Apostille

An apostille is a simplified, single-step authentication of a public document introduced by the 1961 Hague Convention. In member states, an apostille stamp or certificate replaces the longer consular legalisation chain, making the document recognisable in any other member state. The United Arab Emirates acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention with effect from 2025, so apostilled documents from member countries — educational degrees, marriage certificates, corporate records, and similar public documents — are increasingly accepted directly in the UAE, eliminating the separate embassy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation steps. Some sectors (labour, some government tenders) may still request additional steps during the transition period. Private commercial documents such as contracts between companies usually require notarisation before they can be apostilled.