Certificate attestation is a very essential exercise when it comes to the legalization of documents to be used in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It assures that your education, personal or business documents are original and will be accepted by the UAE authorities. Due to the prevalence of digital services, there are two types of certificate attestation applicants can use now. Online attestation and offline (in-person) attestation. All have advantages and disadvantages and which one you use will depend upon your urgency and location and convenience.
The online certificate attestation in the UAE is a paperless procedure, and the evidence may be provided with the help of the official websites, including the MOFAIC (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) site. Candidates scan and upload copies, pay online and monitor their applications status in real time.
Certificate attestation is an essential process of attaining the genuineness of official documents so that them can be accepted in the legal usage in UAE. certificate attestation in UAE is generally conducted in the following stages, local authorities' verification, attestation of the UAE Embassy in the origin country and lastly, the most important step, MOFA attestation in UAE.
In certain times, especially when dealing with countries which are members of Hague Convention, apostille attestation can be done instead of the traditional attestation. The documents with an apostille have a special seal which is used to prove the document is valid in another country, however in the UAE which is not a member of the convention- apostille does not apply and the full attestation of the document is needed.
There are many service centres to attest certificates such as certificate attestation in Dubai, certificate attestation Abu Dhabi, certificate attestation in Sharjah and all these have accessible options both at government offices and authorized agents. A successful completion of the attestation of documents process means that your documents will be legally accepted and fit to be used officially within the Emirates.
Pros:
Convenience: You will be able to do it at home without going to governmental offices.
Time-saving: Does not involve long queues and unnecessary travelling.
Status Tracking: Application progress in real time.
Safety and Security: The government websites are safe and coded.
Cons:
Digital Literacy mislead:
Could be misleading to individuals that are not familiar with internet forms and uploads.
Restrictions on Specific Types of Documents: It is not that every document or country can get the complete online processing.
Physically submissive sometimes: Online application still may require original documents to be submitted at a service center.
Comprehending the Offline Certificate Attestation in UAE
Offline certificate attestation means the old, physical way of going to the authorized centers or embassies with hard copies. This is usual with the attestation of degrees, marriage certificate, birth certificates and business documents.
Pros:
Face-to-Face Support: Instant assistance of personnel regarding any mistakes or uncertainty in documents.
More Comprehensive: It accepts all sorts of documents, rare or complex cases.
No Tech-Dependencies: It will suit perfectly people who are not comfortable with online systems.
Cons:
Time-Consuming: It may require several days to visit various departments and stand in queues.
Travel and expense: Can incur extra cost of travelling, courier or attestation agents.
Manual Tracking: Poor visibility of status of processing unless you make regular follow up.
Which better method you use depends on your individual situation:
Online certificate attestation is quicker and more comfortable in case you are technologically literate, have little time, and the type of your documents are accepted by online systems.
The offline method can be more guaranteed in case you are connected with rare types of documents, physical submission in a short time, or you want to communicate with officials personally.
