Attest Ethiopian Certificates for the UAE or Saudi Arabia
· 9 min read
For the UAE, an Ethiopian certificate needs four stamps. First the office that holds the record stamps it. Then Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) does. Next comes the UAE embassy in Ethiopia, and last the UAE's own foreign ministry. Saudi Arabia joined the apostille treaty in 2022. Ethiopia has not, so the treaty does not cover an Ethiopian paper.
We work on the Ethiopian side only, in Addis Ababa. The UAE embassy step is also in Addis Ababa. It may need a visit in person, and it is not part of our service. This guide covers each step and what the UAE says about its own. It also says what the two Gulf embassies in Addis Ababa do not publish.
What "attestation" means here
Gulf offices and employers say attestation. Ethiopian offices say authentication, and some embassies say legalization. If an office asks for one of these, ask it which stamps it means. In this guide, attestation means the chain of stamps below. Each stamp vouches for the one before it. Our guide to MoFA authentication covers the Ethiopian part of the chain in more detail.
Step 1: Have the original in hand
The chain starts with the original from the office that issued it. If you have lost it, a new one is a separate job. It has its own price on our price list.
Step 2: Get the first stamp from the office that holds the record
MoFA lists which office must stamp each kind of paper first. These are the school, university and civil papers on it, plus police clearance:
- Degree from a public university: the university registrar.
- Degree from a private college: the Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency, as MoFA's list names it.
- Grade 10 or 12 exam certificate: the national exams body of the Ministry of Education.
- School certificate from a region: the regional education bureau.
- School certificate from Addis Ababa or Dire Dawa: the city education bureau.
- Birth, marriage or single status certificate: the vital events agency, or a party it names.
- Police clearance certificate: the Federal Police forensic office.
A paper from a region gets its first stamp in that region. That office may be far from Addis Ababa.
Step 3: Ethiopia's MoFA stamp
MoFA takes this through the government e-services portal. On its page for the service, the fee and processing time fields are empty.
Step 4 for the UAE: the UAE embassy in Ethiopia
The UAE's foreign ministry sets the order. The foreign ministry of the country that issued the paper attests it first. Then the UAE embassy or consulate in that country does. For Ethiopia, that is the UAE embassy in Addis Ababa.
You apply through the UAE foreign ministry's website or app, choose attestation through a UAE mission abroad, and pay. The ministry says some missions take the request online. Where a mission does not, you visit it in person. The Addis Ababa mission's page lists attestation. It gives no fee, steps or processing time. The ministry says its website shows the total before you pay.
Step 5 for the UAE: the UAE foreign ministry
Last, the paper is attested in the UAE. The UAE's foreign ministry says you do this through its website. Its FAQ puts the fee for a personal paper, such as a certificate, at AED 150. A degree certificate and its transcript count as two papers, so each one is charged.
The same FAQ says anyone can attest papers on your behalf. That is the UAE ministry's rule. It does not tell you what the UAE embassy in Addis Ababa accepts.
Saudi Arabia: what is published
The Hague Apostille Convention came into force for Saudi Arabia on 7 December 2022. The convention covers a paper made in one member country and used in another. Ethiopia is not a member. So the convention does not cover an Ethiopian paper, and no Ethiopian paper can carry an apostille.
The Saudi embassy in Addis Ababa has a website. It lists no steps, fees or processing times for attesting an Ethiopian paper. It gives a phone number and an email address, which we list under Sources. Ask the employer or office in Saudi Arabia what it needs, and then ask the embassy how to apply. Confirm with the embassy that it wants MoFA's stamp before you pay us for it.
Degrees and school certificates
- Attest the certificate and the transcript if the employer asks for both. The UAE charges for each.
- In the UAE, the Ministry of Education is the office that equalises high school certificates. The UAE government portal says these must be attested by the UAE Ministry of Education, the education office of the country that issued them, or both. For a degree, ask the employer what it needs.
- The paper must be in Arabic or English, or come with a certified translation. That is the UAE foreign ministry's rule. Ask before you pay for a translation, and ask which office must stamp it.
What it costs and how long it takes
| Office | Fee | Processing time | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoFA, Addis Ababa | Not published | Not published | eservices.gov.et | 24 Sept 2026 |
| UAE embassy, Addis Ababa | Not on the mission's page | Not published | mofa.gov.ae | 14 Oct 2026 |
| UAE foreign ministry | AED 150 per personal paper | 1 to 3 business days by courier inside the UAE; up to 7 business days by service provider outside it | mofa.gov.ae | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Saudi embassy, Addis Ababa | Not published | Not published | et.saudiembassy.sa | 14 Oct 2026 |
MoFA's page gives no fees for the first stamps either. Some agency sites quote these fees with confidence. We will not repeat a figure the office has not published. The UAE ministry's times are its own figures, and it does not say whether they cover the mission in Addis Ababa. Do not promise an employer a start date based on a figure from a website, ours included.
What Agar does here
We work in Addis Ababa and Adama. Our published chain run covers DARS and then MoFA, for a paper you already hold. A school or university certificate starts at another office, such as a university registrar or an education bureau. Birth, marriage and single status certificates and police clearance start elsewhere too. Those chains are not on our price list yet. Ask us before you pay, and we will tell you whether we can take yours on.
No official rule we found says whether these offices accept a representative. Before you pay, we check with each Ethiopian office on your chain. If one does not accept us, we tell you, and you do not pay.
