Legal drafting
Board resolution notarization and MOA drafting in Dubai
Board resolution notarization in Dubai goes smoothly when the resolution was drafted for the office that will receive it. We write company resolutions, MOA addenda and partner agreements so that the names, the decision and the signing authority all line up with your trade licence and your memorandum of association, then we book the signing before the notary.
A bank, a free zone registrar or a licensing department reads a company document with one question in mind: did the right people decide this, and does the paper prove it? Most rejections come from the answer being unclear on paper, not from the decision itself. This page covers the drafting side: what each clause does, where company documents usually go wrong, and how the paper reaches the notary in a form that passes.
Company documents we draft
Board resolutions
Decisions of the board of directors, or of the managers of an LLC, on matters such as opening or changing a bank mandate, appointing a manager or authorised signatory, approving a lease or a large contract, or giving a power of attorney to an employee.
Shareholder or partner resolutions
Decisions that the MOA reserves for the owners rather than the managers, such as a share transfer, a capital change, admitting a new partner or amending the MOA itself. A shareholders resolution in the UAE also records a decision to dissolve the company and start its liquidation, and we draft that company liquidation resolution with the same checks.
Addenda to the MOA
The document that records a change to the memorandum of association of a Dubai company: new partners, new share split, a new manager, a change of activity or of the company's name. For a general explanation of how MOAs and addenda work, see the addendum to MOA guide and the memorandum of association guide on our sister site. This page is about drafting them.
Partnership agreements
The private agreement between partners in the UAE that sits beside the MOA and covers what the MOA leaves out: how partners take day to day decisions, how profit is drawn, what happens if one partner wants to leave or dies, and how a deadlock is broken.
The wording
What a board resolution must say, clause by clause
A board resolution that a bank or registry accepts on the first attempt usually has these parts. We draft in this order, and we check a resolution you bring against the same list.
Checklist
Company resolutions and MOA
1
Company identification The full legal name exactly as on the trade licence, the licence number, the issuing authority and the registered address. A shortened trading name is a common reason for a query.
2
The body that decided Board of directors, managers or general assembly of partners. It must be the body the MOA gives the power to decide this matter.
3
How the decision was taken At a meeting, with the date and place, or as a written resolution signed by all members. Where the MOA sets a quorum or a majority, the resolution states that it was met.
4
Who was present or who signed Full names as in the passport, with each person's role in the company. Every name must match the licence and the MOA.
5
The recital One or two sentences of background: why the decision is needed.
6
The resolved clauses Each decision as a separate numbered clause, written as a specific act. "To open a current account with a named bank and to appoint the persons below as signatories" is specific. "To handle all banking matters" is not.
7
Limits on the authority given Amounts, single or joint signing, the period of the authority and whether the person may delegate it. A resolution with no limits is sometimes refused, and when it is accepted it gives more power than the owners meant to give.
8
Effective date and revocation When the decision takes effect, and which earlier resolution it replaces, if any.
9
Signature block Each signatory's name, role and ID number, with space for the notary's certification.
Board resolution notarization for a Dubai visa or company file
Many searches for board resolution notarization in Dubai come from visa and company file work: a resolution that authorises a manager or a named employee to sign immigration and labour applications for the company's staff. The drafting point is precision. Name the person, their passport or Emirates ID number and the exact type of application, and state whether the authority covers new applications, renewals and cancellations.
Watch for
Where company documents go wrong
These are the problems we look for before any document goes near the notary.
01
The signatory has no authority A manager signs a resolution on a matter the MOA reserves for the partners. The notary may check capacity, and a registry will certainly check it.
02
The names do not match the licence A partner has renewed a passport, a middle name appears on one document and not another, or the licence shows a transliteration that differs from the passport.
03
The MOA was amended but the licence was not updated A resolution drafted from the new MOA meets a registry that still has the old one on file.
04
One clause, two meanings The English says "jointly" and the Arabic reads as "or", or the amounts differ between the two columns.
05
A missing partner An MOA addendum lists every partner, but one of them is abroad and has not signed and has not given a power of attorney for this act.
Drafting an addendum to the MOA of a Dubai company
An addendum to the MOA does one job: it changes the company's constitution in a way the licensing authority can record. The clean way to draft it is to quote the clause being changed and then give its new text in full, not to describe the change in general words.
Recite the current position
The date of the original MOA and of any earlier addenda, and the current partners and shares.
State each change as a replacement
"Article 6 is deleted and replaced with the following" followed by the whole new article, so the reader never has to merge two documents in their head.
Keep the numbers consistent
When shares move, the new table must add up to the full capital, in figures and in words, in both languages.
Deal with the knock on effects
A new manager may need a new signing authority clause. A departing partner may need a clause on the transfer of their shares and a release.
Signatures
Every partner the MOA requires signs, in person or through a special power of attorney that covers this act.
Memorandum of association notarization for a Dubai company follows the licensing authority's rules. Mainland companies and free zone companies use different registries, and some free zones prepare the changed document on their own template. We check the route before drafting so the text is written for the office that will record it. The same check applies to every MOA amendment, whether it is one addendum or several addendums signed over the years, and to an annulment of the memorandum of association when the partners agree to cancel it. For DMCC company document notarization or DAFZA legal document notarization, we first confirm what that free zone asks for, then draft to it.
Partnership agreements in the UAE
A partnership agreement is where partners write down the rules they would otherwise argue about later. The points we cover with you are practical ones.
- Who decides what, and which decisions need every partner's consent.
- How and when profit is paid out, and what each partner may draw before year end.
- What each partner contributes: money, work, a licence, a client list.
