5 Documents You Cannot Submit in Dubai Without a Certified Translator
If you're living in Dubai or dealing with UAE paperwork — listen up. One missing stamp can get your entire application rejected. Here's what you actually need to know before you submit anything official.
Which Documents Require a Certified Translator in Dubai?
The five documents most commonly rejected by UAE authorities due to missing certified translation are: marriage and divorce certificates, academic degrees and transcripts, court judgments and legal affidavits, medical reports submitted for insurance or visa purposes, and business contracts requiring notarization. Each of these falls under a category that the UAE Ministry of Justice and relevant government departments will only accept when translated by a recognized certified translator — one who stamps and signs the document to confirm accuracy and completeness. Submitting any of these in an unofficial translation, regardless of how accurate it appears, is grounds for immediate rejection at immigration counters, court submissions, and embassy appointments. In Dubai, the standard is non-negotiable: the translation must come from a certified translation office in Dubai operating under UAE legal guidelines, with the translator's credentials verifiable by the receiving authority.
The 5 Documents:
1. Marriage & Divorce Certificates Submitting for residency, family visa, or legal proceedings? These must be certified translated. Al Hiqba handles legal translation in Dubai for all personal status documents recognized by UAE courts and embassies. No stamp = no acceptance.
2. Academic Degrees & Transcripts Job applications, university admissions, professional licensing — UAE authorities will not process a foreign degree without certified translation. Our educational and academic translation service covers all degree types and issuing countries.
3. Court Judgments & Legal Affidavits Every foreign-language document entering a UAE courtroom needs a certified translator's stamp. The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs and UAE courts require full certified translation before any foreign document is admissible.
4. Medical Reports Insurance claims, visa medicals, hospital transfers — if it's in a foreign language, it needs certification before any UAE body will act on it. Al Hiqba's medical translation services in Dubai are handled by translators with medical terminology expertise.
5. Business Contracts Notarization in the UAE requires Arabic. If your contract isn't certified translated, it isn't legally binding here. Our financial and business translation service ensures your contracts meet UAE notarization standards.
What Happens If You Skip a Certified Translator for These Documents?
Skipping a certified translator for official document submission in Dubai does not just delay the process — it can trigger a full rejection that restarts your application timeline from zero. Visa applicants have had residency approvals held because a degree certificate was translated without certification. Business owners have faced contract disputes when agreements lacked a legally stamped Arabic translation. Court cases in the UAE require every foreign-language document to carry certified translation before a judge will consider it admissible evidence. The risk is not theoretical — it is built into UAE procedural law. Al Hiqba, based in Deira, Dubai, handles certified translation for all five document types across 50+ languages, with each translation stamped, signed, and formatted to meet the exact standards required by the receiving authority, whether that is a government ministry, a court, or a foreign embassy.
The bottom line:
A certified translator doesn't just convert words — they stamp and sign the document so UAE ministries, courts, and embassies actually accept it. Al Hiqba in Deira, Dubai handles all five document types in 50+ languages with proper certification on every page.
📍 Deira, Dubai 📧 [email protected] 📞 +971 50 996 2551 🌐 www.alhiqba.com
