Dubai has no shortage of businesses offering translation, but only translations by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice are accepted by the courts, and in practice by most government departments and banks. Choosing the wrong provider means paying twice: once for a translation that is rejected, and again for the certified version you needed from the start. Here is how to check before you send anything.
1. Confirm Ministry of Justice registration
This is the check that matters most. The official portal states that documents presented to UAE courts must be in Arabic, or translated by a legal translator approved by the Ministry of Justice (u.ae, civil cases), and the profession is regulated by Federal Decree-Law No. (22) of 2022.
You do not have to take anyone’s word for it. The Ministry publishes a search of registered translators and translation offices, by name and registration number. Ask the office for the translator’s name and number and look it up. Ours is Ahmed Muhammad Sabar, registered since 2008 under number 302, for Arabic and English.
2. Ask whether they handle your type of document
Legal, medical, technical and personal documents each use different terminology, and a court judgment needs a different register from a birth certificate. A good office tells you directly whether it regularly handles your type of document, and who will check the translation before it leaves.
3. Check the language pair
Arabic–English is the core pair for almost every UAE authority. If your document is in another language, ask how that pair is handled and which authorities accept it. We work in French, Russian, Turkish, Portuguese, Georgian, Kyrgyz and other languages through translators we have used before, and we tell you plainly when a language or deadline is not one we can do well.
4. Ask for a timeline before you commit
A realistic office gives you a specific delivery time, not a vague promise. Documents under ten pages are typically ready the same day, and more than 20 pages can usually be turned around within a day when the matter is urgent. Larger volumes should come with a firm date before work starts.
5. Check whether attestation is handled in the same place
Many documents issued abroad must be attested before translation, through the issuing country, the UAE embassy there and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Doing the attestation and the translation with one office avoids the errors that happen at the handoff, such as translating before the stamps are on the page.
6. Ask how names and figures are checked
Most rejections come down to small details: a name spelled differently from the passport, a date in the wrong format, a missing stamp. Ask how the office matches names to official records and who proofreads the figures. If the answer is vague, so will the translation be.
Warning signs
- No translator name or registration number when you ask for one.
- A price list that does not depend on the document. Two pages and forty pages with tables are not the same job.
- Promises that every language and every deadline is possible.
- No question about where the document will be submitted. The receiving authority decides the format and the stamps.
Questions we hear
Is a cheaper online translation acceptable for a visa or a bank?
Usually not. Most UAE authorities ask for a certified translation by a Ministry of Justice legal translator, whatever the document.
Do I need to visit the office?
Usually not. Documents are sent and returned on WhatsApp, and the certified translation is delivered stamped online. Call first if you plan to bring an original.
How do I get a quote?
Send a clear photo of every page and tell us where it is going. The cost and turnaround come back within 10 minutes, with no obligation.
About us
Mundo is a legal translation office in Dubai approved by the UAE Ministry of Justice, with document attestation and transaction follow-up under the same licence. Send your document on WhatsApp to +971 54 588 5472 for a quote within 10 minutes. Related: About Mundo · Certified translation services · Document attestation