Documents for UAE Universities
What papers universities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ask for, and how to get them attested (officially stamped as real) in India or Pakistan and by the UAE embassy.
UAE universities ask for three kinds of papers.
Study papers
Your school or degree certificates and marks, attested.
Recognition papers
The Certificate of Equivalency, a paper that says your foreign certificate counts the same as a UAE one.
Identity and visa papers
Passport, photo and your university's visa forms.
These papers show what you studied before.
- Needed for a bachelor's degree.
- Attest the final school certificate and marks.
- The Ministry of Education (MoE) checks school certificates for equivalency.
- Needed for a master's degree.
- The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) checks degrees for equivalency.
- At BITS Pilani Dubai Campus (BPDC), master's students aged over 30 need their bachelor's certificate attested by the UAE Embassy.
- Says your foreign certificate counts the same as a UAE one.
- At Heriot-Watt University Dubai and University of Birmingham Dubai, you may start and get it within your first semester.
- At Heriot-Watt University Dubai, a bachelor's from a UAE university licensed by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA, the UAE body that approves universities and courses) does not need it.
Attestation Is Needed
Most UAE universities ask for payment proof, not bank statements, before the visa.
- Your university asks for proof you paid before it applies for your visa.
- De Montfort University Dubai asks for 25% of the tuition fee and the visa charges first.
- Insurance valid in the UAE.
- At Amity University Dubai, the university insurance plan costs UAE dirham (AED) 1,500, or AED 1,000 for January starters.
Attestation means each paper is officially stamped as real, first at home and then by the UAE.
India and Pakistan Have Different Routes
- Get the paper attested by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India.
- Apply online on the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) website with UAE PASS (the UAE digital ID app). Choose India.
- One application covers the UAE Embassy in New Delhi and the UAE MoFA.
- A courier picks up your original. You get the attested paper by email, and the original back by courier.
- Get the paper attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan.
- Apply online on the UAE MoFA website with UAE PASS. Choose Pakistan.
- One application covers the UAE Embassy in Islamabad and the UAE MoFA.
- The online UAE step usually takes 2 to 3 working days.
- After attestation, apply for equivalency.
- School certificates: Ministry of Education (MoE).
- Degrees: Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR).
Document Verification Timeline
Collect your originals
As soon as you get final marks
Get your final certificate and marks from your board or university.
Home country attestation
Next
India: MEA. Pakistan: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
UAE embassy attestation
Then
Online through the UAE MoFA website. You do not visit a UAE embassy for the visa; this step is only for your certificates.
Equivalency
Within your first semester
Upload it to your university portal by the end of your first semester.
•Going to the UAE embassy before your own country's foreign ministry has stamped the paper.
•Sending a copy when the original is needed. A copy is not enough for online attestation.
•Pakistan: do not send papers in one bundle. Each paper gets its own official stamp.
•Starting too late. Attestation and equivalency take time.
Tick these off as you collect them.
Study Papers
Identity
Visa Papers
Tips
Keep a clear colour scan of every paper. Start attestation as soon as you have your final marks.
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