Plain explainers
Notary penalties in the UAE, in simple terms
Notary penalties in the UAE are set out in a federal resolution on penalties for the notary profession, issued under Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022. The penalties are aimed at notaries, not at the people who visit them. For a customer, the practical message is simpler: use a notary who is properly registered, and know where to go if something goes wrong.
This page explains, in plain words, what kind of rule this is, who it covers, and what it means for you. The penalties themselves are listed in the resolution.
- The penalties are in a federal resolution on notary penalties, published on the UAE Legislation portal.
- It sits under Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 and its Executive Regulations.
- The federal decree-law applies across the UAE, including free zones, but not where an emirate's own judicial authority has separate notary legislation. Dubai is one such authority, under Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013.
- Federal law names three kinds of notary: public, private, and the UAE's accredited consuls. Nobody else may notarise.
- Penalties concern how notaries do their work. A customer's protection is to use a registered notary and to report problems to the supervising authority.
What kind of rule is it?
The federal notary law sets out what notaries must do: check identity, capacity and consent, read the content out and explain its effect, and charge the fees in the official schedule. A penalties resolution is the other side of that law. It says what happens to a notary who does not follow the rules.
Because the resolution is federal, the first question for any reader is which system your notary works under.
Does it apply in Dubai?
Article 2 of the federal decree-law carves out any local judicial authority that governs its notaries by its own law. Dubai's notaries work under Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, and technical supervision there sits with the President of the Court or an authorised judge. So how the federal penalties resolution relates to Dubai's private notaries depends on a reading of both texts together.
In Abu Dhabi the same question arises, because of its own judicial department.
What it means for you as a customer
For customers, the rules on notary penalties have three practical effects.
01
1. A registered notary is accountable
A public or private notary works under a supervising authority and a set of rules with consequences. That is part of what gives a notarised document its value.
02
2. Someone who is not registered cannot notarise
Federal law reserves notarial duties to public notaries, private notaries and accredited UAE consuls. A stamp from a typing centre, a translator or a lawyer who is not on the notary register does not make a document notarised, however official it looks.
03
3. Overcharging has a reference point
The government side of a notary's fee is set by an official schedule. On the federal system, Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 lists the fees, and a private notary may add up to 30 percent as professional fees. Dubai's private notaries charge under a Dubai Courts fee decision that took effect on 2 January 2026. If you are charged a notary fee far from these, ask for a breakdown. Note that a service provider's charges for drafting, translation or courier are separate from the notary fee.
How to check a notary before you sign
- In Dubai, look the notary up in the registry Dubai Courts publishes, or go to a Dubai Courts centre instead.
- On the federal system, check the competent department's register of private notaries.
- For a consul, the mission's own website should list its notarial services.
- For a document already notarised, ask the notary's office how it can be verified. For the federal E-Notary System, the Ministry of Justice offers a search page.
If something goes wrong
If you believe a notary acted wrongly, for example by notarising without checking identity or charging a fee not in the schedule, complain to the authority that supervises that notary. In Dubai that means Dubai Courts. On the federal system, the Ministry of Justice.
If the problem is a document that was wrongly notarised, such as a power of attorney signed without the principal's real consent, the remedy may be a court matter rather than a complaint. Take legal advice from a lawyer in that case.
How we help
We prepare your document so the notary public can check everything properly, and show government fees separately from our own prices on every quote. 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 notary public charges for the fees in full.
What are the notary penalties in the UAE?
They are set by a federal resolution on notary penalties, issued under the federal notary law. The resolution itself, on the UAE Legislation portal, lists each violation and its penalty.
Can a customer be fined by a notary?
The resolution is about penalties on notaries. Customers pay the fees in the official schedule, not fines. If a document is used for fraud, that is a separate criminal matter.
Is a document void if the notary is later penalised?
Not automatically. A penalty punishes the notary; the fate of any one document turns on the specific defect, and in a dispute a judge decides.
How do I know my private notary is registered?
In Dubai, check the Dubai Courts private notary registry. Elsewhere, check the register kept by the competent department.
Where can I read the resolution?
On the UAE Legislation portal. The link is in the sources below.
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Sources for this page
- Federal resolution on notary penalties, UAE Legislation portal: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/3875
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 regulating the notary profession, Articles 1, 2, 3 and 7: 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, Article 2: 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