Foreign workers preparing to embark on new careers in the UAE must ensure they have their university degrees attested to land a job.
Degree attestation – which is mandatory to secure a visa in the Emirates – is the means of verifying that academic qualifications obtained overseas are authentic.
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research recently issued new regulations for the recognition of higher education qualifications in an effort to streamline the process.
The ministry said the resolution will reduce the number of required documents from 14 to four.
The documents required are: copy of final degree certificate, passport copy, name change document and official translation to Arabic.
A name change document confirms an alteration for reasons such as marriage or a personal desire to change names.
If the name on your certificate differs from that on your passport, you must provide a name change certificate issued by a government body.
This could be a legal endorsement letter, birth certificate, marriage certificate or a passport showing your previous name.
If your degree was issued with any language other than Arabic or English, legal translation is required.
You must meet the following conditions: qualification authenticity and the institute or university issuing the qualification must be accredited by relevant accreditation authorities in the country of study.
The process includes two key stages, first verification of the degree authenticity by Dataflow or QuadraBay (two agencies officially appointed by the Ministry), which will authenticate the document.
The application process typically takes 30 business days after all required documents and information are submitted to the agencies. It will take another 20 working days for it to be attested by the ministry.
The cost for initial degree verification starts at Dh345 ($93) but will vary depending on the country.
Once this step is completed and confirmation of authenticity is received, people can begin the process of finalising attestation with the ministry.
Step-by-step process
Go to the department's website or its app and search services for: Recognition of university certificates issued from outside the UAE.
Click on the link for verification of the degree's authenticity with one of the agencies: Dataflow or QuadraBay
Log on to their website and create an account using the UAE Pass app.
Check the package details and input personal details.
Fill in details about the degree and upload required documents in either PDF or JPeg format. Each document should not exceed 2MB in size.
No special attestation is required on your documents for the equivalency process with the agencies and you need to submit clear scanned copies of original documents as received from your university or education institution.
Pay the fees based on your degree level. A specialist will check the application and you might be asked to provide additional information or documents.
The specialist will reach out to your university to verify the degree.
The duration of the process is determined by the response time of the university or the educational entity.
A cancellation request can be submitted within 48 hours of the application, however, a non-refundable 10 per cent of the application fee will be deducted from the amount refundable.
After verifying the document through the agency, you will receive a reference number to use when you apply to the service.
You can then go back to the ministry’s website and click on complete application.
Enter the reference number you received from QudraBay or DataFlow with your date of birth.
Your personal and educational information will be automatically filled.
Confirm the details and pay the government fees, which are Dh100 for a bachelor's degree, Dh150 for postgraduate degrees and Dh200 for doctoral degrees.
You will receive the final report via email – stating whether the degree is authenticated or not – within 20 working days
You can then download the result directly from your account at the ministry’s portal.
For inquiries you can either email the ministry via Info@mohesr.gov.ae or calling 800511.
Why some degrees cannot be verified
The ministry sometimes receives qualifications that fail to meet specified recognition criteria.
For example: there was insufficient evidence presented to confirm the authenticity of the degree, the educational institute or university not recognised by the ministry in the UAE or the institute is not accredited by relevant academic accreditation bodies in the country of study.
