Dubai Courts guides
Dubai Courts notary public: how it works and how we help
The short answer
The Dubai Courts notary public is the government notary for the Emirate of Dubai. It attests powers of attorney, authenticates signatures and records the other instruments that Dubai law gives it. You can also skip the court queue: our in-house notary public at our Business Bay office notarises in person, online or at a home visit, 24/7.
At a glance
Message us on WhatsApp +971 52 947 5935 with your document and we reply with the route and your price.
Dubai's notaries are governed by Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013. The federal notary law leaves out local judicial authorities that have their own notary legislation.
Under the Dubai law, a notary public is the Government Notary Public, a Private Notary Public, or an employee of a government entity on the roll.
Dubai Courts verifies the parties to a POA by virtual or personal attendance.
The instrument is in Arabic. Another language needs a certified Arabic translation, and both versions are signed.
A document issued outside the UAE must first be attested by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, the UAE embassy there and MOFAIC.
9 pages in this hub
Every page in Dubai Courts guides
Guide
Contact Dubai Courts
How to reach Dubai Courts: the official contact number, toll free helpline, email, live chat and service centres, which to use and what to have ready.
Guide
Wafi Mall notary
Going to the public notary at Wafi Mall or another Dubai Courts centre? What each visit is for, what to bring, timings, and how to prepare your document.
Guide
Online notary (e-notary)
Online notary public in Dubai with our in-house notary, 24/7, plus how the Dubai Courts remote channel and the MOJ enotary system work for a POA.
Guide
Verify a document
Dubai Courts document verification: how to check that a notarised POA or document is genuine and still in force, and what to do if the check fails.
Service
Legal translation
Notary public translation certification in Dubai: when the notary or court needs Arabic, how a bilingual POA is made, and what it costs.
Service
Signature authentication
Signature approval in Dubai: notary signature authentication in person, online or at home with our in-house notary public. Fees, steps and what to bring.
Guide
Will registration
Dubai Courts will registration step by step: what to prepare, the Arabic text and the appointment. Our in-house notary public helps in person or online.
Guide
Abu Dhabi court notary
The Abu Dhabi court notary route under the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, compared with Dubai Courts: which one to use, what to bring, language and fees.
Guide
Sharjah notary office
Sharjah notary public office: how notary work runs under the federal Ministry of Justice, the fees, what to bring, and our in-house notary public.
Side by side
Two ways to get a notarised document in Dubai
| Dubai Courts route | Our route | |
|---|---|---|
| Who notarises | The Dubai Courts notary public, or a private notary on the Dubai Courts roll | Our in-house notary public at our Business Bay office |
| How you attend | At a service centre, or by virtual attendance | In person, online or at a home visit |
| When | Set by the court and its centres | 24/7 |
| Choose it when | The receiving body names Dubai Courts | You want one team to draft, translate and notarise |
If a bank, ministry or court asks for a Dubai Courts notarisation by name, we prepare the file and you attend the court route. Otherwise ask us which route fits your document.
01
Who the Dubai Courts notary public is
In Arabic the notary is called katib al adl (كاتب العدل). Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 names three kinds of notary public:
- The Government Notary Public, inside Dubai Courts. This is who most people mean by the Dubai court notary public.
- The Private Notary Public, a person on the roll kept by Dubai Courts who carries out functions assigned to them. In practice a private notary in Dubai is a lawyer licensed by Dubai Courts as a notary.
- A government entity employee on the roll, for notarial work inside that entity.
What the Dubai Courts notary does
The service most people use is attestation of a power of attorney. Dubai Courts groups its POA service by subject and asks for a matching supporting document: the title deed for property, the vehicle ownership certificate for a car, the trademark certificate for a trademark.
The notary also authenticates signatures and records other instruments. These pages cover each one:
Filing a case and paying court fees are court services, not notary work.
Step by step
Step by step: a power of attorney
This is the order for a POA, the most common case. Our page on power of attorney in Dubai goes deeper.
Decide the powers.
A general POA in general terms gives acts of management only (Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Article 871). Selling, settling, mortgaging and pleading before a court need a special POA that names the act (Article 870).
Prepare the text in Arabic.
An English draft needs an Arabic version by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice.
Collect the supporting document for the subject of the power.
Have the agent's details ready:
Emirates ID number, or a copy of the Emirates ID or passport.
Scan everything as PDF and pay the fee per party.
Attend.
The notary confirms identity, capacity and consent, in person or virtually.
Receive the attested POA.
Keep the original safe.
