Companies setting up in Dubai, renewing a trade licence, appointing a manager or opening a corporate bank account are regularly asked for Arabic versions of documents first issued in English or another language. The licensing authority, free zone authorities and UAE banks build their files in Arabic, and the Arabic text is what ends up on record. Getting that text right the first time saves weeks.
Documents that typically need translation
- Certificate of incorporation and the licence from the country of origin
- Memorandum and articles of association
- Board or shareholder resolutions appointing a manager or authorised signatory in the UAE
- Powers of attorney for the local representative
- Commercial, agency and distribution agreements
- Audited financial statements and bank reference letters
- Certificates of good standing and incumbency
Why a general translation is not enough
UAE authorities and banks expect a certified translation by a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice, not an internal or general business translation. Arabic is the official language of the state under Article 7 of the UAE Constitution, and the translation profession is regulated by Federal Decree-Law No. (22) of 2022.
Terminology matters as much as the stamp. A memorandum of association has to use the legal vocabulary UAE company practice expects, so a clause reads the same whether a compliance officer checks it in English or in Arabic. Loose wording in the capital, objects or signing-authority clauses is exactly what a bank’s compliance team flags and sends back.
The details that cause rejections
- Company and person names spelled differently from the licence, passports or the registry extract. We match every name to the official record.
- Defined terms that drift, such as “the Company” becoming “the Firm” halfway through. One term list is kept for the whole pack.
- Figures and dates copied inconsistently between the original, the translation and the resolution. Numbers are checked against the source twice.
- Missing pages, such as annexes, schedules or stamps on the back of a page. The translation covers everything the authority will see.
If the documents were issued abroad
A certificate of incorporation or a resolution issued outside the UAE usually has to be attested before a UAE authority will accept it: in the country of origin, by that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by the UAE embassy there, and then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which certifies the authenticity of the signatures and seals. The certified Arabic translation is normally done last, so it reproduces the attestation stamps already on the page. The order can differ by authority, so we confirm it before anything is paid for; our guide Attestation or translation first? explains why.
Confidentiality
Company packs contain capital structures, signatories and bank details. Documents are handled only by our own team, are not shared with third parties and are not fed into public tools, and we can sign your NDA before work begins.
For companies that translate regularly
If documents come through every month, a corporate account gives you one monthly invoice and priority delivery, and we keep a term list for your company so every new contract uses the same wording.
Questions we hear
Can the same translation be used for the licensing authority and the bank?
Usually yes, as long as it is a certified translation of the complete document. Tell us every authority involved so the layout suits all of them.
Do bilingual contracts need a separate translation?
If the Arabic side was prepared by the parties, some authorities still ask for a certified version. We can check an existing Arabic text against the English and certify it, or translate it fresh.
How long does a company pack take?
Short documents are usually ready the same day. A full incorporation pack gets a firm delivery date before we start.
How we help
We translate the full range of incorporation and commercial documents, and where attestation is still outstanding we handle that step too, so you are not coordinating two providers. Send the documents on WhatsApp to +971 54 588 5472, tell us which authority or bank the file is going to, and you get the requirements and a fixed quote within 10 minutes. Related: MOA and company document translation · Contract translation for companies · Document attestation