Notary lawyer
Legal consultancy services in Dubai for your documents
Our legal consultancy services in Dubai answer the questions that come before a document is written or signed: which document you need, who has to sign it, where it can be signed, and whether the office asking for it will accept it. You get a clear answer and a plan, then, if you want us to, we draft and translate the document and you sign before our in-house notary public. We have in-house, in person notary public services, online notary public services and home visit notary services.
Most people who look for legal consultants in Dubai do not have a court case. They have a request from a bank, an embassy, a school, a landlord or a family member, written in a few lines, and they are not sure what it means. A short consultation at that point saves a wrong document, a wasted notary appointment and a second fee.
What a document consultation covers
Which document you actually need
The request says "NOC", "letter of consent", "affidavit" or "power of attorney", but the office may mean something else. We read the request with you, and where the words are unclear we tell you what to ask the office.
Who must sign, and in what capacity
A parent for a child, a manager for a company, an heir for an estate, or one spouse for the other. Each person's authority to sign has a basis, and the document should state it.
Where to sign it
The Dubai Courts notary, a private notary in Dubai, a UAE consul abroad, the DIFC Courts notary service for DIFC matters, or the Ministry of Justice E-Notary System. The right place depends on where the document will be used and where the signatories are.
What happens after the signing
Whether the document needs a legal translation, MOFAIC attestation, or attestation by the embassy of the country where it will be used. An apostille alone will not do for UAE use, because the UAE is not a party to the Hague convention on apostilles; attestation is the route.
Whether you need a document at all
Sometimes the office only needs a form, a copy or a letter from your employer. We say so.
Questions we are asked most often
These are typical of what people bring to law consultants in Dubai when the problem is a document.
- A foreign pension fund wants a notarised declaration that I am alive and living in Dubai. What should it say?
- My child's father lives abroad. How does he give consent for our child to travel with me?
- The other side's agent sent me a power of attorney to sign. Is it safe?
- Our company is changing its manager. Which documents change, and who signs them?
- My parents want to visit, and the consulate asked for an affidavit of support. Which format do they use?
- I need to sell my car while I am abroad. What do I sign, and where?
Each of these has a document answer. The consultation gives you that answer before anything is drafted.
Checklist
Before you sign a document someone else prepared
A document given to you by a buyer, a seller, an employer or a family member was written to serve their purpose. That is not wrong, but read it with these questions:
Does it give powers with no limit, such as "all matters" or "any transaction"?
Does it have an end date?
Does it allow the other person to pass your authority on to someone else?
Are the amounts, dates and property details correct, in both English and Arabic?
Does the Arabic say the same as the English? The Arabic is what the Dubai notary reads out.
Are you signing as yourself, or on behalf of a company or another person, and is that stated?
If any answer worries you, ask for a review before the appointment. Once a document is notarised, changing it means a new document and a new signing.
Documents that cross borders
Many people looking for legal advisors in Dubai with cross border experience have a document moving between two countries. Two cases come up again and again.
Signing abroad for use in the UAE
A signatory who lives abroad can sign before a notary in their country and have the document attested there and by the UAE embassy, then by MOFAIC in the UAE. An accredited UAE consul can also perform notarial duties abroad. We draft the document in Dubai so it reaches the signatory already in the form the UAE office expects.
Signing in Dubai for use abroad
The receiving country decides what it accepts, including the translation. Ask that office for its written requirements first, then we draft and plan the attestation around them.
01
Legal consultant or advocate: which one do you need?
A legal consultant on documents helps you choose, prepare and check the paper. An advocate represents you in a dispute or before a court. If your matter has already become a claim, a case or a demand from the other side's lawyer, you need an advocate who can appear for you. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2022, only lawyers licensed in the State may represent people before the courts (Article 6), with an exception for a spouse, in-law or blood relative up to the fourth degree (Article 8); emirates with their own judicial authorities may regulate the profession by local law (Article 3). We can still prepare supporting documents, such as translations and powers of attorney for the advocate, but the case is theirs.
For the related question of how lawyers and notaries differ, see is a lawyer a notary public. For the wider picture of how legal drafting leads into the notary appointment, go back to our notary lawyer in Dubai page.
Choosing a legal consultant in the UAE
What makes a legal consultant the top choice in the UAE for your matter is not a slogan. When you compare legal consultancy services in the UAE, ask every provider, including us, these questions before you pay:
- Who will actually work on my document, and what is their qualification?
- Is the consultation fee separate from the drafting fee, and are government fees extra?
- Will I receive the advice in writing?
- What is not included, for example court work, attestation or translation?
- What happens if the receiving office asks for a change after the signing?
Our answers: the consultation and the drafting are quoted separately, government fees are paid on top at cost, and we tell you at the start what is outside our work.
Step by step
How a consultation works
Step 1
Send us the request
A photo or copy of what the bank, embassy or office asked for, and any document you have been given to sign.
Step 2
Short call or meeting
We ask what you are trying to achieve, who is involved and where they are.
Step 3
The answer
Which document, who signs, where to sign, and what comes after.
Step 4
If you want us to continue
We quote for the drafting, translation and notarisation. You decide.
Prices
Fees
| Service | Our service price |
|---|---|
| Legal consultation | Quote on request |
| Drafting or typing (add-on) | From AED 200 |
| Legal translation | From AED 50 per page |
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.
Prices for complete documents are on our legal document fees page. For the documents themselves, see 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.
Can a legal consultant notarise my document?
No. That act belongs to a public or private notary, or to an accredited UAE consul abroad. A legal consultant advises on the document and prepares it, and the notary notarises it.
Do you handle court cases or mediation?
No. Court cases, disputes and mediation services need an advocate or a mediator. We prepare the documents that go with them, such as translations and powers of attorney.
Can I consult you from outside the UAE?
Yes. Phone, WhatsApp and email all work from abroad. If a document must be signed while you are abroad, we explain the route through a local notary or a UAE consul and the attestation that follows.
Will you tell me if I do not need a document?
Yes. If a form, a copy or a letter from your employer is enough, we say so at the start and you pay only for the consultation, if anything.
How is legal consultancy in Dubai different from drafting?
Consultancy decides what you need. Drafting writes it. Many clients start with a consultation and then ask us to draft, but you can stop after the advice.
Ask your document question
Call or WhatsApp +971 52 484 1790, or email support@notariolawyersuae.com with a photo of the request you received. We are on the 10th floor, Battuta Gate offices, Dubai. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.
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Looking for a notary lawyer near you in Dubai? We draft and check your document, prepare the Arabic and book the notary public who notarises it.
Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the regulation of the notary profession, Article 3: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- 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 attestation: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation
- Hague Apostille Convention status table: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
- Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2022 Regulating the Legal Profession and Legal Consultation Profession (Ministry of Justice copy): https://www.moj.gov.ae/assets/d984aaa6/federal-decree-law-no-34-of-2022-regulating-the-legal-profession-and-legal-consultation-638441976591014059.aspx