Legalization

Legalization is the multi-step process of authenticating a foreign public document so that it has legal effect in the UAE, and vice versa. The UAE is not a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention for all purposes, so most foreign documents cannot be recognised through a single apostille. Instead they must be certified by the issuing authority, then attested by the foreign affairs ministry of the issuing country, then by the UAE embassy in that country, and finally stamped by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Documents going the other direction follow the reverse chain. Commonly legalised documents include educational certificates, marriage and birth certificates, corporate constitutional documents, and commercial contracts. Legalisation confirms that a signature and stamp are genuine; it does not validate content.