Attestation services in UAE MoFIAC to be online from 18th July

All the attestation services offered by the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) will be done online only from July 18th 2022 onwards. The ministry said the move applies to "all customers in the UAE".

The MoFAIC attests personal documents like birth, marriage and education certificates; and also official ones like licences and invoices for authentication purposes. This is important because attestation is a necessary prerequisite to validate important documents required for employment, visa issuance and studies, among others. The MoFAIC has also posted a detailed guide explaining the steps to be followed for availing of this service, for both individuals and businesses.

 "Please make sure all the documents you wish to have attested are attested/stamped by relevant authorities before applying for this service," the MoFAIC cautions in the guide.

 "People of determination and senior Emiratis and citizens can attest their documents by calling 80044444," the ministry posted.

 The steps to avail of the service are as follows:

For Individuals

1. Login to MoFAIC's website with UAE Pass
2. Select 'Services for Individuals'
3. Select 'Attestation of Official Documents, Certificates'
4. Select 'MoFAIC Customer Happiness Centres'
5. Select the courier service
6. Select the type of document you wish to have attested. You can get more than one document attested within the same application.
7. Enter the place of issuance of the document.
8. Fill in the required information and answer the questions.
9. Proceed to pay fees.
10. Courier service will pick up the documents from your chosen location and drop them back.

 For Businesses

1. Log in. New users need to register first.
2. Select 'Business Services'.
3. Select 'Customer Happiness Centre'.
4. Select the courier service. "If you have previously subscribed to a courier package, select 'prepaid'. If not, please select another option," the MoFAIC guide says.
5. Select the type of document you wish to have attested.
6. Select the place of issuance of the document and click 'Add'. You can get more than one document attested within the same application.
7. Enter the requested information and answer the questions.
8. Proceed to pay fees.
9. Courier service will pick up the documents from your chosen location and drop them back.

Making the attestation services available online will not only increase efficiency but also save the valuable time of people availing these services. This has been a welcome move which should also be implemented, as much as practicable, to other services offered by other ministries as well.