CORPORATE DOCUMENTS
UAE Company Formation Document Attestation
Opening a subsidiary, branch or free zone company in the United Arab Emirates requires your U.S. corporate records to be authenticated and attested before the UAE will accept them. We manage UAE company formation document attestation from the signing at your office to delivery in the Emirates.
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UAE FORMATION
Every document, every stage
For U.S. companies, their counsel and corporate service providers
- Officers sign at your office in Greater Boston
- Massachusetts, Delaware and other states
- U.S. Department of State and UAE attestation
- Attested originals shipped to the UAE
How we handle UAE company formation attestation
Corporate documents for a UAE entity pass through as many as four offices: the state that issued or notarized each document, the U.S. Department of State, the UAE mission and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We plan the route for every document in the packet and manage each stage until the attested originals reach your team in the Emirates.
- 1
We review the packet and the route
Send us the documents your UAE registrar, free zone or corporate service provider has requested. We sort them by issuing state, identify which need a notarized signature and which are state-certified records, and correct any instruction that would send a document down the wrong path.
- 2
We notarize at your office
Officers sign resolutions, incumbency certificates and other company records in our presence at your office across Greater Boston, with the capacity wording completed correctly for each signer.
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State authentication
Massachusetts documents are authenticated by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Delaware or other state records by their issuing state. Because the UAE is not part of the Hague Convention, each receives a state certificate for legalization rather than an apostille.
- 4
Federal and UAE attestation
The documents are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State, then attested through the UAE’s digital process, which covers the UAE mission in the United States and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We report progress at each stage.
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Delivered to the Emirates
Scans of the completed documents are emailed to you before they ship. The attested originals ship by tracked international courier to your counsel, agent or new office in the UAE.
What UAE company formation attestation is, and when it is required
When a U.S. company opens a subsidiary, branch or free zone entity in the United Arab Emirates, the registering authority asks for the parent company’s corporate records: its formation documents, proof of good standing, governing agreements and the resolutions authorizing the new entity and the people who will act for it. Because those records are American, the UAE requires them to be attested before it will rely on them.
The United Arab Emirates is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone is not accepted. Each document is authenticated in the United States and then attested by the UAE. The UAE now completes the mission and Ministry of Foreign Affairs steps through one digital application, and attested documents can be checked through the Ministry’s online verification service.
This page covers corporate packets for company formation. For degrees, birth and marriage certificates and other individual documents, see our UAE document attestation page. For the wider process of opening an entity abroad, see documents for a foreign subsidiary or branch.
From our recent work: a UAE incorporation packet
The examples below come from one engagement for a Waltham life sciences consultancy incorporating in the UAE. Client details are kept confidential.
The packet
Six documents for one Delaware LLC: the certificate of formation, a certificate of good standing, a certificate of amendment changing the registered agent, the second amended and restated LLC agreement, a certificate of incumbency and the company resolutions authorizing the UAE entity.
Two states in one packet
The Delaware records were authenticated by Delaware, while the resolutions and incumbency certificate, signed by the company’s officer at its Waltham office, were notarized and authenticated in Massachusetts. Both sets then followed the same federal and UAE route.
Instructions corrected before filing
The instructions forwarded to the company asked for the Delaware certificates to be signed by an officer, notarized and apostilled. State-certified records do not need an officer’s signature, and for the UAE they receive a state authentication certificate rather than an apostille. We followed the correct route for each document.
A federal backlog, reported plainly
The Department of State stage took about two weeks during a period of backlog. We gave the company’s general counsel realistic estimates at each stage instead of optimistic ones, and explained that the UAE’s embassy and ministry attestation would follow.
A new delivery address mid-process
While the documents were at the embassy stage, the recipient in Dubai moved to a temporary office. We updated the shipment, and the attested originals went by international priority courier to the new address.
Attested scans first
When the embassy and ministry attestation was complete, about six weeks after the signing, we emailed scans of all six attested documents to the general counsel before the originals shipped.
