Last reviewed: August 2026 · Prepared by the Taw-Theeq legal services team, Deira, Dubai
A notarised document in Dubai is not a formality with a stamp on it. Under Law No. (4) of 2013 Concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai, an instrument processed by a notary public carries the evidentiary value of an official document, and its validity can only be challenged by alleging forgery (Article 35). That is why the language rule attached to it matters as much as the signature.
The language rule (Article 27): an instrument written only in a foreign language must be translated into Arabic by a translator, with the translation attached to the instrument, and both signed by the parties. Alternatively the Arabic and foreign texts may appear together with signatures on each page.
Who can notarise in Dubai
Article 4 of the law limits notarial practice to three categories: a government notary public, a private notary public, and an employee of a government entity registered on the roll. Private notaries are licensed and supervised, and an instrument they issue carries the same legal weight as one issued at a government centre — the difference is availability and scheduling, not authority. Article 10 requires a private notary to have at least five years of prior legal or judicial experience.
What is typically notarised
- Powers of attorney — general, special, court-case, property sale and purchase, company management.
- Company documents — memoranda of association and their amendments, share transfers, board and shareholder resolutions, manager appointments and removals.
- Declarations and undertakings — affidavits, no-objection declarations, acknowledgements of debt.
- Legal notices — including the notarised notices required in tenancy matters. See the 12-month eviction notice rule.
- Wills for non-Muslims, subject to the applicable registration route.
Powers of attorney: what makes one usable
A POA that gets rejected almost always fails on one of four points:
| Requirement | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Notarised before a licensed UAE notary | Signed privately, or witnessed but not notarised — no legal effect for the intended purpose. |
| Arabic text, or a certified Arabic translation attached | An English-only POA presented to a court or department is returned under the Article 27 rule. |
| Powers stated specifically | Vague wording. A POA that does not expressly grant the act — selling, litigating, settling — will not support it. |
| Complete identity details of both parties | Missing Emirates ID or passport details, or a name spelled differently from the passport. |
A POA executed outside the UAE follows the attestation chain first: notarisation in the country of origin, that country’s foreign ministry, the UAE mission there, then MOFA attestation inside the UAE — the UAE is not an Apostille country. Only then is it translated into Arabic. The order matters; see the full attestation chain.
Why the translation must be certified
Article 27 requires translation “by a Translator” — in practice, a translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice, whose stamp and licence number the notary can verify. A translation produced by a bilingual colleague, or by software, does not satisfy it. Because the notarised instrument and its Arabic translation are signed together as one bundle, an inaccurate translation is not a cosmetic problem: it becomes part of an instrument with the evidentiary force of an official document.
Practical consequence: translate the final text. Every amendment made at the notary counter — a changed name, an added power, a corrected date — has to be reflected in the Arabic before signature, not after.
What to bring
- Original Emirates ID and passport for every signatory, plus visa page where applicable.
- Trade licence, memorandum of association and the signatory’s authority, for company matters.
- The draft instrument in its final wording.
- The certified Arabic translation where the draft is not already in Arabic.
- Supporting documents referenced in the instrument — title deed, contract, case number.
Need a notary-ready Arabic version?
We prepare Ministry of Justice–certified Arabic translations of powers of attorney, resolutions, memoranda and notices for notarisation in Dubai — and coordinate attestation where the document comes from abroad.
Related reading
- Notary public services in Dubai
- Corporate notary services
- Document attestation in the UAE
- Corporate and commercial translation