| In an earlier posting "More Information on Residence Permit for Wife", I mentioned having a certificate attested at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Dubai, and promised a separate posting on the subject. Here it is, in case it will be helpful to any user of this forum.
MOFA website: http://www.government.ae/gov/en/gov/federal/mofa.jsp
(The website gives P O Box, telephone and fax numbers, and an email address but no street address)
All vital certificates (birth, marriage), academic certificates and any other certificates used in support of applications for employment, residence, etc in Dubai have to be authenticated or attested by the relevant authority of the country that issued them, then by the consulate of that country in Dubai, and finally by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dubai office. This is a brief description of the final process, as I experienced it.
1. Go to the MOFA Dubai office as early as possible; I believe it opens at 0730 Sunday thru Thursday but please check. Take the original certificate/s to be attested, sufficient money (AED 150 per certificate) and passports of the individuals concerned. In our case (marriage certificate), I (wife) took our marriage certificate, already attested by our country and our country's consulate in Dubai, plus my husband's and my passport. It turned out that I wasn't asked for ID but you never know! As with many places in Dubai, the MOFA office doesn't appear have a street address, but directions are:
a) head for the Clock Tower roundabout in Deira, on the Dubai Airport side of Dubai Creek (link to Google map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=clock+tower&sll=25.271139,55.307485&sspn=1.157393,2.554321&ie=UTF8&view=map&ll=25.262958,55.322578&spn=0.018086,0.039911&z=15&om=1)
b) from the Clock Tower roundabout, head approximately north-west along Al Maktoum Road
c) at the intersection with Omar Bin Al Khattab Road, turn right and stop on the right as soon as possible
d) you will be outside a high-rise building (sorry can't remember the name) that contains the MOFA office
e) walk back around the corner that you just turned, back onto Al Maktoum Road, and enter the first building entrance on your left (a small plaque, rather indistinct, above this entrance says Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The security staff at the desk inside the entrance can confirm that you're in the right place!
f) take the lift to the 7th floor and enter the MOFA office.
I would imagine parking around here is a nightmare, so recommend a taxi. If the driver doesn't know the MOFA, ask to be taken to Al Maktoum / Omar Bin Al Khattab intersection opposite Union Square, in Deira, then continue with steps c) thru f) above
2. After entering the MOFA office, turn right and go along the corridor to room 4 at the end. This is where your certificate/s will be scrutinised and initialled by an official before actual attestation takes place. There is no ticket system for this room; just sit on the bench outside room 4 and move up as each person is called.
3. After scrutiny in room 4, take the certificate/s back along the corridor and enter the "Attestation" room on your right, opposite the entrance. Inside this room, on the left, there is a ticket machine, choose option "Certificate", take the ticket and wait to be served. The green-uniformed official on duty in the room can direct you if you're not sure. The room is very busy but things move pretty quickly so don't be discouraged if you are 80 places behind!
4. When your number is called, present the certificate/s and pay the fee due. The official will attach stamps to the value of the fee for each certificate and ink-stamp it.
5. After stamping, take the certificate/s back along the corridor towards room 4 (see step 2. above) but this time you are going to room 6 (next to and left of room 4) for final scrutiny and initialling of your certificate/s by an official. Again, no ticket system, just queue at the door. When this last step has been completed, your certificate/s are now ready for presentation with your application/s.
I hope this information will be useful; I have tried to present it as accurately as possible but there may be errors (mine) or future procedural changes (MOFA) so please do check with other sources as well! |