Behind every licence, visa and court filing in the UAE sits a layer of paperwork most people never see done well: typing centres, attestations, translations and stamps in the right order. That layer is document clearing — and it's the licensed activity at the core of Smartgic. Here's what it actually covers and when you'll need it.
What document clearing includes
1. Government application typing
UAE authorities require applications typed in prescribed Arabic formats through licensed channels — visa forms, licence applications, labour contracts, status changes. One wrong field and the application bounces, costing days. Clearing specialists type and submit hundreds of these weekly, so they don't bounce.
2. Attestation & legalisation
Making a document legally valid across borders. A foreign degree used in the UAE typically travels through:
- Notary/authority in the issuing country
- UAE Embassy in that country
- MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) attestation in the UAE
The same chain (reversed) applies to UAE documents used abroad. Common cases: degrees for employment visas, marriage/birth certificates for family sponsorship, commercial documents and POAs for company deals.
3. Certified legal translation
Courts and government departments accept only certified translations. Contracts, certificates and court documents — Arabic ↔ English and 12+ languages — stamped by licensed legal translators.
4. Notary & POA processing
Drafting and processing powers of attorney, declarations and undertakings before the notary public — including remote signings where permitted.
When you'll actually need it
- Visa applications — attested certificates for family visas and skilled-visa categories
- Company formation — attested parent-company documents for branches and corporate shareholders
- Banking — attested and translated documents for compliance files
- Court matters — translated, attested evidence and contracts
- Property & inheritance — POAs and attested personal documents
How long does attestation take?
- UAE-issued documents: often 1–3 working days through MOFA
- Foreign documents: depends on the issuing country's chain — typically 1–3 weeks; express options exist for many countries
Start attestation before the deadline that needs it — it's the step people discover late.
What it costs
MOFA attestation runs a fixed government fee per document (roughly AED 150–200 for most personal documents), plus embassy fees that vary by country, plus service charges. Certified translation is priced per page. A typical degree attestation lands in the AED 400–900 range all-in; commercial documents more.
One team for the whole chain
Smartgic's licensed clearing team handles typing, attestation, translation and notary work as a single engagement — the same engine behind our document clearing services and every visa we process. Send us your document list and we'll map the exact chain and cost.