Do UK Company Documents Need an Apostille or UAE Attestation?

If you are expanding business operations into the UAE, registering a branch office, opening a corporate bank account or completing a commercial transaction, you will almost certainly need to legalise UK company documents for use in the United Arab Emirates.

A common misconception is that a UK apostille alone is sufficient. In reality, it is not. The UAE  requires a multi-stage legalisation process that goes beyond the apostille, including UAE Embassy attestation and attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

This guide explains the full UK company documents apostille UAE process, which documents Hague Apostille can help with, and the important distinction between verifiable Companies House records and signed company authority documents that must be pre-certified before we can process them.

No, the UAE has not yet joined the Hague Apostille Convention which means the apostille alone is not sufficient. UAE authorities, banks, free zones and government departments still require the full three-stage attestation process for UK company documents.

An FCDO apostille confirms that the signature on a UK document is genuine, but UAE institutions require additional verification through their own Embassy in London and through the UAE MOFA before they will accept it.

If you are unsure whether your document needs the full attestation process, you can contact us with your document details and we will advise on the most appropriate process.

For most UK company documents destined for the UAE, the legalisation process follows three stages:

• Stage 1: FCDO Apostille. The document (certified by a UK solicitor or notary first where applicable) is submitted to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for an apostille. This is handled through our apostille service as a Registered FCDO Service.
• Stage 2: UAE Embassy Attestation. The apostilled document is then submitted to the UAE Embassy in London for attestation. This confirms the document has been correctly legalised at UK level. The embassy attestation is now issued digitally.
• Stage 3: UAE MOFA Attestation. Finally, the document is submitted to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the final step required before the document is accepted by the receiving authority in the UAE. This step is now also handled electronically and is completed at the same time as the document being submitted to the UAE embassy in London.

The full process normally takes approximately 10 working days from receipt of suitable documents at our office. Timings can vary depending on the document type, Embassy processing schedules and MOFA requirements.

For details on fees for each stage, please see our UAE embassy attestation page or get in touch for a tailored quote.

This distinction is critical. If you send us a signed authority document that has not been correctly pre-certified, we will not be able to process it and will need to return it to you, which can cause delays.

Documents that can be verified against official records held at Companies House are usually straightforward for us to process. Hague Apostille can arrange solicitor certification for these documents, which is typically required before the FCDO will issue an apostille.

Common examples include:

• Certificate of Incorporation – confirms the company’s registration details and date of incorporation.
• Certificate of Good Standing – confirms the company is active and in good standing at Companies House. Many UAE banks and free zones request this document specifically.
• Memorandum and Articles of Association – the constitutional documents of the company. These are commonly required for company registration or branch licensing in the UAE.
• Other Companies House filings – such as confirmation statements, registered office details or changes of directors, provided they are verifiable against the public register.

For these documents, you simply need to send us the original or the digitally issued version, and we handle the solicitor certification, apostille and UAE attestation stages on your behalf.

Powers of attorney, board resolutions, authorisation letters and similar documents are different in nature. These are not verifiable against a public register. They are bespoke documents executed by the company’s directors or officers, and they carry signatures and authorities that we cannot independently verify.

For this reason, Hague Apostille cannot solicitor certify, witness, draft or execute these types of documents. They must arrive at our office already pre-certified, witnessed or notarised by an appropriate professional, typically a solicitor or notary public.

Once a company authority document has been correctly certified or notarised, we can then assist with the apostille and full UAE attestation process.

If you are unsure whether your document is correctly prepared, we recommend sending us the details before posting it. You can contact us by email or phone, and we will review the document and confirm whether it is suitable for processing or whether further preparation is needed.

Tip: If the UAE authority has specified a particular wording or format for your power of attorney or board resolution, make sure this is reflected in the document before it is notarised. Correcting wording after notarisation means the entire process must start again.

Requirements can vary depending on the destination country, requesting authority and document type. We can advise on the apostille and legalisation process for UK documents, but you should confirm the exact requirements with the organisation requesting your document before placing an order.