Not sure if anyone will know the answer to this. It might just be a case of try it and see.

I had my education certs and passport copy notarised, legalised consularised etc when i went to Qatar in 2012. Can i use that same copy and send it straight to the UAE embassy for UAE consularisation do you think? It would save my some time and money if i can.

If they are formally attested documents with the British Government (Milton Keynes these days, dunno how it was done in 2012) slip of paper pasted on the back, then yes.

Normally if using them in the UAE they need to be stamped at the UAE embassy in the issuing country.

Yes all formally attested with Notary public documentation, but also have the Qatar embassy stamp on the back. I'm assuming they will not object to adding the UAE stamp to the same document. I was thinking maybe the attestation has a validity period or something. Though its not like my qualifications expire.


I'm in London so will get the docs to the USE embassy here.

Some good pubs in South Ken.

If I remember rightly the notary public puts his stamp, sticker and whatever on the original cert and then they take a copy and stamp that with the embassy attestation. Think that's what they did with mine?

If not I can't see having another countries attestation stamp would be a bad thing.

There's another stage, at least these days, involving the Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes:

1. Get a good quality colour copy made of your certificate(s). I recommend light card rather than paper as they end up with a ton of stuff stuck and stamped on the back.

2. Get each copy certified, stamped, signed and dated by either a Solicitor (cheaper) or Notary Public. Make sure they have address and contact details on the stamp, to save time with the next part as MK do check. I walked into a local high street solicitor in rural backwater Lincolnshire and they did it on the spot, so any will do. They were cheap (I paid £10 per document) but as their specimen signatures weren't on file at MK it took three or four weeks of cross-checking before my documents came back from Stage 3 below. Ideally the turnaround is 48 hours, using somebody listed on the Government website, but that will cost you more plus there may not be somebody local.

3. Go online at https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised and fill in the form and pay your money, then send the certificate copies (not originals), printed form and return envelope off to HM Government's Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes.

4. Your certificates will come back with legalisation certificates stuck on the back, and now you're good to go to the UAE (or whoever's) Consulate (not Embassy in the UAE's case) for their own sticky bits of paper. You drop the certificates off, pay (again) and get a ticket to come back later. I had a 4 hour wait. For anybody heading to the Middle East for the first time it's a gentle easing in to the barrage of further bureaucracy that will meet you once you get off the plane at the far end.

For Qatar there's an extra step (oneupmanship over the UAE?). Once the Qatari Embassy in London has done their bit, certificates need a further attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Doha, details online.

Wow!

Ballache central!