- How a partner leaves: notice, valuation of their share, and who may buy it first.
- What happens on a partner's death or incapacity.
- How a deadlock between equal partners is broken.
We write the partnership agreement so that it does not contradict the MOA. Most partnership agreements bind the partners without a notary, but many partners sign before one so there is an official check of who signed. Our partnership agreement notary services cover the drafting, the Arabic text and the booking, and partnership agreement notarization follows the same signing steps as a resolution. Where the partners want a rule to bind the company itself, such as a new signing authority, it belongs in an MOA addendum as well, not only in the private agreement.
Resolutions from a foreign parent company
When the decision is taken abroad, for example by the board of a parent company appointing a manager for its Dubai branch, the resolution is signed and notarised in the home country. It is then attested in that country, including by the UAE embassy, and attested again by MOFAIC once it arrives in the UAE. We can draft the resolution in Dubai before it is sent abroad for signing, so it already says what the Dubai registry needs, and prepare the Arabic translation once the attestation stamps are on it. Our legal translation services cover that last step.
Step by step
How the drafting reaches the notary
01
Documents from you
Trade licence, current MOA and every addendum, passports or Emirates IDs of the signatories, and a short note of what the decision is for and who will receive it.
02
Authority check
We read the MOA to confirm which body decides this matter and who may sign.
03
Draft in English
You receive a draft with each clause explained in plain words.
04
Arabic text
Once the English is agreed, the Arabic is prepared and aligned clause by clause, usually as a two column document.
05
Booking
We book the signing and tell each signatory what to bring. Anyone who cannot attend needs a power of attorney that covers this act.
06
Signing
The notary checks each signatory's identity and capacity, reads the document out and notarises it.
07
Submission
You, your PRO or the company's registered agent submit it to the bank or authority. If it is going abroad, we explain the attestation it needs.
Prices
Fees
| Service | Our service price |
|---|---|
| Board resolution | From AED 2,000 |
| MOA (memorandum of association) | From AED 600 |
| AOA, trade licence or incorporation documents | From AED 500 |
| Legal translation | From AED 50 per page |
| Drafting or typing (add-on) | From AED 200 |
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.
The notary's fee depends on whether the document states a value. Under the federal schedule in Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, an instrument under AED 50,000 or of unspecified value is AED 200 per party, and an instrument above AED 100,000 is 0.5 percent of its value, capped at AED 15,000 for execution or AED 30,000 for notarisation. For a private notary in Dubai, a Dubai Courts decision sets the charge, announced as AED 100 per party for registration plus AED 100 per signature. MOFAIC attests a commercial document for AED 2,000. A partnership agreement is priced on its length and the number of partners. More prices are on our legal document fees page.
02
How we help
Our board resolutions notarization service in Dubai starts with your company file: we confirm who has authority to decide and sign, and draft the resolution, addendum, company power of attorney or agreement in English and Arabic. We book the signing before the notary and tell every signatory what to bring. The notary checks the signatories and notarises the document. You or your PRO submit it to the bank or registry. For other company and personal documents, go back to our document drafting and notarization service.
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.
What is a notarized board resolution?
It is a board resolution signed before a notary, who confirms the identity and capacity of the signatories and notarises the document. Banks and registries ask for it when they need proof that the company decision was taken by the right people.
Who should sign a board resolution for an LLC?
The persons the MOA gives the power to decide that matter. For some decisions that is the manager or managers, for others it is the partners. We read your MOA before drafting so the right people sign.
Can a partner sign an MOA addendum from abroad?
Yes, through a special power of attorney that covers the act, or by signing before a notary or UAE consulate where they live. The document signed abroad then needs attestation before it is used in Dubai.
Does a board resolution need Arabic?
Yes, in practice. The Dubai notary works from an Arabic text, so an English resolution needs a certified Arabic translation signed alongside it. That is why we prepare most company documents in two columns from the start.
Is a board resolution notary step enough for a foreign bank?
Often not. A document going abroad usually needs attestation after notarisation, and the foreign bank decides what it accepts. Ask the bank for its list of requirements before the signing and share it with us, so the drafting follows it.
What is the difference between MOA notarization and MOA attestation?
MOA notarization is the signing of the memorandum of association, or an addendum to it, before a notary, who checks each partner's identity and capacity and applies the seal. MOA attestation in Dubai is a later step for a document that will be used abroad: MOFAIC attests it, then the embassy or consulate of the destination country in the UAE. MOFAIC attests a commercial document for AED 2,000.
Does a shareholders resolution need attestation?
Usually only when it will be used outside the UAE. A shareholders resolution signed before a notary is ready for a Dubai bank or registry. For a foreign bank or registry, shareholders resolution attestation by MOFAIC follows the notary step, and company liquidation resolution attestation works the same way.
Can you draft a company power of attorney?
Yes. Company POA drafting and notarization usually starts with the board resolution that authorises it, so we draft the two together and make the powers match. Common types are a company management power of attorney, a power of attorney for share transfer, a power of attorney for liquidation, a power of attorney for tax matters, and a company formation POA for the person who sets up a new company. Our company power of attorney starts from AED 1,500, and the federal notary fee for a power of attorney is AED 100 per party.
Talk to us about your company document
Call or WhatsApp +971 52 484 1790, or email support@notariolawyersuae.com with your trade licence and a line on what the decision is for. We are on the 10th floor, Battuta Gate offices, Dubai.
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Sources for this page
- Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai, Article 27: 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, Article 7: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, fee table items 1 to 7: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491/download
- Dubai private notary fees, 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
- 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