Updated August 2026.
- MOJ Notary Public offices in the UAE are licensed private entities under Federal Law 4/2013 on Notarization, administering notarial acts including contracts, powers of attorney, corporate resolutions, and property transfers (AED 200–2,000 per act).
- Only UAE nationals or qualifying Arab nationals may hold an MOJ Notary Public License; private Dubai notary public offices are open 6 days a week including Saturdays for public convenience.
- MOJ Certified Translators must be licensed through the Ministry of Justice UAE for translations used in UAE courts (AED 2,000–5,000 per language pair certification).
- The MOFA attestation chain for foreign documents requires apostille (Hague Convention) or legalization (origin country MOFA → UAE Embassy → UAE MOFA) before documents are accepted in UAE.
- Establishing a combined notary and legal translation office in UAE costs AED 200,000–800,000 in first-year capital; Arabic-English, Arabic-Hindi, Arabic-Urdu, and Arabic-Filipino are the highest-volume language pairs.
Notarization and legal translation are foundational services underpinning every aspect of UAE legal and commercial life. Every property sale, business formation, power of attorney, corporate resolution, contract notarization, and foreign document authentication passes through the UAE notary public and certified translation ecosystem. With over 9 million expatriates, tens of thousands of business transactions annually, and a regulatory environment that mandates Arabic-language official documents across all government interactions, the UAE has created one of the world’s most active markets for notarial and certified translation services. This guide covers every license, authority, procedure, and cost element required to establish a notary public and legal translation practice in UAE in 2026.
MOJ Notary Public License: UAE Notarization Framework
The UAE’s notarial framework is governed by Federal Law 4/2013 on Notarization (as amended), a comprehensive federal statute that establishes the legal basis, scope, and procedural requirements for all notarial acts in the UAE. Under Federal Law 4/2013, Notary Public offices in the UAE are licensed private entities — not government departments — operating under MOJ supervision. This is distinct from many civil law jurisdictions where notaries are public officials. In the UAE, private sector notary public offices hold MOJ licenses and are regulated by the Ministry of Justice UAE, but they operate commercially as independent businesses.
Notarial acts that UAE Notary Publics may perform include: contract authentication and notarization (commercial contracts, sale agreements, lease agreements); powers of attorney (POA for property, business, personal matters); corporate resolutions and board minutes (LLC and PJSC company documents); property transfer documents (Sales and Purchase Agreements — SPAs); wills (non-Muslim testators may deposit wills with Dubai Courts or DIFC Courts Wills Service; Muslim testators through Sharia court); and statutory declarations and affidavits. Each notarial act carries fees specified under the MOJ Fee Schedule, typically AED 200–2,000 per document depending on the nature of the act.
MOJ Notary Public License eligibility requirements: the applicant must be a UAE national or a qualifying Arab national (from designated Arab countries), must hold a law degree from an accredited university or equivalent legal professional qualification, must not hold any other practicing license (a notary public may not simultaneously be a licensed advocate), must pass the MOJ Notary Qualification Examination, and must pay the application fee of AED 5,000–15,000. MOJ notary public licenses are personal to the holder — the license is not transferable and does not attach to a business entity.
Private Notary Public Offices: Dubai’s Commercial Notarization Model
Dubai has developed the UAE’s most sophisticated private notary public market, with dozens of MOJ-licensed private notary public offices operating across the emirate. Private notary public offices in Dubai typically operate Monday through Saturday (six days per week), with extended evening hours to accommodate business and individual clients who cannot visit during standard government working hours. This commercial model — private ownership with public-facing regulatory function — has made Dubai notary public services among the most accessible in the region.
Private notary public offices in Dubai handle a high volume of property-related notarization work: Sales and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) for Dubai Land Department (DLD) property transactions must be notarized by a licensed UAE notary public as a mandatory step in the property transfer process. DLD Form F (Memorandum of Understanding between buyer and seller) requires notarization before the DLD transfer can proceed. This mandatory DLD property SPA notarization requirement generates the largest single category of notarial work volume in Dubai’s private notary sector.
For businesses, corporate notarization services — including UAE company Memoranda of Association (MoA) for LLC formation, board resolutions for bank account opening, and powers of attorney for company PROs — constitute the second highest volume category. DED and free zone authorities require notarized company formation documents, and UAE banks require notarized board resolutions and POAs for corporate banking mandates. Private notary offices that specialize in corporate work often develop referral relationships with business setup consultants, law firms, and PRO services companies.
Dubai Courts Notary Department and ADJD Notarization
The Dubai Courts Notary Department provides public notarization services — as distinct from MOJ-licensed private notary offices — primarily for matters involving UAE nationals’ personal status, family law documents, real estate transactions by UAE nationals, and succession matters. Dubai Courts notary services operate under the Dubai Judicial Council framework and are accessible through Dubai Courts’ Rashid Court and other court complex locations.
