Birth Certificate in the UAE: How to Register a Birth and Get the Certificate

Direct answer. A baby born in the UAE gets a birth certificate from the health authority, and the parents have 30 days from the birth to apply for it. The hospital issues a birth notification first, and by law it must report the birth to the authority within 72 hours. One of the parents then applies with the notification, the marriage certificate and both parents' passports or Emirates IDs. That rule comes from Article 7 of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2022 on the Registration of Births and Deaths. The government portal says parents apply to the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) or to their emirate's health authority, which is the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in Dubai and the Department of Health (DoH) in Abu Dhabi. Ask your hospital which channel it uses. For foreign parents a second clock starts at birth. Article 12 of the entry and residence law gives you four months to get the baby's identity documents from your own country and to set up the baby's UAE residence. Missing the residence deadline triggers a daily fine, so plan both deadlines from day one.

The timeline at a glance

Two separate laws set the clock. The births law covers the certificate. The entry and residence law covers the passport and the visa.

The births law is Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2022. It replaced Federal Law No. 18 of 2009, so older guides that cite the 2009 law are out of date.

Step 1: The birth notification from the hospital

The birth notification is the hospital's record that a birth happened. Article 4 of the births law requires the hospital to inform the health authority within 72 hours. The same rule covers a birth outside the hospital if it took place under the hospital's medical supervision.

To issue the notification, the hospital needs only the passport or Emirates ID of the mother and of the father, if any. Article 6 says it is issued on those papers "without the need for any other documents". The notification records:

• the day, date (Hijri and Gregorian), time and place of birth
• the baby's sex and, if you have chosen one, the baby's name
• both parents' full names, dates of birth, nationalities and religion
• the hospital and the person who supervised the birth

The law allows a compound or double name, as long as it respects public order and public morals. Check the spelling of every name before you sign. Fixing a mistake later is much harder than fixing it at the hospital.

One point matters for later. Article 6 says the notification proves that the birth happened. It does not prove parentage. Parentage comes from the marriage certificate, which is why the next step asks for it.

If the baby was born at home without medical supervision

Article 5 puts the duty on the family. The father (if present) or the mother must tell the nearest health facility within 30 days. Failing them, the duty passes, in the order the law sets, to the head of the family, an adult relative up to the fourth degree who attended the birth, or another person who attended or whom a parent appointed. The facility examines the mother and baby and issues a birth report. If the facility is told after those 30 days, it prepares a medical report, and you must apply to the health authority, which refers the request to its Birth and Death Committee.

Step 2: Applying for the birth certificate within 30 days

Article 7 of the births law sets the main rule for parents. Either parent, or anyone with legal authority over the child, must apply for the certificate within 30 days from the date of birth. The government portal says the same: "Residents have a maximum period of 30 days to register their child's birth in the UAE."

Where to apply

The government portal says that government hospitals issue the certificate as the next step after the notification. For babies born in private hospitals, parents apply to MOHAP or to the health authority of their emirate, with the birth notification. In practice the authority usually depends on the emirate, but confirm it with your hospital:

The portal also says the documents can go to the hospital where the child was born or to the health authority in the emirate. Many private hospitals collect the papers for you. Each authority sets its own channel and fee, and those can change, so ask the hospital how it handles the application and check the authority's live service page before you pay. Article 29 of the births law leaves the fees to a Cabinet resolution.

The documents

The law and the government portal list slightly different papers. Bring everything in both lists.

If your marriage certificate was issued abroad, the attestation and the Arabic translation take the longest. Start on them before the birth if you can.

Arabic and English copies

Article 8 says the certificate is issued in Arabic, and an English copy can be issued on request. Ask for the English copy at the same time if you will use the certificate abroad. The certificate can be handed to either parent, to their legal representative, or to a relative up to the fourth degree.

Once issued, Article 27 makes the certificate an official document that proves the birth. You will need it for the passport, the residence visa, school, and many family-law matters later.

If your marriage certificate is the problem

The certificate step is where most delays start. The usual reasons are a missing, unattested or unregistered marriage certificate.

