If you are searching for a US apostille in UAE, you have come to the right place. Whether you are dealing with legal, educational, personal, or commercial documents from the United States of America, understanding the apostille United States process and why one needs it from UAE is necessary. Although UAE is not a Hague country, people living in UAE with US documents may need an apostille to submit their documents in a Hague country. Similarly, if you want to use US documents in UAE, you need to get attestation from the UAE embassy in US. This article explains how to obtain a valid USA Apostille either online or in person and how to make sure it is accepted in your target Hague country.
4 Easy steps to get US Apostille on the documents
A US apostille also known as Apostille United States of America is an authentication certificate issued by designated authorities in the US as per the guidelines of the Hague Apostille Convention. Member countries of the convention accept a document with an apostille as valid legal document without further legalization from the embassy or consulate.
USA has been a Hague apostille convention member since 1981. Thus, if you are submitting your US documents in another Hague apostille convention country, an apostille is enough for legalization purposes. By certifying that the seal and sign are genuine, an apostille simplifies the cross border legal recognition of public documents.
However, if you are submitting your US documents in a non Hague country such as UAE, an embassy attestation is required.
Whenever a document issued in the USA is submitted to government authorities, employers, courts, higher education institutions, or immigration departments in any Hague country, getting an apostille is mandatory for the legal acceptance. Following are the situations where a US Apostille is required in UAE:
To conclude, if you are currently in the UAE and you want to submit your US documents to any Hague country for any purposes, an apostille is needed.
As a federal nation, the United States of America has an apostille facility at state level and federal level. However, you cannot get an apostille for all documents from the federal government.
If the document is state issued such as vital records, academic documents, and court orders, you need to get the apostille certificate from the secretary of the respective state. Thus, the procedure, fee and timeline will vary depending on the state of issuance.
Federal documents such as documents issued by U.S. federal agencies, U.S. passports, or documents signed by U.S. consular officers or military notaries need to get a federal apostille. Federal apostille is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C.
| Category | Examples of Documents | Where Apostille Is Obtained | Notes |
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State Apostille – General (Notarized or State-Issued Documents) |
1. Notarized affidavits
2. Power of attorney
-3. Consent letters (e.g., parental travel consent)
4. Contracts signed and notarized
5. Academic diplomas and transcripts (notarized by school official) |
Secretary of State (of the issuing state) |
Must be notarized by a licensed notary in the same state. School documents often need registrar notarization first. |
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State Apostille – Vital Records |
1. Birth certificates
2. Marriage certificates
3. Death certificates
4. Divorce decrees (court-issued) |
Secretary of State (state of issuance) |
Certified copies must be obtained from Vital Records Office, county clerk, or issuing court before submission. |
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State Apostille – Court & Legal Documents |
1. FBI background check
-2. Naturalization certificate
3. Certificate of Free Sale (FDA)
4. IRS tax forms (if certified by IRS)
5. Social Security Administration (SSA) verification letters |
U.S. Department of State – Office of Authentications (Washington, D.C.) |
Requires submission of Form DS-4194. Only federal documents go through this office. |
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Other Federal-Affiliated Documents |
1. Documents notarized by U.S. Military Notaries (JAG)
2. Consular reports issued by U.S. Embassies
3. USPTO (Patent/Trademark) certificates |
U.S. Department of State – Office of Authentications |
Federal seal and signature verification only; state authorities cannot apostille these |
|
Corporate & Commercial Documents |
1. Certificate of Incorporation (state-issued)
2. Business licenses
3. Board resolutions
4.IRS EIN verification (if notarized) |
Secretary of State (state of business registration) |
Must be notarized or certified by the state issuing authority. |
|
Educational & Professional Credentials |
1. High school transcripts
2. College degrees
3. Professional licenses (medical, engineering, legal) |
Secretary of State (state of school or licensing authority) |
Must be notarized by registrar or licensing board official before apostille. |
Step 1: Notarize the document if required or Issue a certified copy in case of vital records
Government issued documents usually do not require a notary attestation before apostille. Documents such as affidavits, power of attorney or any other private documents require a notary from a licensed notary public. If it is a vital record issue a certified copy from the state vital record office or country registrar.
Step 2- Submission to Secretary of State for state Apostille
SLS apostille Submits the notarized document or certified vital record to the Secretary of State office in the state where it was issued. The office of the secretary verifies whether the signature of the notary or document issued officer is available in the state database of registered officials. Then, check the seal and other details of the document for authenticity. Finally, an apostille certificate will be attached to the document with seal and signature of the secretary of the state.
Step 3- Submit to U.S. Department of State – Office of Authentications for Federal Apostille
If your document is a federal document (e.g., FBI background check, naturalization certificate), send it to the U.S. Department of State – Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. The office will verify the document particulars similar to state level verification. Finally, the USDOS will issue an apostille certificate as an attachment to your document.
Time required to obtain a US Apostille in UAE may vary depending on the state of issuance of documents. For example, the state of California takes slightly less time for an apostille. You can get it done within three days. However, the Texas documents may take more than a month to get an apostille. Similarly federal documents such as FBI Background checks need to get an apostille from the federal government. This will also take more than a month.
