Which Documents Can Be Certified as True Copies?

Which Documents Can Be Certified as True Copies: Personal Documents

Personal documents are the most common request. We check your original, then we certify the copy. These are typical examples:

• Passport, including a passport copy for use abroad
• Emirates ID
• Driving license
• Degree and school certificates
• Marriage and birth certificates
• Bank statements and utility bills

Each has its own page with the detail that matters for that paper. See our page on certified true copy of a passport in Dubai or on certified true copy of an Emirates ID. For the full range of personal papers, read about certified true copy services for individuals.

Which Documents Can Be Certified as True Copies: Company Documents

Businesses ask for certified copies when they open a bank account, expand abroad or deal with a new partner. Company documents that we commonly certify include:

• Trade license
• Certificate of incorporation
• Memorandum of association
• Board resolutions

We explain the rules for each on our page about corporate and business document certification. If you plan to use a license copy in another country, see the certified trade license copy for expansion abroad.

Documents issued abroad

You can bring a document issued in another country, and we can certify a copy of it. The copy certification does not replace the steps a foreign document needs to be used in the UAE.

The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. A foreign document is attested in the issuing country, including the UAE embassy there, and then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFAIC) in the UAE. That is a separate step from certifying a copy.

MOFAIC needs the original in Arabic or English, or with a legally certified translation, and the document must not be laminated. For a foreign family paper, see our page on a certified copy of a foreign marriage certificate.

Documents that need the issuer instead

Some documents are better certified by the body that issued them. The Dubai Development Authority (DDA), for example, offers true copy attestation for documents DDA itself issued, such as a commercial license or certificate of incorporation. DDA lists AED 100 per document, plus AED 10 Knowledge Dirham and AED 10 Innovation Dirham per transaction, so AED 120 for one document in one transaction. This applies only to DDA’s own documents, never to a passport or Emirates ID.

If your paper came from a DDA entity, ask the receiving body whether it wants the issuer’s copy. If you are not sure, message us and we will tell you which route fits.

How to check which documents can be certified as true copies before you book

Answering this for your own papers takes a few minutes. Follow these steps in order.

1. Ask the receiving body whether it wants a certified true copy, a notarization or an attestation.
2. Find your original document. We cannot certify a copy of a copy.
3. Bring your ID as well.
4. Send us a WhatsApp message with the document type and where it will be used.
5. We confirm the fee and book your appointment.

A certified true copy is a different act from notarization and attestation. Our page on certified true copy vs notarization vs attestation explains the difference. If the receiving body asks for notarization or MOFAIC attestation, that is a separate step, so check what it requires.