A Practical Guide to Notary Services for Contracts, Affidavits & POA
A contract, affidavit, or Power of Attorney that is not properly notarised is, in most UAE dealings, not worth the paper it is printed on. Dubai Courts, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, and every bank, land department, and government authority in the UAE will reject a POA or commercial agreement that has not gone through the correct notarisation channel — Ministry of Justice notary public, a Dubai Courts Notary Public office, or an approved private/typing-centre notary service, as applicable to the emirate and document type. At PNPC Global, we do not just push paper through a counter.
What You're Really Buying
Notarisation in the UAE is the process by which a Notary Public — a judicial or judicially-authorised officer — certifies the authenticity of signatures, verifies the identity and capacity of the signing parties, and confirms that a document was executed voluntarily and with full understanding of its contents. In the UAE, notarisation of contracts, Powers of Attorney (POA), affidavits, and declarations is primarily carried out through Ministry of Justice (MOJ) notary public offices and Dubai Courts' Notary Public department in Dubai, alongside a growing number of MOJ-licensed private notary offices and typing-centre-linked notarisation counters that have been rolled out progressively since the mid-2010s to reduce queues at court notary counters. Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) operates its own notary public services for the emirate, and other emirates run their notarisation through the relevant local judicial department or the federal MOJ network.
For the full scope, current process and what PNPC includes, see the dedicated Notary Services for Contracts, Affidavits & POA service page.
Signs This Applies to You
- Appointing a PRO, lawyer, or trusted representative to handle company incorporation, licensing, or government transactions on your behalf via a General or Special Power of Attorney
- Buying or selling UAE property, or authorising someone else to complete the transaction — Dubai Land Department and equivalent authorities in other emirates require a notarised POA for representative transactions
- Executing shareholder agreements, MOA amendments, share transfer agreements, or corporate resolutions that require notarisation as a precondition to DED, free zone authority, or Land Department registration
- Signing a sworn affidavit — single-status declaration, name-variation declaration, declaration of income/no-income, or a commercial declaration supporting a legal claim or bank/visa requirement
What This Doesn't Cover
- Internal company documents with no external registration requirement — a simple internal memo, informal minutes, or draft term sheet does not need notarisation until it becomes a binding, registrable instrument
- Low-value, low-risk personal arrangements between trusted parties where a private signed agreement is commercially sufficient and the cost/time of notarisation is disproportionate — though we still recommend legal review
- Documents that are still being negotiated — notarising a contract before terms are final locks in language that then requires a fresh notarised addendum or replacement to change, at additional cost and time
Common Questions
What is the difference between notarisation and attestation in the UAE?
Notarisation is the certification, by a Notary Public (Ministry of Justice, Dubai Courts, or Abu Dhabi Judicial Department), that the signatures on a document are genuine and that the signatories appeared, were identified, and signed voluntarily. Attestation (also called legalisation) is a separate, subsequent step that certifies the notarisation itself — and any government seal on the document — is genuine, so that a foreign country (or the UAE, for an inbound foreign document) will accept it. Because the UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, this attestation is always the full consular/embassy legalisation chain for the UAE side — there is no apostille shortcut available for or from the UAE. A document that is notarised but not attested is generally not usable outside the UAE.
What is MOJ e-Notary and can I use it for any document?
MOJ e-Notary Real Time is the Ministry of Justice's remote video notarisation platform, which allows certain Powers of Attorney, contracts, and affidavits to be notarised without a physical counter visit — parties appear on a video call with their Emirates ID or passport visible. It significantly speeds up straightforward matters. It is not universally available for every document type or scenario — some matters still require a physical Dubai Courts or ADJD counter visit, particularly complex corporate documents or where in-person verification is specifically required.
Do I need to notarise a Power of Attorney to appoint a PRO for company setup?
Yes, in the great majority of cases. A General or Special Power of Attorney authorising a PRO, lawyer, or representative to sign incorporation documents, obtain licences, or deal with government departments on your behalf must be notarised for the relevant authority (DED, free zone authority, or government department) to accept the representative's signature as binding on you.
Getting This Right From the Start
A rejected or wrongly-routed notarised document costs weeks, not days — talk to PNPC before your document goes anywhere near a notary counter, and let us get the sequence right the first time.
PNPC Global has advised Dubai businesses since 1986. Explore the full Corporate Services & PRO (UAE) practice for related services, or go straight to the Notary Services for Contracts, Affidavits & POA page for specifics.
Specific rates, fees, thresholds and deadlines are set by the relevant authority and change over time — this article deliberately does not quote figures that could go stale. Confirm current numbers directly with PNPC or the official source before you act.