Legal translation
Birth certificate translation in Dubai
Our birth certificate translation service in Dubai turns a foreign birth certificate into Arabic, or a UAE Arabic certificate into English, for a child's residence visa, a school place, a passport application or a family file abroad. We translate every line, stamp and handwritten note, and we keep each name spelled exactly as it appears in the passport.
A birth certificate looks like a simple one page document. It causes more returned translations than most contracts, because it is full of names, places, dates and official marks, and each of them has to survive the move into another alphabet without changing. The same approach applies to marriage certificates, which we translate for the same offices.
When a birth certificate translation is needed
A child's residence visa
The parent sponsoring a child in the UAE presents the child's birth certificate.
School registration
Schools ask for the birth certificate to confirm the child's age and parents.
A newborn's documents abroad
Parents of a child born in the UAE often need the Arabic birth certificate in English for the home country's embassy, passport office or civil registry.
Family files
Inheritance, guardianship, a name change or a custody matter, where the birth certificate proves the family link.
The office that receives the certificate decides the format. Ask it three things before you order anything: does it want the translation into Arabic or English, must the translator be registered with the Ministry of Justice, and must the translation be notarised?
What we check on a birth certificate
Names
The child's name, both parents' names and sometimes the grandparents'. We fix one Arabic spelling for each name and match it to the Arabic spelling already on the parents' Emirates ID or visa, where there is one. A child whose father's name is spelled two ways in two documents can be treated as two different families.
Place of birth
Hospital, city, district and country, translated in a form the UAE reader recognises, with the original place name kept where there is no common equivalent.
Dates
Date of birth and date of registration are different dates and both appear. Where a certificate uses a local calendar, we translate the date as written and do not convert it unless the receiving office asks.
Registration details
Certificate number, registry office, volume and entry numbers. These are copied exactly, character for character.
Stamps, seals and signatures
Every stamp is described in the translation: who issued it and what it says. That includes the attestation stamps on the back.
Handwriting and corrections
Older certificates often carry handwritten entries or later corrections. We translate them and note that they are handwritten or added.
Short and full versions
Some countries issue a short certificate that leaves out the parents' details. If the office needs the parents named, a translation cannot add them; you need the full version from the issuing country first.
Case by case
Notarized English translation: when you need one
A notarized English translation means the translation has gone through a notarial step with the document it belongs to. It is not the same as a legal translation, and it is not always required. Each office decides whether a translation from a Ministry of Justice registered legal translator is enough on its own.
You need the notarised version when the receiving office, often a foreign embassy or registry, asks for it in writing. People sometimes search for a notarized translation near me when what the office wants is a registered legal translation, so check the request before paying for both. If a notarised translation is needed, we book the signing and the notary charges the federal AED 50 per page for notarising a translation included in the instrument.
Does the Dubai notary attest a birth certificate translation?
The notary's role is to notarise instruments and the translations included in them. A birth certificate is a civil record issued by a government, not an instrument the parents sign. Whether a translation of it needs any notarial step depends entirely on the office that asked for it. For documents coming into the UAE, the usual chain is attestation abroad, MOFAIC attestation here, then a legal translation.
Watch for
Common reasons a birth certificate translation is returned
01
The back of the certificate was not translated because it only carried stamps.
02
The translation was made before the MOFAIC stamp was added.
03
The Arabic spelling of a parent's name differs from their Emirates ID.
04
A handwritten correction was left out as if it were a mark on the paper.
05
The translation is a summary of the certificate, not a full translation.
06
The certificate is the short version and the office needs the parents' names.
Step by step
How our notarized translation service works
01
Send a clear scan of both sides of the certificate, with all attestation stamps already on it.
02
Tell us who will receive it and, if you can, forward their written request.
03
Send the passports of the child and both parents, so we can match the names.
04
Quote
We count the pages and confirm the price before we start.
05
Translation and check
Names, numbers, dates and stamps are checked against the original.
06
Your check
You confirm the spelling of every name in your own language.
07
Delivery, or the signing
You receive the stamped translation, or we book the notarisation if the office asked for it.
For contracts, court papers, company documents and wills, see our main legal translation services page.
Prices
Fees
| Service | Our service price |
|---|---|
| Legal translation | From AED 50 per page |
| Translation coordination (add-on to a document we prepare) | From AED 350 |
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.
Government fees you may meet on the way: MOFAIC attests a personal document for AED 150, and the federal fee for notarising a translation included in an instrument is AED 50 per page. More prices are on our legal document fees page.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not here, ask it on WhatsApp. Tell us what the document is for and who will sign it.
Can you translate a UAE birth certificate into English?
Yes. Parents of children born in the UAE often need the Arabic certificate in English for their embassy or home country registry. Ask that office whether it also wants the certificate attested before translation.
Do both sides of the birth certificate need translating?
Yes, if the back carries anything: stamps, attestations, registration notes or corrections. A receiving office expects the translation to cover the whole document.
Should I translate before or after attestation?
After. If you translate first and a stamp is added later, the translation no longer describes the whole certificate and may be refused.
Can you translate a marriage certificate at the same time?
Yes. Family visa files often need both. We translate them together so the parents' names are spelled the same way in each.
Do I need to bring the original certificate?
For the translation, a clear scan of both sides is usually enough. If a notarised translation is needed, bring the original certificate and your ID to the signing.
Send us your certificate
Send both sides of the certificate to support@notariolawyersuae.com or by WhatsApp to +971 52 484 1790, and tell us which office will receive it. We are on the 10th floor, Battuta Gate offices, Dubai.
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Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the regulation of the notary profession, Article 5: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, fee table item 11: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491/download
- MOFAIC attestation and fees: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- Hague Apostille Convention status table: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41