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What is Attestation and How Does it Work

| Apostille World
What is Attestation and How Does it Work

Among the litany of from, approvals, processing and general bureaucracy that enters into the realm of apostilles and embassy legalizations, there is a layer that is specific to some parts of the world – that is, attestation.

So what is attestation, and how where do you need it? Like an apostille or embassy legalization, an attestation is required by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for foreigners who wish to enter the territory to work legally. Attestation of your original certificates proves valid in Gulf countries for getting employment visa, family visa, and dependant visa, trade visa from labor department of the UAE.

When you present a legal document in a foreign country, it is often very difficult to determine whether the document is genuine and legal and therefore overseas governments sometimes need proof that the documents which you hold is a genuine and not fake, or the signatures of officials on documents, are genuine before they will accept them.

In the UAE, the attestation process your documents passes through various level of government to confirm that this document is genuine. The attestation process first starts from state level and after that central government level, the Ministry of External affairs and at last certificate authentication or attestation has to be completed in the country of origin or where the certificate was issued.

The aim of an attestation is the same – authentication of foreign documents and certificates. Authentication confirms the identity of a person and their qualifications. It is evidence which states that a document is attested.

Legalization, on the other hand, is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a document is genuine. The documents are verified by the relevant institution and termed as authentic. Attestations also have to be notarized, with the stamping or sealing, dating and signing the document after sufficient evidence and ensures authenticity.

As you can see, the process for attestations is almost exactly the same as for apostilles or embassy legalizations. In fact, you could say that an apostille by any other name is still an apostille.