Notarisation in Dubai is often described as a single event, the moment a notary stamps a page, when in practice it is four stages and we handle three of them. This is how notarisation works in Dubai from the first draft you send us to the document you walk away with, and where the boundary sits between what we do and what only a notary can do.
We draft corporate and estate documents in Arabic and English and arrange their notarisation before a Dubai Courts notary. We are a document services provider, not a notary and not a law firm. The one stage we do not handle is the notarial act itself, which belongs to the notary. Everything before it and after it is ours.
Four stages, and we handle three of them
The stages run in a fixed order: you send a draft, we read it and quote, we draft the instrument in both languages, and then you sign while we arrange everything around the appointment. Most of what goes wrong with a document goes wrong before the notary ever sees it, which is why the first stage matters more than people expect.
Stage one: send the draft
Drop it with us through our contact page, send it on WhatsApp, or email it. If you do not have a draft, describe what has to happen and we write it. No identity documents are needed at this stage. Identity is checked in person, later, at the point of engagement, not through a form online.
Stage two: we read it and quote
Inside the working day, you get back which instrument you need, whether it will be accepted as drafted, our fee and the Dubai Courts fee stated separately, and who has to attend with what. There is no charge for this stage, because telling you whether a draft will hold up is the part we are actually good at, and it is cheaper to find out now than at the counter.
Stage three: we draft in both languages
Arabic and English are written together, not one translated after the other. You approve the text before anything is booked, and the terminology is fixed rather than chosen fresh each time, so a clause added late in one language does not go missing from the other.
Stage four: you sign, we arrange the rest
We book the appointment before a Dubai Courts notary and attend it with you. The notary attests to the signing. We deal with whatever has to happen next, whether that is filing with a registry, presenting the document to a bank, or a step at another body entirely.
What to bring to the appointment
The trade licence, currently valid, since an expired one stops the file. The memorandum of association and every amendment, because signing authority is traced through them, and bringing the memorandum without its amendments is the most common gap. Original passport and Emirates ID for everyone signing. Evidence that the signatory has authority, usually the memorandum, sometimes a prior resolution. Any translation already obtained, so it can be checked before the appointment rather than after. For instruments such as a company power of attorney, the same list applies.
What the notary does, and what we do
The notary attests to the act of signing: that the person is who they claim to be, that they signed in front of him, and on that date. That attestation is what turns a piece of paper into an instrument a third party will rely on. Only a notary can perform it.
What the instrument then lets its holder do afterwards depends entirely on what it says. That is the drafting, and the drafting is ours. So is establishing who must attend, checking the file against what the receiving authority will accept, booking the appointment, and being in the room with you.
Who must attend is not always straightforward. If your only authorised signatory is abroad, or your shareholders are in different countries, or a shareholder is itself a company rather than a person, the answer depends on the specific document, and we establish it before anybody books anything. If a signatory does not read Arabic or English, the instrument is read to them in a language they understand before it is signed.
What happens after the notary
What you get back depends on where the document is going next.
| Where the document is used | What happens next |
|---|---|
| Inside the UAE, for many instruments | Often nothing further, notarisation is the last step |
| Filed with a registry | The registry may have its own requirements for form, language and validity period |
| Presented to a bank | Banks commonly require wording and evidence beyond the notarial act, checked before the appointment |
| Used outside the UAE | Further steps at a ministry and mission apply, depending on the destination country |
If a defect is found before the appointment, we fix it and nobody travels for nothing. If the notary declines to proceed at the counter, we deal with the reason and rebook. If a document is refused afterwards, by a bank, a registry or a party abroad, we find out why and tell you plainly whether the cause was in the drafting, the process, or a requirement nobody could have known about in advance.
Send us the draft you have, or describe what the document needs to achieve, and we will tell you how the four stages apply to your instrument before you commit to anything, through our contact page. The full fee schedule and a longer walkthrough of the process are there if you want the detail before you send anything.
Questions people ask
Do I need to bring identity documents when I send my first draft?
No. Identity documents are not needed at this stage. Identity is checked in person, later, at the point of engagement.
How long before I hear back after sending a draft?
The reading and quote come back inside the working day. The appointment itself then depends on the notary’s diary.
Can someone else sign if my authorised signatory is abroad?
It depends on the document, and we establish the answer for your specific instrument before anybody books anything. Sometimes a power of attorney granted in advance solves it, sometimes the notary requires that person and no substitute.
What happens if the notary declines to proceed?
We deal with the reason and rebook. It is one of three outcomes we plan for, alongside a defect caught before the appointment and a refusal that surfaces afterwards.
Do I need an appointment to visit your office?
Call or message first. A short conversation lets us have the right person and the right paperwork ready, and it stops a wasted trip. See our FAQ for more on what to expect.