The parentage rules explain why the office asks for it. Under Article 87 of the Personal Status Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024, a child's lineage to the father "is proven by birth in a marriage contract, by admission, by proof, or by scientific methods". Lineage to the mother is proven by the birth itself. For non-Muslims covered by the Civil Personal Status Law (Article 1 lets them choose their home-country law on proof of parentage instead), Article 14 says parentage is established "by marriage or by the acknowledgment of the father and mother". The birth certificate is then issued under the law in force.

What to do depends on your situation:

• You married in the UAE. Your marriage contract is already a UAE document. If yours was a Muslim marriage registered in Dubai, see how Muslim marriages are registered in Dubai.
• You married abroad. The certificate usually needs attestation in the country of issue, attestation in the UAE, and a legal Arabic translation. The births law also accepts the parents' acknowledgement of lineage legalised by their embassy or a notary public.
• Your marriage was never registered. Families sometimes have to prove the marriage in court first. Our Abu Dhabi marriage court guide explains how a court can confirm a marriage on evidence.

A birth where the father is not named follows a separate route. Article 11 of the births law says the certificate is issued on a court order, based on the mother's acknowledgement. That route is outside this guide; take legal advice before you apply.

Missed the 30 days? Late registration

A late application is still accepted for review. Article 9 says the office must accept it and refer it to the Birth and Death Committee of that health authority, which decides it under its own controls and standards. Approval is not automatic, so expect extra questions and a slower process.

Article 22 sets a fine of up to AED 5,000 for anyone who is required to report a birth and does not report it on time. For a hospital birth, the reporting duty in Article 4 sits with the hospital. Parents carry that duty for a home birth without medical supervision. How an authority treats a late certificate request is set by that authority and can change. Confirm with the health authority, or with a licensed UAE lawyer, before you assume a fine applies or does not.

The bigger practical risk is the second clock. A late certificate delays the passport, and a late passport delays the residence.

Attesting the birth certificate

The government portal says: "All expatriates must get birth certificates attested by Ministry of Health and Prevention and Ministry of Foreign Affairs." It adds that a certificate stamped by DoH or DHA is equivalent to the MOHAP seal. So for a Dubai or Abu Dhabi certificate, the health authority's stamp covers the health-ministry step, and the next step is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

MOFA's attestation service runs through its website and smart app. For documents inside the UAE it lists completion "within 2 hours during official working hours" for the digital route, or 1–3 business days depending on the courier service provider you choose. The document must carry a reference such as a QR code or barcode. Fees depend on the number of documents and the option you choose; MOFA points to its Attestation Guide for the figures. Our express attestation guide explains the fast-track route.

Your embassy may want its own legalisation on top of the UAE attestation. Ask the embassy what it needs before you book.

Passport and residence: the four-month clock

For foreign parents, the second legal clock is often the one that costs money. Article 12 of Federal Decree-Law No. 29 of 2021 on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners says that a foreigner who has a baby in the UAE must, within four months of the birth:

1. get documents proving the baby's identity under the law of the parent's own country, which in practice means a passport from your embassy, and
2. set up the baby's UAE residence.

If you miss either step, Article 12 imposes a daily administrative fine from the day the four months end and leaves the amount to the Cabinet. The Cabinet set it in Cabinet Resolution No. 89 of 2022 on administrative fines for ICP services. Its annex lists AED 50 a day once the period allowed for a newborn to stay in the UAE has expired. It also lists AED 20 a day, capped at AED 1,000, for a late update of identity data, which for a foreigner who has a baby in the UAE applies four months after the birth. The government portal gives a different figure. It says residents have 120 days to arrange the birth certificate, passport, Emirates ID and visa, and that after that "a fee of AED100 per day would be charged for each day over the 120-day period, and the baby will not be allowed to exit the country." The two sources do not match. Confirm the current amount with ICP (600 522222) before you rely on either, and see how to check and pay overstay fines if a fine has already started.

The passport

The UAE does not issue passports to foreign babies. Your embassy or consulate does, using the UAE birth certificate (attested, if your embassy asks for it). The government portal says that if the parents have different nationalities, the child takes the father's nationality. In reality, each parent's own country decides whether the child is its national. Ask both embassies early if you have a choice to make.