On MoFA's list, the chain that starts at DARS is for a translation of a legal paper, with the original, in Addis Ababa or Dire Dawa.
Authentication chain run (DARS + MoFA): USD 99.
Our timeline (5 business days) covers our own steps only: from the day your documents reach us to the day the paper with MoFA's stamp leaves our hands. Days your paper spends waiting at DARS or MoFA do not count toward it, and MoFA publishes no processing time.
Proof on closing: scanned official receipt, scan of the stamped document.
That fee is ours alone. Official fees in Ethiopia are separate, and are passed on at cost with the receipt. We add nothing to them. The UAE and Saudi embassy and ministry fees are yours to pay directly.
"Service fee refunded if SLA missed for causes within Agar's control."
Nobody can make MoFA or an embassy move faster, including us. We take a complete file to each office on the Ethiopian side, and you get a scan of every official receipt.
After MoFA, a paper for the UAE still needs the UAE embassy step in Addis Ababa before it leaves Ethiopia. We do not do that step, so you, or someone you choose in Addis Ababa, must. After that, sending the paper to the Gulf is a separate service. Our guide to shipping documents covers it, including the UAE.
This work is part of our document service. Every service fee we charge is on the price list.
What we do not do
We do not take papers to the UAE or Saudi embassy. We do not deal with any office in the Gulf. Those steps are yours.
We do not tell you which stamps a Gulf employer or ministry will accept. Ask them.
We do not translate documents or give legal advice.
Sources
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FAQs. The order of stamps for papers from abroad. AED 150 for a personal paper, with a certificate and its transcript counted as two. Anyone may attest on your behalf. Checked 14 October 2026.
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Documents Attestation. Missions abroad take requests online or in person. Papers must be in Arabic or English, or come with a certified translation. Fees are shown before payment. Service times: 1 to 3 business days by courier inside the UAE, up to 7 business days by service provider outside it. Checked 14 October 2026.
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Addis Ababa mission services. Lists attestation, with no fee, steps or processing time. Checked 14 October 2026.
- UAE Government portal, Equalising high school certificates. The Ministry of Education equalises high school certificates, which must be attested by it, the issuing country's education office, or both. Checked 14 October 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Application For Document Authentication, Ethiopian Government eServices portal. The office that must stamp each kind of paper before MoFA, and the empty fee and processing time fields. Checked 24 September 2026.
- HCCH, Status table, Apostille Convention. Saudi Arabia acceded on 8 April 2022, in force from 7 December 2022; Ethiopia and the UAE not listed. Checked 14 October 2026.
- HCCH, Apostille Convention, full text. Article 1: the convention covers papers made in one member state and used in another. Checked 14 October 2026.
- Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Ethiopia. No attestation steps or fees published; phone 00251114425643, email etemb@mofa.gov.sa, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Checked 14 October 2026.
Questions people ask
What is certificate attestation for the UAE?
It is the chain of stamps the UAE asks for on a paper from abroad. For an Ethiopian paper, the office that holds the record stamps it first. Then Ethiopia's MoFA stamps it, and then the UAE embassy in Addis Ababa. Last, it is attested in the UAE through the UAE foreign ministry's website.
How do I attest an Ethiopian degree for the UAE?
For a public university, start with its registrar. For a private college, start with the agency MoFA's list names. Then MoFA in Addis Ababa stamps it. Next, apply to the UAE embassy in Addis Ababa through the UAE foreign ministry's website or app. The last stamp is in the UAE. Ask your employer if it needs the transcript too.
Does Saudi Arabia accept an apostille on an Ethiopian document?
No Ethiopian paper can carry an apostille, because Ethiopia has not joined the Hague Apostille Convention. Saudi Arabia joined in 2022. But the convention only covers a paper made in one member country and used in another. The Saudi embassy in Addis Ababa lists no steps for Ethiopian papers. Ask it, and the office in Saudi Arabia, what they need.
How much does UAE attestation cost?
The UAE foreign ministry's FAQ says AED 150 for a personal paper, such as a certificate (checked 14 October 2026). A certificate and its transcript count as two papers. The UAE embassy's page in Addis Ababa gives no fee, but the ministry's website shows the total before you pay. Ethiopia's MoFA publishes no fee, so ask at the desk.
How long does attestation take?
Ethiopia's MoFA publishes no processing time. Nor do the UAE and Saudi embassies in Addis Ababa. The UAE ministry's service page says 1 to 3 business days by courier inside the UAE, and up to 7 business days by service provider outside it. It does not say whether that covers the mission in Addis Ababa. Do not promise an employer a start date based on a figure from a website, ours included.
Do I need my transcript attested too?
Ask the employer or school that asked for your papers. If it wants both, attest both. The UAE foreign ministry counts a certificate and its transcript as two papers, and charges for each.
Can someone attest my certificates while I live in Dubai or Riyadh?
The UAE foreign ministry's FAQ says anyone can attest papers for you. That is the UAE ministry's rule. We found no official rule on whether the offices in Ethiopia, or the embassies in Addis Ababa, accept a representative. Before you pay, we check with each Ethiopian office on your chain. If one does not accept us, we tell you, and you do not pay.
Need the Ethiopian stamps done in Addis Ababa?
Tell us which paper you hold and where its first stamp is. Where we can run its Ethiopian stamps and each office accepts our agent, we do, and send you a scan of every official receipt. The UAE or Saudi embassy step stays with you.
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