Checklist
What to bring
What to bring
- Principal's Emirates ID, or passport for a non-resident.
- Agent's Emirates ID number, or a copy of the Emirates ID or passport.
- The POA text in Arabic, or in English with the Arabic translation.
- The supporting document for the subject of the power.
- For a foreign document: attestation by the issuing country's foreign ministry, the UAE embassy there and MOFAIC. MOFAIC will not attest a laminated document.
Fees
Fees
Because Dubai has its own notary law, the fee depends on the route.
| Route | Fee |
|---|---|
| Dubai Courts POA attestation | Dubai Courts pages give different figures, so we confirm the current amount when you book |
| Dubai private notary | AED 100 per party for registration plus AED 100 per signature, and AED 1,000 per trip when the notary works outside the office |
| Federal schedule, for comparison | AED 100 per party for a general or special POA, AED 200 per party to authenticate signatures, AED 300 for an affidavit |
Our service for preparing a POA starts from AED 1,500, with the government fee paid on top at cost. All service prices are starting prices and are negotiable. Government fees are paid on top, at cost, exactly as the authority charges them. We confirm your final price before you pay. See the full list on our fees page.
Watch for
What holds a session up
- The name on the POA does not match the passport or Emirates ID, including the order of names.
- The Arabic is missing, or was not done by a Ministry of Justice legal translator.
- The POA is general, but the agent needs to sell a property or settle a case.
- A foreign document was never attested by the UAE embassy or MOFAIC.
In short
Other emirates and the DIFC
The Dubai Courts notary covers Dubai. For Abu Dhabi, see our Abu Dhabi court notary guide. The DIFC Courts Notary Service handles DIFC matters and is not the route for an onshore Dubai POA.
How we help
How we help
Our in-house notary public sits at our Business Bay office. We draft your POA or declaration in Arabic and English, our in-house notary public notarises it, and we hand it to you. You can sign in person, join an online session, or ask for a home visit, any time of day.
If your document needs a Dubai Courts notary, we prepare the file, check the names against your ID, have the Arabic done and tell you what to bring. If a notice must reach another party first, see our legal notices service. Call or WhatsApp +971 52 947 5935, or email support@notarypublicindubai.com with your document.
Questions
Questions about the Dubai Courts notary
Is the Dubai Courts notary public the same as a private notary?
No. The Dubai Courts notary public is the government notary. A private notary is a person on the Dubai Courts roll who carries out functions of the government notary assigned to them.
Does federal notary law apply in Dubai?
Not to Dubai's own notaries. Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 excludes local judicial authorities with their own notary legislation, and Dubai has Law No. 4 of 2013.
Can I get a notary in Dubai without going to the court?
Yes. Our in-house notary public works in person, online or at a home visit. Dubai Courts also provides virtual attendance on its POA service.
What language must my document be in?
Arabic. Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 allows another language only with an Arabic translation by a certified translator, and both versions are signed.
Can a document from another country be notarised here?
Only after it has been attested in that country and by the UAE embassy there, and then by MOFAIC. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone does not replace that chain.
More short answers are on our FAQ page.
Dubai Courts guides
Guides in this hub
Dubai Courts guides
Sharjah notary public office
Sharjah notary public office: how notary work runs under the federal Ministry of Justice, the fees, what to bring, and our in-house notary public.
Dubai Courts guides
Dubai Court contact number
How to reach Dubai Courts: the official contact number, toll free helpline, email, live chat and service centres, which to use and what to have ready.
Dubai Courts guides
Wafi Mall notary public
Going to the public notary at Wafi Mall or another Dubai Courts centre? What each visit is for, what to bring, timings, and how to prepare your document.
Contact
Send us your question
Tell us the document, who signs it and where it will be used. We reply with the route, the list of what to bring and your price.
NotaryPublicInDubai.com
Business Bay, Dubai, UAE
support@notarypublicindubai.com
Sources for this page
- Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai: https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4)%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the regulation of the notary profession, Articles 2 and 3: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- Dubai Courts, Power of Attorneys Ratification service page (archived 16 March 2023): https://web.archive.org/web/20230316055912/https://www.dc.gov.ae/PublicServices/GessServiceDetails.aspx?lang=en&ServiceCode=G4
- Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Civil Transactions Law, Articles 870 and 871: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Dubai private notary fees, Dubai Courts decision: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public
- MOFAIC attestation: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation
- DIFC Courts Notary Service: https://www.difccourts.ae/difc-courts/services/notary-service