Police Clearance Certificate Attestation in Dubai & Abu Dhabi
What Is Police Clearance Certificate Attestation?
A police clearance certificate (PCC) issued in the UAE needs attestation by UAE MOFA before authorities abroad will accept it, and a PCC issued in another country needs that country’s own attestation chain plus UAE Embassy legalization and UAE MOFA before UAE authorities will accept it. Attestation is a separate legal step from applying for the PCC itself, and it is done online through MOFA’s digital attestation service.
How do I get my UAE police clearance certificate attested for use abroad?
First obtain the police clearance certificate itself from Dubai Police, Abu Dhabi Police, or the federal Ministry of Interior (MOI), depending on where you are based — see our guide to getting a PCC in Dubai if you have not applied yet. Attestation is the next, separate step: log in with UAE Pass on UAE MOFA’s Documents Attestation service, select the destination country (this cannot be changed once submitted), upload the original digital PDF of the certificate with its verification code intact, pay the fee, and receive the digitally attested copy. The UAE Ministry of Interior’s own criminal-record attestation page confirms criminal-record (police clearance) certificates are attestable for use abroad, with an MOFA attestation fee of AED 300 stated on that page (undated — always confirm the current fee with us or on MOFA’s own site before applying).
Is PCC attestation only available online?
Yes. UAE MOFA’s digital attestation service page states that police clearance certificates (listed there as “Police Clearance Certificates (Certificates of Good Conduct)”) are processed exclusively through the digital attestation pathway — the same treatment given to birth and death certificates. There is no courier or walk-in route for this document type. The digital route only accepts an original digital PDF carrying a verification mechanism such as a reference number, QR code or barcode; a scanned, photographed, corrupted or password-protected file will be rejected.
How do I attest a police clearance certificate from another country for use in the UAE?
The general pattern confirmed across the UAE embassy pages we have sourced is: the certificate is issued or authenticated in its home country, then attested by that country’s own foreign ministry (or apostilled, where the country is an Apostille Convention member), then legalized by the relevant UAE Embassy or Consulate in that country, then attested by UAE MOFA once it is used in the UAE. The exact offices and sequence vary by country of issue. We have confirmed, country-specific chains for the UK (ACRO, DBS, Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI certificates) and for Canada (RCMP and provincial police certificates). For other countries, no single official chain has been confirmed yet on our end — contact us and we will confirm the right route for your certificate’s country of issue before you pay for anything.
Does the UAE accept an apostilled police clearance certificate as the final step?
Not on its own. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so for a PCC issued in an Apostille-member country, the apostille is treated as that country’s own home-side attestation step, not as a substitute for UAE Embassy legalization and UAE MOFA attestation. UAE MOFA’s own attestation rules also state that documents must be apostilled or attested individually — a single bundled apostille covering several documents is not accepted.
How is PCC attestation different from getting the police clearance certificate itself?
Getting a PCC (see our guides on obtaining a PCC in Dubai, what a PCC is, and how it differs from a Certificate of Good Conduct) is the process of applying to a police department for the certificate itself. Attestation is a separate legal step that comes after you already have the certificate in hand: it is what makes that certificate acceptable to a government body, employer or visa authority in a different country. You need the PCC first, then attestation.
What does UAE MOFA reject when attesting a police clearance certificate?
Based on MOFA’s published attestation rules: laminated documents; scanned, photographed, corrupted or password-protected files submitted on the digital route; the wrong issuing authority or document type selected in the application; non-original or altered documents; a bundled apostille covering multiple documents; and, for a foreign-issued PCC, a certificate missing its required prior attestation step from the home country.
Attesting a police clearance certificate in Abu Dhabi
The attestation process is the same UAE MOFA digital service regardless of which emirate issued the certificate or where you are based. If you are in Abu Dhabi and need wider attestation support beyond just a PCC, see our Attestation Services in Abu Dhabi page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is police clearance certificate attestation a one-time process?
Yes, once a certificate is attested for a specific destination country it is valid for that purpose going forward; note that the destination country selected in a MOFA application cannot be changed afterwards, so choose carefully before submitting.
Can I attest a laminated or photocopied police clearance certificate?
No. UAE MOFA rejects laminated documents outright, and the digital attestation route only accepts an original digital PDF with its verification code intact — not a scan or photograph.
How long does UAE police clearance certificate attestation take?
MOFA states that digital attestation inside the UAE is typically completed within two hours during official working hours, though this can vary by document volume and verification checks; always build in a buffer before a visa or document deadline.
Does a foreign police clearance certificate need translation before attestation?
This depends on the certificate’s language and its destination; we have not found an official UAE page stating a blanket translation rule specifically for PCCs, so confirm with us based on your certificate’s language before applying.
Can Attest Dubai handle my police clearance certificate attestation for me?
Yes. We manage the MOFA digital attestation submission for UAE-issued certificates, and help confirm the right chain for a foreign-issued certificate before you apply.
Is a "Certificate of Good Conduct" the same as a police clearance certificate?
Yes for attestation purposes. UAE MOFA’s own digital attestation service page lists the document type as “Police Clearance Certificates (Certificates of Good Conduct)”, treating the two names as the same document.
My police clearance certificate is from the UK or Canada — does this page cover that?
This page covers the general UAE-side process. For the UK (ACRO, DBS, Disclosure Scotland, AccessNI) and Canada (RCMP and provincial certificates) specifically, see our dedicated UK police check attestation guide and Canada police certificate attestation guide, which cover each country’s own chain in detail.
What about attesting an Indian police clearance certificate for UAE use?
We have not yet found an official Indian or UAE government page confirming a specific attestation chain for an Indian police clearance certificate. Contact us and we will confirm the current, correct route before you proceed.
Do I still need attestation if my police clearance certificate already has an apostille?
Usually yes, for countries where the UAE requires embassy legalization, because the UAE itself is not a party to the Apostille Convention. An apostille is generally treated as the home country’s own attestation step, not a replacement for UAE Embassy legalization and UAE MOFA attestation.
Where do I start: the police department or UAE MOFA?
Start with the issuing police department (Dubai Police, Abu Dhabi Police, or the federal Ministry of Interior) to obtain the original police clearance certificate with its verification mechanism, then move to UAE MOFA’s digital attestation service to have it attested.
Sources: UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Documents Attestation service and Digital Attestation Service (eligible document types); UAE Ministry of Interior, Criminal Record Certificate Attestation. Pages are undated; last reviewed by Attest Dubai on 2 November 2026. This page explains the general process; it is not legal advice, and requirements can change — contact us to confirm your specific case.
Need Your Police Clearance Certificate Attested?
Attest Dubai handles UAE MOFA digital attestation for police clearance certificates, and can confirm the right chain for a foreign-issued PCC before you apply.