Degree equivalency in the UAE

Start by checking which output the recipient wants

“Equivalency” is often used as a catch-all word, but three different checks can sit behind it. MoFA attestation confirms the official signatures and seals in a legalisation chain. Qualification verification checks the degree with the awarding institution. MoHESR recognition decides whether the foreign qualification meets the Ministry’s standards.

Ask the recipient to name the output in writing. If an employer only asks for an attested degree, paying for recognition may be unnecessary. If a regulator asks for a MoHESR recognition report, an attestation stamp alone does not answer that request.

Who asks for what

How to get an equivalency certificate in the UAE

The current process starts with a Ministry-authorised verification partner. The MoHESR service page listed DataFlow, Quadrabay and VFS Global when last checked (9 September 2026); open the partner link from the Ministry’s page, not from a search result. The partner contacts the awarding institution. Once verification finishes, the applicant receives a link to continue to the Ministry’s recognition stage.

When last checked (9 September 2026), the Ministry’s service card said the general required documents are the original graduation certificate and a clear passport copy. It also reserved the right to request more evidence. That matters more than long generic checklists: the additional request depends on the qualification and whether the institution can verify its record.

Prepare before starting

• The original graduation certificate or a replacement obtained from the awarding institution
• A clear passport copy, with any name change explained by supporting evidence
• Contact details that the university or verification partner can use
• The written request from the employer, university or regulator stating which output it needs
• Time for the awarding institution to answer; no end-to-end deadline is guaranteed

How much degree equivalency costs

The recognition process can contain two separately priced stages: verification by a partner and the Ministry recognition application. The public MoHESR pages available to us do not expose a fee table we can independently re-check, while published secondary figures conflict.

For that reason, we do not quote a fixed total. Use a verification partner reached from the Ministry page, record the amount shown before payment, and keep any attestation, translation or replacement-record cost separate.

Before you pay the partner

• Your name exactly as it appears on your passport
• The awarding institution’s registrar email address
• The recipient’s written request naming the output it needs
• A copy of any previous recognition decision

Indian and Pakistani degrees

MoHESR does not publish a separate recognition service for Indian or Pakistani qualifications. The same two-stage framework applies: verification, then recognition. What changes is the awarding institution and the evidence available to the verification partner.

Avoid pages that promise a nationality-specific shortcut or a guaranteed result. Accreditation status, authenticity and compliance with the recognition standards are assessed for the actual qualification. A familiar university name does not replace verification.

Why applications are delayed or refused

MoHESR’s Ministerial Decision No. 34 of 2025 requires the institution to be “licensed, and accredited by the relevant accreditation authority in the country of qualification at the time of issuance” (Article 3). Article 4 adds: “The Ministry reserves the right to revoke recognition of a previously recognized qualification if it later determines that any of the conditions stated in Article 3 were not met.”

What Easy Attestation does

Easy Attestation is an information and referral website. It is not MoHESR, MoFA, a verification partner or the company that performs a referred service. If you submit an enquiry, we may pass the details to an independent provider that appears relevant to the request. You can also use every government link on this page directly without submitting your phone number.