Certified true copies in Dubai and the UAE

The wording is incomplete without a certifier

“Please provide a certified true copy” tells you what the recipient wants, but not who it accepts to certify it. That missing detail matters more than the stamp’s appearance.

Do not confuse three services

1. True-copy certification compares a copy with an original.
2. Notarisation records or certifies a notarial act.
3. MoFA attestation authenticates signatures and seals across jurisdictions.

One does not automatically replace another. Get the receiving organisation’s checklist before paying.

Passport, degree and company-copy examples

The first two scenarios below are illustrative examples, not customer cases or promises of acceptance.

Passport copy for a bank

Suppose a bank asks a Dubai resident for a certified passport copy. Before booking, ask the bank for its accepted certifier list and required wording. Check whether it wants only the identity page, other pages, an original signed copy or an upload. Ask whether the certifier must meet you in person.

For a UK recipient, GOV.UK’s certification guidance discusses certified documents for banking and mortgage applications, but tells applicants to check the receiving organisation’s specific rules. This does not establish the requirements of a UAE bank or guarantee that a UK recipient accepts any Dubai-based certifier.

Degree copy for a professional regulator

Suppose a regulator asks for a certified copy of a qualification. Ask whether it needs the degree, transcript or both, and whether documents must come directly from the university. Keep copy certification separate from degree attestation and qualification recognition; do not purchase all three by default.

One concrete UK regulator example is the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s document guidance. It lists accepted certifier categories, requires the certifier’s identifying details, signature and date, and rejects subsequent photocopies of the certified documents. Read the checklist for your own application: those rules are not a universal UAE licensing standard.

Company documents issued by Dubai Development Authority

DDA’s True Copy Attestation service covers its own company records, such as licences and incorporation documents. The listed requester is the general manager and the application is through its online portal. This is an issuing-authority route with a defined scope; it is not a passport or degree-copy service.

Certified-copy costs: compare the same service

These official fee examples were checked on 26 September 2026. They cover different services and must not be added together as a standard package.

On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to read the service limitations.

Sources: DDA service and tariff, MOJ previous-deed copy service, and MOJ official-deeds service.

Worked example: one eligible DDA document in one transaction is AED 100 + AED 10 + AED 10 = AED 120 in the listed fees. Two eligible documents in one transaction are AED 220. These calculations are not independent-provider quotes and do not include any separately requested delivery or legalisation.

Ask a provider to separate its certification charge from any translation, delivery, tax or additional legalisation. Request the amount and charging basis for each applicable item rather than accepting an unexplained package total.

A checklist to send to the receiving organisation

Copy these questions into your enquiry before paying a certifier:

1. Which document and pages do you need, and do you require an original or a certified copy?
2. Which certifier categories and jurisdictions do you accept?
3. What exact statement, signature, date, contact details or stamp must appear?
4. Must I attend in person, and how recently must the copy have been certified?
5. Do you accept an uploaded scan, or must the signed certified copy be delivered?
6. Is translation, embassy legalisation or MoFA attestation separately required?

Keep the written reply with the quote. A missing date or unacceptable certifier can matter even when the copy is legible. For foreign use, follow the named recipient’s instructions; the country where you obtained the copy does not by itself determine acceptance.

How long will certification take?

DDA publishes an estimated two working days for its own true-copy service. That estimate cannot be applied to a passport appointment, a regulator’s document review or an embassy stage. Other case-specific turnaround times are UNKNOWN until the accepted certifier confirms them. Any separate legalisation needs its own timing check.