Incorporating in the UAE?
Send us the document list from your registrar or corporate service provider. We map the route for every document before anything is signed.
Which corporate documents follow which route
The issuing state and the type of document determine the first step. Everything then follows the same federal and UAE path.
| Document | First step | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of incorporation or formation | Certified copy ordered from the state of formation, then authenticated by that state | U.S. Department of State, then UAE attestation |
| Certificate of good standing | Ordered from the state of formation and authenticated by that state | U.S. Department of State, then UAE attestation |
| Certificate of amendment, or articles and bylaws on file | Certified copy from the state, authenticated by that state | U.S. Department of State, then UAE attestation |
| Board or member resolutions | Signed by an officer before a notary, or certified within a signed secretary’s certificate; then state authentication | U.S. Department of State, then UAE attestation |
| Certificate of incumbency | Signed by an officer before a notary; then state authentication | U.S. Department of State, then UAE attestation |
| LLC or shareholders’ agreement, memorandum and articles | Certified as a true copy by an officer before a notary, or a certified copy where the state holds it | U.S. Department of State, then UAE attestation, each document separately |
| Power of attorney for the UAE representative | Signed by an authorized officer before a notary, often in English and Arabic | U.S. Department of State, then UAE attestation |
Delaware and other state records are authenticated by the state that issued them; Massachusetts cannot authenticate another state’s documents. See Delaware apostilles and authentications and certificates of good standing.
Apostille or attestation: why the UAE route is different
For a Hague Convention country, the state’s apostille is the final step. For the UAE, the state’s certificate is only the first of several. The state confirms the notary’s or official’s signature, the U.S. Department of State confirms the state’s, and the UAE then attests the federal authentication.
This matters when instructions are written by advisers more familiar with apostille countries. A request to “notarize and apostille” Delaware certificates and then “attest at the UAE Embassy” combines two systems. We translate that request into the steps the offices will actually accept, so the packet does not stall at the federal stage.
The UAE mission in the United States describes the attestation as one application that covers both the mission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE. The original physical documents are still required, the attested files are sent electronically when the application is complete, and the originals are returned by courier. Memoranda and articles of association are attested as separate documents. For more on the digital process, see digital MoFA legalization.
Mistakes that delay a UAE formation packet
- Asking for an apostille. The UAE does not accept apostilles. Documents receive state authentication, federal authentication and UAE attestation.
- Having officers sign state-certified records. A certificate of good standing or formation is authenticated through the state that issued it. An officer’s signature and a notary are not needed and can complicate the document.
- Sending another state’s records to Massachusetts. Each state authenticates only its own officials and notaries. Delaware records go to Delaware.
- Titles that do not match. The officer named in the incumbency certificate, the resolutions and the power of attorney should carry the same title in every document.
- Resolutions without a signature to authenticate. An unsigned resolution cannot be notarized as a signature. It should be signed by an officer or certified within a signed secretary’s certificate.
- Good standing certificates that grow stale. UAE authorities often expect a recent certificate. Order it close to the filing, not months ahead.
- No letter of authorization ready. For corporate documents, the embassy stage sometimes calls for a letter of authorization or power of attorney from the company. A signed scan usually suffices; having it ready avoids a pause.
- Changing the delivery address without notice. Tell us promptly if the recipient moves. We can redirect the shipment before the originals leave our hands.
Working toward a registration date in the UAE?
Tell us the date. We will tell you plainly what the federal and UAE stages can meet.
How long UAE company formation document attestation takes
Corporate packets for the UAE usually take 4–6 weeks from the signing, and most of that time is spent at the federal and UAE stages. Massachusetts authentication is typically completed within 1–2 business days because we file in person. Delaware and other states have their own processing times.
The Department of State stage commonly takes about two weeks and can stretch during backlogs. The UAE’s attestation follows. In the engagement described above, a six-document packet from two states was attested about six weeks after the officer signed, and the originals shipped within days of the attested scans being sent.