The residence visa

The baby's residence is a family-member residence under the sponsoring parent. ICP's "Issuing Residency Permit" service has a category for family members of a foreign resident. It runs on the ICP Smart Services website and app, and the residence is linked to the baby's Emirates ID application. The category's conditions and documents include:

• a passport valid for at least six months
• a sponsor income of at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 with employer housing
• proof of relationship and birth certificates
• a personal photo, a utility bill and an employment certificate
• valid health insurance

ICP lists fees of AED 100 for the application, AED 100 for each year of issuance and AED 100 for smart services. Residents whose own visas were issued in Dubai usually apply through GDRFA Dubai (the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs) and its AMER centres. Check which authority holds your file before you start.

If you are leaving the UAE instead

Article 6 (Obligations of the Foreigner), First, item 4 of the executive regulations, issued by Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022, offers a second option. Within four months you must get the baby's identity documents and either regularise the baby's status or have the baby leave the country. So if you are relocating soon after the birth, the regulation allows the baby to leave within the four months instead of getting a UAE residence. ICP or GDRFA may still require a departure permit for a baby who never received residence, so confirm the exit requirements with them before you book. Our outpass and exit permit guide explains that permit. You still need the birth certificate and the passport, so the 30-day and attestation steps still apply.

Emirati babies: Mabrouk Ma Yak

For UAE nationals, the government portal describes a different path. Government hospitals issue the certificate after the notification. Parents of babies born in private hospitals apply to MOHAP or their emirate's health authority. After that, the parents add the baby to the family data at ICP and apply online for the baby's passport and Emirates ID.

The portal also lists Mabrouk Ma Yak, a bundle of digital services for newborn Emiratis on the Usrati platform. It covers the birth certificate, adding the baby to the family data, the passport, the Emirates ID, Thiqa insurance and, optionally, a health card. If only the mother is Emirati, the child's nationality follows different rules. See what UAE nationality law says about children of Emirati mothers.

Correcting a mistake on the certificate

Article 21 of the births law is strict. No data on a birth certificate or in the birth register may change except under a final judicial ruling. There is one exception. The Birth and Death Committee may correct a material error, such as a typing mistake, if documents support the correction. It records the reasons in the register.

So a misspelt name that clearly conflicts with the passports is usually a committee matter. A change of name, of date of birth or of a parent's details is usually a court matter. Article 25 punishes anyone who deliberately gives false data, or changes the records without a final ruling. The penalty is imprisonment of at least one year, a fine of AED 100,000 to AED 500,000, or both. Do not try to fix a record informally.

Leave for new parents

The law also gives working parents time off around a birth. Mothers in the private sector have maternity leave, explained in our maternity leave guide. Fathers get paid paternity leave, covered in our paternity leave guide. Use some of that time for the 30-day certificate step.

Mistakes that cost families time

• Waiting for the hospital to do everything. The hospital must report the birth, but the 30-day certificate application is the parents' duty under Article 7.
• Arriving without an attested marriage certificate. A foreign marriage certificate usually needs attestation and an Arabic translation. Start before the birth.
• Not checking the names. Spelling errors on the notification flow into the certificate, the passport and the visa.
• Forgetting the English copy. Ask for it when you apply if the certificate will be used abroad.
• Treating the four-month deadline as a soft target. Cabinet Resolution No. 89 of 2022 sets a daily fine after it, and the government portal says the baby will not be allowed to exit until the residence is sorted.
• Citing the 2009 law. Federal Law No. 18 of 2009 was replaced by Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2022.

When to get legal help

Most births are registered without a lawyer. Legal help is worth it when the paperwork turns into a family-law problem. Typical cases are a marriage the office will not accept, a father who is not named, a court-ordered correction, or a large residence fine. You can find a family lawyer on LEXAI and contact them directly. To check what applies to your case first, ask the LEXAI AI assistant.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Confirm current procedures and fees with the relevant authority or a licensed UAE lawyer.