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Pakistan Desk

Certificate Attestation from Pakistan for the UAE

For a Pakistani degree the queue starts at HEC, not at a Dubai counter. Everything after it depends on that one stamp being in place.

Attest a Pakistani Certificate Call +971 52 933 0454
HEC Route Known For degrees
Chain Mapped Board to MOFA
Deira Office Drop the originals with us

How do you attest a Pakistani certificate for the UAE?

The issuing board or university attests first, with Higher Education Commission attestation for higher-education documents. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan follows, then the UAE mission there. Once in the UAE, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests at AED 150 for a personal document.

Certificate Attestation from Pakistan for the UAE at a glance
Step 1Issuing board or university; HEC for degrees
Step 2Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan
Step 3UAE mission in Pakistan
Step 4UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs on arrival
UAE feeAED 150 personal; AED 2,000 commercial
TranslationArabic, where the receiving authority asks

Last updated 3 August 2026 · Reviewed by Mohammed Shareef A, Senior PRO Consultant, Dubai government liaison. Fees and timelines are set by the issuing authority and change without notice — confirm current figures before you budget.

When does HEC attestation apply?

To higher-education documents: degrees, transcripts and related university papers. School certificates take the board route instead, through the relevant intermediate and secondary education board.

Sending a degree to MoFA Pakistan without the HEC step is the most common way a Pakistani file stalls before it ever leaves the country.

  • Degrees and transcripts: HEC attestation
  • Matric and intermediate certificates: the issuing board
  • Personal documents: the relevant issuing authority
  • MoFA Pakistan only after the issuing body has signed
Official certificate with layered attestation stamps on a desk

Where does MoFA Pakistan attest?

In Islamabad, and at camp offices in the provincial capitals, which matters if the family is not in the capital. A document does not have to travel to Islamabad if a provincial office can handle it.

This is worth knowing before someone books a trip they did not need to make.

  • Islamabad plus provincial camp offices
  • Choose the office nearest the person acting for you
  • The UAE mission step follows MoFA Pakistan
  • Only then does the document travel
Academic documents and a passport prepared for an attestation chain

What if the holder has already moved to the UAE?

The Pakistan steps still have to happen in Pakistan. A relative can normally act, but the authority letter enabling them has to be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan — a letter signed in Dubai is not accepted.

Arrange that before leaving if you possibly can. Doing it afterwards means couriering the letter back and waiting.

  • A blood relative can usually act on your behalf
  • The authority letter needs MoFA Pakistan attestation
  • A Dubai-signed letter will not be accepted
  • Arrange it before departure where possible

What happens on the UAE side?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests at AED 150 for a personal document, AED 2,000 for a commercial one, with courier quoted at three working days or one on express.

An Arabic translation typically follows, after the stamps rather than before.

  • UAE MOFA completes the chain
  • AED 150 personal, AED 2,000 commercial
  • Three working days by courier, one on express
  • Ministry of Justice licensed translator for Arabic

How we run a Pakistani attestation

  1. We identify the right first stepHEC, board or issuing authority, depending on the document.
  2. Pakistan-side coordinationWhat has to happen there, who can do it, and what they need.
  3. MoFA Pakistan and the UAE missionSequenced correctly before the document travels.
  4. UAE ministry attestationFiled here on arrival, AED 150 personal.
  5. Legal translationArranged where Arabic is required.
  6. ReturnOriginals back with every stamp, plus a scan.

Which first step applies?

Pakistani documents by route
DocumentFirst stepThen
University degreeHECMoFA Pakistan, UAE mission, UAE MOFA
TranscriptHECMoFA Pakistan, UAE mission, UAE MOFA
Matric or intermediate certificateIssuing boardMoFA Pakistan, UAE mission, UAE MOFA
Birth or marriage certificateIssuing authorityMoFA Pakistan, UAE mission, UAE MOFA
Commercial documentChamber of commerceMoFA Pakistan, UAE mission, UAE MOFA
The mistake we see most: Taking a degree straight to MoFA Pakistan without HEC attestation. It is refused, the trip is wasted, and the family discovers the sequence only after someone has travelled to Islamabad. Confirm the first step before anyone leaves the house.
MSM tip: If the degree holder is still in Pakistan, get the HEC and MoFA steps done now, even if there is no UAE job yet. Those stamps do not expire in any practical sense, and doing them later from Dubai turns a week into a month.

What documents do you need?

What we need

The original certificate, with any stamps already on it
Passport or NICOP copy of the holder
Emirates ID, where the holder is a UAE resident
The issuing board or university and the year
Details of who can act on your behalf in Pakistan
The UAE authority or employer that asked for it

The item that most often causes a delay is an authority letter that was signed but not attested by MoFA Pakistan. Without that attestation a relative cannot act on the file there.

Certificate Attestation

The parent service, for all origin countries.

Pakistan Embassy Attestation

Consulate attestation in Dubai, within token hours.

Equivalency for Pakistani Degrees

Getting a Pakistani degree recognised here.

Go deeper

Specific situations we handle under this service, each covered in full.

Employment Files

Attestation for a Job Visa

Which certificates actually need attesting for a Dubai job visa, and which do not.

Commercial Documents

Chamber of Commerce Attestation

Certificates of origin, invoices and commercial documents attested through the Chamber for export.

Read next: How the UAE attestation chain works, step by step · Degree certificate attestation for the UAE

Sources

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need HEC attestation?
For higher-education documents such as degrees and transcripts, yes, before MoFA Pakistan will attest. School certificates take the issuing board route instead.
Where does MoFA Pakistan attest documents?
In Islamabad and at camp offices in the provincial capitals, so a document does not always have to travel to the capital.
Can my brother do it for me?
Usually, with an authority letter attested by MoFA Pakistan. A letter signed in Dubai without that attestation is not accepted.
What does the UAE step cost?
AED 150 per personal document and AED 2,000 per commercial one at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
How long does the whole chain take?
The Pakistan side dominates and varies by document and office. The UAE step is quick once the document arrives complete.
Do I need the document translated?
Usually into Arabic once it is presented to a UAE authority, by a Ministry of Justice licensed translator, after the stamps are complete.

Certificate still in Pakistan?

Tell us the document and who issued it. We will map the chain before anything moves.

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Attest a Document from Pakistan

The document type and the issuing board or university decide the first step.

Hotline: +971 52 933 0454

Email: info@msmdoc.com

Office: Deira, Dubai — serving all seven emirates.

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