Because of these stages, we recommend starting the attestation as soon as the UAE document list is final. If your provider can accept scans of the attested documents to begin its review, we send them as soon as the attestation is complete.
Arabic translation and bilingual documents
UAE authorities and free zones often require an Arabic translation of corporate documents, and some powers of attorney are prepared in English and Arabic from the start. Translation requirements differ between mainland authorities and free zones, so we confirm what your registrar expects before translating.
We provide certified Arabic translation as a corporate member of the American Translators Association. When a bilingual document is notarized, we complete the Massachusetts notarial certificate in English and make sure the officer signs wherever the document calls for a signature. See bilingual and foreign-language documents.
What to send us before the signing
- The document list from your UAE registrar, free zone or corporate service provider
- Drafts of the resolutions, incumbency certificate and any power of attorney, unsigned
- The state of formation and the company’s exact legal name
- The signing officer’s name as it appears on their government-issued photo ID, and their title
- The delivery address, recipient and phone number in the UAE, and your target filing date
We are notaries and document specialists, not attorneys. Your counsel or corporate service provider decides what the UAE entity requires; we make sure each document is executed, authenticated and attested so the UAE will accept it.
Related services
- UAE document attestation: degrees, family and personal documents
- Foreign subsidiaries and branches: documents for opening an entity abroad
- Board resolutions and secretary’s certificates: proof of corporate authority
- Officer and incumbency certificates: who holds which office
- Corporate power of attorney: appointing a representative abroad
- Delaware apostilles and authentications: for Delaware companies
- U.S. Department of State authentication: the federal step
- Embassy legalization: for other non-Hague countries
Official sources
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consulate General in New York: attestation information
- Embassy of the UAE in Washington, DC: document legalization and authentication
- U.S. Department of State: authenticating documents for use abroad
- Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth: apostilles and certification of documents
- M.G.L. c. 222, § 15: Massachusetts notarial certificate forms
- Hague Conference: Apostille Convention member countries
Requirements change, and the receiving office always has the final word. We link to official sources so you can check the current rules yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Does the UAE accept an apostille for company documents?
No. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. U.S. corporate documents are authenticated by the state, then by the U.S. Department of State, and then attested by the UAE.
What documents are needed to register a company in the UAE from the U.S.?
Requirements vary by emirate and free zone, but parent-company packets commonly include the certificate of incorporation or formation, a certificate of good standing, the governing agreement or articles, board resolutions authorizing the entity, a certificate of incumbency and a power of attorney for the local representative.
How long does UAE attestation of corporate documents take?
Usually 4–6 weeks from the signing. Massachusetts authentication takes 1–2 business days; the Department of State and UAE attestation stages account for most of the time.
Can Massachusetts authenticate our Delaware certificate of good standing?
No. Each state authenticates only its own officials and notaries, so Delaware records are authenticated by Delaware. We coordinate Delaware and Massachusetts documents in the same order.
Do our officers need to sign the certificate of good standing?
No. State-certified records are authenticated through the issuing state. Officers sign the documents the company itself creates, such as resolutions, incumbency certificates and powers of attorney.
Will we receive copies before the originals arrive?
Yes. We email scans of the attested documents before the originals ship, and the UAE’s digital process also produces electronically attested files.
Can you ship the attested documents directly to Dubai or Abu Dhabi?
Yes. The originals ship by tracked international courier to your counsel, agent or office in the UAE. We share tracking but do not promise delivery dates on the carrier’s behalf.
Do the documents need an Arabic translation?
Often, but it depends on the registering authority. We confirm the requirement and provide certified Arabic translation when it is needed.
Can our officer sign at our office?
Yes. We notarize at your office across Greater Boston, scheduled around your officer’s calendar, and can complete several documents and originals in one visit.
Incorporating in the United Arab Emirates?
Send us your document list, the state of formation and your filing date.