Matters requiring Dubai Courts notarization (rather than private MOJ notary notarization) include: wills for UAE nationals (Sharia-compliant will registration through Dubai Courts Wills Registration section); guardianship and custody orders for documentation; UAE national property transfers involving family members (inheritance transfers); and certain emirate-level statutory instruments. Non-Muslim expatriates may register wills with the Dubai Courts’ Non-Muslim Wills section or with the DIFC Courts Wills Service (DIFC Courts wills register — English language wills for expatriates holding DIFC or non-DIFC UAE assets).
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) provides equivalent notarization services in Abu Dhabi through ADJD’s Notarization Department. ADJD notarization is required for Abu Dhabi property transactions involving UAE nationals, certain Abu Dhabi government-facing corporate filings, and personal status matters in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Legislation Department (ADLD) is a distinct Abu Dhabi authority responsible for official Arabic translation of Abu Dhabi legislation and certain legislative instruments — it is not a general notarization or translation service but is relevant for legal practitioners requiring official Arabic-language Abu Dhabi regulatory texts.
ADLD: Abu Dhabi Legislation Department and Official Translation
The Abu Dhabi Legislation Department (ADLD) operates under the Abu Dhabi Government (Ruler’s Court / Executive Council oversight) and is responsible for drafting, reviewing, and officially publishing Abu Dhabi emirate-level legislation and regulatory instruments in Arabic. ADLD also provides official English translations of key Abu Dhabi laws for publication in the Abu Dhabi Official Gazette and for international distribution. For legal practitioners advising on Abu Dhabi-specific legislation — including Abu Dhabi’s emirate-level laws on real estate, economic zones (Khalifa Economic Zones — KEZAD), tourism, and cultural heritage — ADLD-published official texts are the authoritative reference source.
Legal translation firms seeking to produce accurate certified translations of Abu Dhabi legislation must reference ADLD’s official Arabic texts as the primary source. For Abu Dhabi government-facing legal submissions requiring official translation, ADLD-authorized translation through ADJD-certified translators is typically required. This creates a specialized niche within the UAE legal translation market — practitioners who combine knowledge of Abu Dhabi’s legislative framework (ADLD source texts) with MOJ-certified translation capabilities for ADJD court use.
MOJ Certified Translator: License Requirements and Language Pairs
All translations used in UAE federal courts, Dubai Courts, ADJD, and for UAE government authority submissions must be produced by an MOJ Certified Translator. The MOJ Certified Translator designation is distinct from general commercial translation services — it confers official authorization to produce legally valid certified translations for UAE legal and government use. The MOJ Certified Translator certification process requires: application to the Ministry of Justice UAE with proof of translation qualifications; demonstration of proficiency in the source and target languages (typically through a MOJ examination); payment of the certification fee of AED 2,000–5,000 per language pair; and annual renewal.
The MOJ maintains an official Register of Certified Translators, searchable by language pair. Certified translators affix their official stamp and signature to translated documents, which constitutes the certification required for UAE legal use. The MOJ Translation Center provides official government translation services for matters requiring direct government translation rather than private certified translator services. Private certified translators (MOJ-registered) may produce the same legally valid translations for court and government use as the MOJ Translation Center, creating a market for independent certified translation businesses.
Language pairs in highest demand for UAE legal translation (based on the UAE’s expatriate population composition and business relationships) are: Arabic-English (by far the most common — mandatory for court filings and most government documentation); Arabic-Hindi (UAE’s largest expatriate community — approximately 3.5 million Indian nationals); Arabic-Urdu (Pakistan — second largest expatriate community); Arabic-Filipino (over 700,000 Filipino nationals in UAE); Arabic-French (French-speaking African and European business community, OHADA law matters); and Arabic-German (German, Austrian, and Swiss business clients requiring German-language certified translations for home country legal proceedings). Niche but high-value language pairs include Arabic-Chinese (UAE-China trade corridor), Arabic-Russian (CIS business community), and Arabic-Korean (Korean construction sector in UAE).
MOFA Attestation Chain: Apostille and Document Legalization
Foreign documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, academic qualifications, company incorporation documents, court judgments) intended for use in the UAE must complete an attestation chain before UAE authorities will accept them. The UAE attestation chain depends on whether the issuing country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention (1961): Hague Convention countries — a single Apostille stamp from the issuing country’s competent authority (e.g., UAE Embassy notarization for UAE-issued documents used abroad); Non-Hague Convention countries — full legalization chain: notarization in the country of origin + attestation by the origin country’s Foreign Ministry (MFA/MOFA equivalent) + attestation by the UAE Embassy or Consulate in the origin country + attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in the UAE.
UAE MOFA attestation is the final step in the legalization chain and is administered by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC). MOFA attestation fees are AED 150–200 per document. Processing time for MOFA attestation is typically 1–3 business days for standard documents. The UAE has joined the Apostille Convention (effective January 2021), meaning UAE-issued documents can now be apostilled by UAE MOFA for use in Hague Convention countries without requiring individual country-by-country legalization.
