Notary office near me
Notary public in the UAE: who runs notary work in each emirate
A notary public in the UAE is an official inside the justice system of an emirate, and which system you use depends on where you are and where the document is going. Federal law names three kinds of people who may do notarial work: public notaries, private notaries and accredited UAE consuls. Dubai runs its own notary law on top of that, and other emirates have their own courts or departments.
This page goes emirate by emirate. For each one it tells you who handles notary work, where to check the official details, and what to prepare. It is written for people who live in one emirate and have a document to sign for another, which is more common than most people expect.
We are Notary Services in Dubai, a notary services team in Business Bay. From our one office we prepare, translate and book documents for notary offices across the UAE.
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 regulates the notary profession across the UAE, free zones included.
- The same law does not apply to local judicial authorities whose notary services run under their own local legislation. Dubai is one of them, under Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013.
- Notarial duties are done only by public notaries, private notaries and accredited UAE consuls.
- The instrument a notary drafts is in Arabic. Another language is allowed only under conditions set by the Minister of Justice.
- Fees depend on the system: the federal schedule is Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, and Dubai sets private notary fees by its own decision.
Side by side
Two systems: federal and local
The federal notary law says it applies to everyone doing notarial work in the State, including the free zones, "with the exception of the local judicial authorities whose notarial services are governed by local legislation". That one sentence explains why a guide to the notary public in the UAE cannot give one answer for the whole country.
In Dubai, the local law is Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, and the notary sits under Dubai Courts. Other emirates either run their own judicial authority or use the federal courts and the Ministry of Justice. The UAE Government portal says Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain follow the federal judicial system, while Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah keep their own judicial departments. The table shows where to check for each.
| Emirate | Who runs notary work | Official place to check |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Dubai Courts (Government notary) and private notaries on the Dubai Courts roll | dc.gov.ae |
| Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi Judicial Department | adjd.gov.ae |
| Sharjah | Ministry of Justice (federal system) | moj.gov.ae |
| Ajman | Ministry of Justice (federal system) | moj.gov.ae |
| Umm Al Quwain | Ministry of Justice (federal system) | moj.gov.ae |
| Fujairah | Ministry of Justice (federal system) | moj.gov.ae |
Case by case
Emirate by emirate
Dubai
Dubai has a Government notary public at Dubai Courts and private notaries registered on a roll that Dubai Courts keeps. The Government notary works through service centres around the city, and Wafi Mall is the one most people know. Our guide to Dubai Courts notary public locations lists them with the source, and our Wafi Mall guide covers the busiest one.
Dubai is where we work every day. If your document is for use in Dubai, the preparation is simple: Arabic wording, the right supporting papers, and a booking at a Dubai Courts point or a private notary office.
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi's judicial authority is the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, often shortened to ADJD. Many people look for the notary public at Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi; whether that office takes notary work, attestation or both should be checked on the ADJD site before you drive there. Our Abu Dhabi notary guide explains how to check, and for people working near the industrial areas we have a page on notary services near Mussafah.
Sharjah
Sharjah residents often assume they must come to Dubai. Sharjah has notary offices of its own, and the Sharjah page on this site covers where to look. See Sharjah notary public locations.
Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah
The northern emirates are covered together on our page on the notary public in Ajman and the northern emirates. For each one, the court or the Ministry of Justice publishes the notary locations, and that page links to what we have been able to confirm. Private notaries also work in some of these emirates.
Free zones with their own courts
The DIFC in Dubai has its own courts and its own notary service. The DIFC Courts notary service can administer and witness oaths, affidavits, affirmations and declarations, and certify true copies. The DIFC Courts also say that whether another authority accepts a document they notarise is up to that authority. So the DIFC notary is right for DIFC matters and not a shortcut for an onshore Dubai document such as a power of attorney for a Dubai property.
Abu Dhabi Global Market also has its own courts. Other free zones in Dubai, such as DMCC, JAFZA and Dubai South, do not have their own courts. For those companies, a free zone notary in Dubai is the onshore notary: a Dubai Courts notary public or a private notary. So the Dubai South notary public is the same onshore notary a mainland company uses. Ask the free zone authority first whether it wants its own form; we check this before drafting.
Consuls: when you are abroad, and when you are a foreign national here
Federal law lists accredited UAE consuls as the third kind of notary. That matters if you are outside the UAE and need a document for use here: the UAE embassy or consulate in your country may be able to notarise it.
