Philippines Certificate Attestation in the UAE
Philippines certificate attestation is the legalisation that makes a Philippine-issued document — a PSA birth certificate, a marriage certificate, a diploma, an NBI clearance — officially valid for use in the UAE. The Philippines is a Hague Apostille country, so the Department of Foreign Affairs issues an apostille. That apostille alone is not enough for the UAE, because the UAE is not a Hague member. The document also needs UAE Embassy legalisation in Manila and a final MOFA stamp here. Seal & Signature manages every stage.
Dubai, UAE · PSA & DFA documents · UAE Embassy Manila · MOFA
The Philippines attestation chain
Why a Philippine Apostille Is Not Enough for the UAE
Since 14 May 2019 the Philippines has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention, and the DFA issues an apostille instead of the old “red ribbon” authentication. That change simplified things for most countries — but not for the UAE.
Not sure which route your document needs? Use our apostille and attestation checker.
The UAE is not a Hague Apostille member. It does not accept an apostille on its own. A Philippine document intended for use here still needs UAE Embassy legalisation in Manila, and MOFA attestation in the UAE.
This is the single most common and most expensive misunderstanding we see with Filipino clients — people pay for the DFA apostille, arrive in Dubai, and are told by their employer or the immigration authority that the document is not acceptable.
The Philippines Attestation Process for the UAE
- Issuing authority — obtain the document in the correct form. Civil records must be PSA-issued (Philippine Statistics Authority) on security paper; a local civil registrar copy is usually not accepted. Educational documents come from the school or university, with CHED / DepEd / TESDA certification where required.
- DFA apostille (Manila) — the Department of Foreign Affairs authenticates the document and issues the apostille.
- UAE Embassy legalisation (Manila) — the UAE Embassy in Manila legalises the apostilled document for UAE use.
- MOFA attestation (UAE) — the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs applies the final stamp, after which the document is accepted by UAE employers, universities, courts and government departments.
- Certified Arabic translation, where the receiving UAE authority requires it.
Which Philippine Documents Can We Attest?
Civil (PSA) — birth certificate, marriage certificate, CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage Record), death certificate, and Certificate of Live Birth.
Educational — Transcript of Records (TOR), diploma, Certificate of Graduation, and school certificates, plus PRC professional licences for regulated professions.
Personal & legal — NBI clearance (police clearance), Special Power of Attorney (SPA), affidavits and medical certificates.
Commercial — SEC registration, Articles of Incorporation, business permits, board resolutions and commercial invoices.
Who Needs Philippine Attestation in the UAE?
You will need it if you are:
- Moving to the UAE for work and your employer or the immigration authority requires an attested degree or TOR
- Sponsoring family — a spouse or child’s residence visa needs attested marriage and birth certificates
- Getting married in the UAE, which normally requires an attested CENOMAR
- Applying for a professional licence — healthcare, engineering and teaching roles typically require attested credentials and a PRC licence
- Enrolling children in a UAE school, which requires attested school records
- Registering a business with Philippine corporate documents
If a UAE authority is asking for your Philippine document, it almost certainly needs the full chain first.
Common Mistakes That Delay Philippine Attestation
- Getting the DFA apostille only and assuming it is sufficient for the UAE — it is not
- Using a local civil registrar copy instead of the PSA-issued security-paper copy
- Missing the CHED / DepEd / TESDA step for educational documents
- A name mismatch between the document and the passport — very common where a middle name or a married surname differs
- A PSA copy that is too old, where the receiving authority wants a recently issued one
- Translating before the chain is complete instead of after
We check for all of these before submission, so the file is not returned.
Doing It From the UAE
Most of our Filipino clients are already living in the UAE when they discover a document needs attesting — which makes the Manila steps (PSA, DFA, UAE Embassy) difficult to run personally while holding down a job here. Sending an original document to a relative to queue at DFA or the embassy on your behalf also carries real risk: PSA and school-issued documents are not easily replaced if lost or damaged in transit. We handle the Philippine side through our established local network and the UAE side directly, so you do not need to travel, rely on relatives, or take time off to queue — and your original documents are tracked at every stage.
Payment Options
We accept standard payment methods for our service fee, and Tabby installments are available if you’d rather split the cost. Government, embassy and translation fees are charged separately and paid directly to the relevant authority, as with every attestation service we handle.
Why Choose Seal & Signature for Philippine Attestation
- Experience with PSA, DFA and UAE Embassy Manila requirements
- End-to-end management — Philippine steps, embassy legalisation, MOFA and translation
- Secure handling of irreplaceable originals, with tracking
- Free pickup and delivery across the UAE
- A single point of contact for the whole file
- Tabby installments available on our service fees
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The Philippines issues apostilles, but the UAE is not a Hague Apostille member and does not accept an apostille on its own. The document also needs UAE Embassy legalisation in Manila and MOFA attestation in the UAE.
Civil documents normally need to be the PSA-issued copy on security paper. Local civil registrar copies are usually not accepted for attestation.
Yes. That is the usual case. We manage the Philippine steps through our network and the UAE steps directly, so you do not need to travel.
A Certificate of No Marriage Record, issued by the PSA. UAE authorities normally require an attested CENOMAR when you are getting married here.
Some UAE authorities require a certified Arabic translation alongside the attested original. We confirm whether yours does and arrange it.
At the UAE Embassy in Manila, after the DFA apostille and before the document comes to the UAE for the final MOFA stamp. There is no UAE attestation step done inside the UAE for a Philippine document until that MOFA stage.
It depends on the document type and the authorities involved. Send us the document and we will confirm the exact route, a realistic timeline and an itemised quote before anything starts.
Yes — Tabby installments are available on our service fee. Government, embassy and translation fees are charged separately, as with every attestation service we handle.
Ready to Attest Your Philippine Documents?
Send us the document type and we will confirm the route and a quote.