Securing a US apostille in the UAE involves obtaining an apostille from the respective US authority depending on the document type and ensuring it matches with the requirement from your target country’s authorities. Once received an apostille, your US documents can be used legally in any Hague country. With the help of authorized apostille and attestation service providers such as Secure Legalization Services, you can get Apostille United States of America from the UAE fast and smoothly.
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Apostille for Alabama State issued Document in the UAE/UAE Embassy Attestation for Alabama State issued Document |
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Apostille for Alaska State issued Document in the UAE/ UAE Embassy Attestation for Alaska State issued Document |
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Apostille for Arizona issued Document in UAE/ UAE Embassy Attestation for Arizona issued Document |
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Apostille for Arkansas issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Arkansas issued Document |
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Apostille for California issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for California issued Document |
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Apostille for Colorado issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Colorado issued Document |
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Apostille for Connecticut issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Connecticut issued Document |
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Apostille for Delaware issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Delaware issued Document |
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Apostille for Florida issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Florida issued Document |
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Apostille for Georgia issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Georgia issued Document |
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Apostille for Hawaii issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Hawaii issued Document |
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Apostille for Idaho issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Idaho issued Document |
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Apostille for Illinois issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Illinois issued Document |
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Apostille for Indiana issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Indiana issued Document |
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Apostille for Iowa issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Iowa issued Document |
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Apostille for Kansas issued Document in UAE /UAE Embassy Attestation for Kansas issued Document |
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Apostille for Kentucky issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Kentucky issued Document |
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Apostille for Louisiana issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Louisiana issued Document |
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Apostille for Maine issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation in Maine issued Document |
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Apostille for Maryland issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Maryland issued Document |
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Apostille for Massachusetts issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Massachusetts issued Document |
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Apostille for Michigan issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Michigan issued Document |
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Apostille for Minnesota issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Minnesota issued Document |
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Apostille for Mississippi issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Mississippi issued Document |
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Apostille for Mississippi issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Mississippi issued Document |
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Apostille for Montana issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Montana issued Document |
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Apostille for Nebraska issued Document in UAE/ UAE Embassy Attestation for Nebraska issued Document |
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Apostille for Nevada issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Nevada issued Document |
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Apostille for New Hampshire issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for New Hampshire issued Document |
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Apostille for New Jersey issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for New Jersey issued Document |
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Apostille for New Mexico issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for New Mexico issued Document |
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Apostille for New York issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for New York issued Document |
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Apostille for North Carolina issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for for North Carolina issued Document |
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Apostille for North Dakota issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for North Dakota issued Document |
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Apostille for Ohio issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Ohio issued Document |
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Apostille for Oklahoma issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Oklahoma issued Document |
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Apostille for Oregon issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Oregon issued Document |
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Apostille for Pennsylvania issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Pennsylvania issued Document |
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Apostille for Rhode Island issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Rhode Island issued Document |
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Apostille for South Carolina issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for South Carolina issued Document |
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Apostille for South Dakota issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for South Dakota issued Document |
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Apostille for Tennessee issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Tennessee issued Document |
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Apostille for Texas issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Texas issued Document |
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Apostille for Utah issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Utah issued Document |
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Apostille for Vermont issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Vermont issued Document |
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Apostille for Virginia issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Virginia issued Document |
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Apostille for Washington issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Washington issued Document |
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Apostille for West Virginia issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for West Virginia issued Document |
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Apostille for Wisconsin issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Wisconsin issued Document |
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Apostille for Wyoming issued Document in UAE / UAE Embassy Attestation for Wyoming issued Document |
No. UAE is not a Hague apostille convention member country. Thus, an apostille is not enough if you are submitting your documents to UAE. Getting an attestation from the UAE embassy in the USA is mandatory for legalization of US documents in UAE.
Yes. With the help of authorized apostille service providers who provide services in UAE, such as Secure Legalization Services, you can get US apostille from UAE.
No. They can only do the final attestation once the UAE Embassy in the U.S. has legalized the document. processes that need to be done in US cannot be done in UAE, sending documents to US is mandatory.
| Location | Contact Number | Email ID |
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US Apostille Service in Abu Dhabi
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US Apostille Service in Ajman |
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US Apostille Service in Al Ain |
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US Apostille Service in Al Dhaid |
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US Apostille Service in Al Dhannah |
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US Apostille Service in Al Jazirah Al Hamra |
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US Apostille Service in Al Madam |
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US Apostille Service in Al Shamkha |
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US Apostille Service in Al Sila |
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US Apostille Service in Dibba Al-Fujairah |
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US Apostille Service in Dibba Al-Hisn |
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US Apostille Service in Dubai |
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US Apostille Service in Fujairah |
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US Apostille Service in Ghayathi |
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US Apostille Service in Hatta |
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US Apostille Service in Kalba |
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US Apostille Service in Khor Fakkan |
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US Apostille Service in Madinat Zayed |
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US Apostille Service in Madinat Zayed |
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US Apostille Service in Mussafah |
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US Apostille Service in Ras Al Khaimah |
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US Apostille Service in Sharjah |
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US Apostille Service in Umm Al Quwain |