For legal translation firms and notary offices, MOFA attestation services represent a high-volume, time-sensitive business line. Many combined notary and translation offices offer end-to-end attestation management — collecting documents, coordinating home country legalization, handling UAE Embassy appointments, and completing UAE MOFA attestation — as a bundled service for AED 300–1,500 per document depending on origin country and urgency.
Starting a UAE Notary and Legal Translation Office: Costs and Setup
A combined UAE notary public and legal translation office is one of the most operationally accessible legal service businesses in the UAE, with first-year capital requirements of AED 200,000–800,000. Setup components include: MOJ Notary Public License (AED 5,000–15,000 — only available to qualifying Arab nationals); DED Professional License for legal translation services (AED 10,000–25,000/year); MOJ Certified Translator certification for each language pair served (AED 2,000–5,000 per pair); office premises (typically 50–150 sq meters in an accessible location, AED 50,000–150,000/year); MOJ-approved notary stamp and office equipment; and MOFA attestation service setup (attestation staff, client liaison systems).
For UAE nationals or qualifying Arab nationals interested in the notary public license, the investment in MOJ notary licensing creates a highly defensible business given the limited number of notary licenses issued and the mandatory notarization requirements that generate steady demand. Non-Arab nationals who cannot personally hold the MOJ Notary Public License may partner with a UAE-national or Arab-national notary license holder to establish a joint operation — the license holder performs notarial acts while the commercial entity provides premises, staff, and client services. This is the most common operating model for private notary public offices in Dubai.
| Service | Authority | Requirement | Fee (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOJ Notary Public License | Ministry of Justice UAE | UAE/Arab national; law degree; MOJ exam | 5,000–15,000 |
| Notarial Act (per document) | MOJ Notary Public | Executed before licensed notary | 200–2,000 |
| MOJ Certified Translator | Ministry of Justice UAE | MOJ exam per language pair | 2,000–5,000/pair |
| MOFA Attestation | UAE MOFAIC | Final step in legalization chain | 150–200/document |
| DED Legal Translation License | Dubai DET / ADDED | Professional services entity | 10,000–25,000/yr |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a UAE MOJ Notary Public and what acts can they perform?
A UAE MOJ Notary Public is the holder of a Ministry of Justice UAE-issued notary license, operating a licensed private notary public office in the UAE under Federal Law 4/2013 on Notarization. MOJ Notary Publics may perform: contract authentication and notarization; powers of attorney (POA); corporate resolutions and company formation documents; property Sales and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) for DLD property transfers; statutory declarations and affidavits; and certification of true copies. Each notarial act carries an MOJ fee schedule fee of AED 200–2,000 per document. The MOJ Notary Public License is available only to UAE nationals or qualifying Arab nationals.
What is required to become an MOJ Certified Translator in UAE?
To become an MOJ Certified Translator in UAE, applicants must apply to the Ministry of Justice UAE with proof of translation qualifications, demonstrate proficiency in the relevant language pair through an MOJ examination, and pay a certification fee of AED 2,000–5,000 per language pair. Certification is renewed annually. MOJ-certified translators are listed on the official MOJ Register of Certified Translators and are authorized to produce certified translations for use in UAE federal courts, Dubai Courts, ADJD, and all UAE government authority submissions. Translations must carry the certified translator’s official stamp and signature.
What is the MOFA attestation process for foreign documents?
Foreign documents intended for use in UAE must complete an attestation chain. For documents from Hague Apostille Convention member countries: obtain a single Apostille stamp from the issuing country’s competent authority. For non-Hague countries: notarize in the origin country, then obtain attestation from the origin country’s Foreign Ministry (MOFA/MFA), then attestation from the UAE Embassy or Consulate in the origin country, then final attestation from UAE MOFAIC (UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs). MOFA attestation fees are AED 150–200 per document with 1–3 business day processing. The UAE itself joined the Apostille Convention effective January 2021.
What language pairs are in highest demand for UAE legal translation?
The highest-demand language pairs for UAE legal translation are: Arabic-English (mandatory for UAE court filings, the most common by volume); Arabic-Hindi (India is the UAE’s largest source country for expatriates with 3.5 million+ residents); Arabic-Urdu (Pakistan, the second-largest expatriate community); Arabic-Filipino (700,000+ Filipino nationals); Arabic-French (French-speaking African/European business community and OHADA law matters); and Arabic-German (German, Austrian, and Swiss business clients requiring German-certified translations for home country legal proceedings). High-value niche pairs include Arabic-Chinese, Arabic-Russian, and Arabic-Korean.
How much does it cost to start a notary and legal translation office in UAE?
Establishing a combined UAE notary public and legal translation office requires AED 200,000–800,000 in first-year capital: MOJ Notary Public License (AED 5,000–15,000, available only to UAE/Arab nationals), DED Professional License for legal translation (AED 10,000–25,000/year), MOJ Certified Translator certification for each language pair (AED 2,000–5,000 per pair), office premises (AED 50,000–150,000/year), notary stamp and office equipment, and MOFA attestation service infrastructure. Non-Arab nationals typically partner with a UAE-national or Arab-national notary license holder in a joint operation model that is the most common structure for private Dubai notary offices.