The other direction is just as common. Many people in the UAE need a document for their home country, and their own consulate here can notarise it for them under their own country's law. Our page on consulate notary and foreign documents covers Indian and Philippine documents first, and explains when a UAE notary is the better office.
Remote notarisation on the federal system
Federal law makes personal attendance the default, and also lets a notary use IT tools so that a person does not have to appear in person. The Ministry of Justice runs the E-Notary System at enotary.moj.gov.ae for this, with a public search page for checking a notarised document. It serves the federal system; Dubai Courts has its own channels. The Ministry of Justice has also offered a digital power of attorney service since 2023.
Prices
Fees change with the system
Because there are two systems, there are two fee schedules.
| Act | Federal public notary (Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024) | Private notary on the federal schedule | Dubai private notary (Dubai Courts decision in force 2 January 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General or special power of attorney | AED 100 per party | AED 130 per party (AED 100 plus 30 percent) | AED 100 per party registration plus AED 100 per signature |
| Authenticating signatures, unspecified value | AED 200 per party | AED 200 plus 30 percent | AED 100 per party registration plus AED 100 per signature |
The 30 percent is the professional fee a private notary may add on the federal schedule, under Article 2 of the resolution. The full picture, with our own starting prices, is on notary public charges.
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.
Questions
Which notary do you need?
Ask three questions, in this order:
1
Where will the document be used?
A document for a Dubai authority is normally signed in Dubai. A document for use abroad may be better signed at your consulate, or signed here and then attested.
2
Where are the signers?
Everyone who signs must attend the notary or join through an approved remote channel. If one person is abroad, their part may be signed before a notary or UAE consul where they are.
3
Is it a free zone matter?
If the document is for the DIFC, use the DIFC Courts notary. Otherwise, use the onshore notary.
If the answers point in different directions, send us the request you received and we will tell you which office will accept what.
How we help across the UAE
Our notarization services cover the whole preparation, wherever the notary is:
- We draft the document in Arabic and English in the form the receiving office expects.
- We coordinate the legal translation by a translator registered with the Ministry of Justice.
- We book the appointment in Dubai, and tell you what to bring for an office in another emirate.
- We courier papers within Dubai, from AED 80, and quote for other emirates on request.
See our services for the full list.
Is a notary public in the UAE the same in every emirate?
No. The federal law covers most notary work, but Dubai runs its own notary law and its own courts, and other emirates have their own judicial authorities. The notarial act is similar everywhere; the office, the fee and the booking system change.
Can I sign in Dubai for a document used in Abu Dhabi?
Often yes, but check with the office that will receive the document before you sign. Some authorities have their own rules on which notarisations they accept.
Can a UAE notary notarise a document written in English?
The notary's instrument is in Arabic. A foreign language is allowed only in the conditions the Minister sets, and in Dubai a foreign-language document needs a certified Arabic translation signed with it. In practice most documents are prepared in Arabic and English side by side.
I live abroad. How do I notarise a UAE document?
You can sign before a notary where you live and have the document attested for use in the UAE, or ask whether the UAE embassy or consulate in your country offers notarial services. Remote notarisation on the federal E-Notary System may also be possible for some cases.
Does the UAE accept an apostille?
No. The UAE does not appear on the Hague Conference's list of parties to the Apostille Convention. A foreign document is attested in its home country, then by the UAE embassy there, then by MOFAIC in the UAE.
What is the best way to choose a notary public in the UAE?
Start with the document, not the office. Check which emirate the receiving office is in and which system it expects, then use a government notary or a private notary listed on that system's register, and read the office timings on the official source. Send us the request you received and we tell you which office your document needs before you book.
Contact
Talk to us
Tell us which emirate the document is for and where each signer lives. We will name the office and prepare the papers.
Phone and WhatsApp
Office
707 Burj Khalifa Blvd, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time)
Areas we serve
More in this section
Hub
How to find a notary office near you in Dubai, which Dubai Courts point to check by area, when a notary can come to you, and how we courier your papers.
Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Articles 2, 3, 5, 17 and 18: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- 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
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Dubai Courts private notary fee decision, Dubai Media Office: 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
- UAE Ministry of Justice E-Notary System: https://www.moj.gov.ae/en/services/esystems/e-notary.aspx
- DIFC Courts notary service: https://www.difccourts.ae/difc-courts/services/notary-service
- MOFAIC FAQ on attestation: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- HCCH Apostille Convention status table: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
- UAE Government portal, The Federal Judiciary: https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/the-uae-government/the-federal-judiciary
- Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Notary Public: https://www.adjd.gov.ae/EN/Pages/notarypublics.aspx