, or your documents may be rejected. An A4 size envelope is also required.
3. Submit your documents directly to the UAE Embassy. Find the section under Consular Services that says “Legalization.”
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for U.K. citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
£209 for authentication of 1 document
£398 for authentication of 2 documents
£540 for authentication of 3 documents
1. Get your document notarized by a local notary. Getting a certified copy should work, but always consult your school to be sure.
2. Submit your documents to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. Follow the instructions on their website.
3. Submit your documents directly to the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce. From there, they will send your documents to the UAE Embassy in Dublin.
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for Irish citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
£209 for authentication of 1 document
£398 for authentication of 2 documents
£540 for authentication of 3 documents
1. Get your document notarized by a local notary. Getting a certified copy should work, but always consult your school to be sure.
2. Get your documents certified by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Follow the instructions on their website.
3. Submit your documents directly to the UAE Embassy; you be required to go in person.
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for Australian citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
£436 for authentication of 1 document
£606 for authentication of 2 documents
£793 for authentication of 3 documents
1. Get your document notarized by a local notary. Getting a certified copy should work, but always consult your school to be sure.
2. Get your documents certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, first you need to send your documents to the Department of Internal Affairs, and they will pass them along to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
3. Submit your documents directly to the UAE Embassy; you be required to go in person.
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for New Zealand citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
£502 for authentication of 1 document
£734 for authentication of 2 documents
£858 for authentication of 3 documents
1. Get your document notarized by a local notary. In most cases, this is a requirement for your documents.
2. Send the document to the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO). Once approved, a Certificate of Authentication will be attached to the document.
3. Sent your document to the UAE Embassy in Pretoria, where they’ll add a Certificate of Legalisation to the front page.
4. Get your document attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
A great agency that provides the full legalization of documents for South African citizens is https://www.vitalconsular.com/.
Contact Emma at [email protected]. Let her know that Teaching Nomad referred you, and she’ll make sure you’re taken care of!
Estimated prices using this service are:
£240 for authentication of 1 document
£347 for authentication of 2 documents
£512 for authentication of 3 documents
Our prices for the UAE
Certified copy legalization
$156 + shipping fees
FBI background check legalization
$176 + shipping fees
Already started the legalization process? We can complete the rest for a reduced price.
Prices for our UAE attestation service are based on many different factors. Fill out our order form to get an exact quote for your situation.
Our legalization service
The legalization process can be a stressful and difficult process, especially if you don’t live near the government offices your document requires, you’re currently overseas, or you just don’t have the time or desire to deal with the intricacies of the process.
Due to these factors, we offer a comprehensive service where we do the entire legalization process for you.
Do you meet one of the following criteria?
If so, please fill out our document legalization request form so that we can get in touch with you and begin the document legalization process as soon as possible!
Now that your documents are legalized for the UAE, send scans of these documents to your employer, and they will apply for your work permit. This process can take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks, so do not delay.
Once approved, your employer will email your work permit approval to you which you can then take or mail to the embassy to get your work visa.
Questions about the visa process?
E-mail us at [email protected] and we will point you in the right direction or recommend an agency that can provide these services!
Still considering other countries?
View document authentication information for other areas.
What our customers are saying
Amanda was amazing and very responsive to my requests! I was able to get my documents authenticated immediately despite the delays due to the pandemic. She also communicated each step of the process and gave me updates when I requested them. I appreciate all of her help and was able to stay positive because of her support.
I would definitely use Teaching Nomad again in the future for my document authentications. They were so nice and helpful throughout the process and I didn’t even have to worry about how my documents were going. They notified me and updated information for each step that was taken and I felt so trusted. I was ordering my authentications from overseas and it was as easy as pie! Overall the process was so smooth and of course, my documents safely arrived on time. Thank you for the huge help. Appreciate it.
I would recommend Teaching Nomad for all document authentications. The customer service is incredible and they work very quickly to get you exactly what you need! Amanda is a great asset to the Teaching Nomad team and a pleasure to work with!
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