Companies setting up in Dubai, renewing a trade licence, or opening a corporate bank account are regularly asked for Arabic translations of documents that were originally issued in English or another language. The Department of Economic Development, free zone authorities and UAE banks all work primarily in Arabic for anything that becomes part of an official file.
Documents that typically need translation
- Certificate of incorporation and trade licence from the country of origin
- Memorandum and articles of association
- Board resolutions authorising a manager or signatory in the UAE
- Powers of attorney for the local representative
- Commercial contracts and agency or distribution agreements
- Audited financial statements and bank reference letters
Why a standard translation is not enough
Government departments and banks in the UAE require certified translation carrying the Ministry of Justice stamp, not a general business translation. Terminology matters here too: a memorandum of association has to use the exact legal vocabulary Emirati company law expects, so the same clause reads consistently whether a compliance officer is checking it in English or Arabic. A translator working outside the legal register can introduce ambiguity that a bank’s compliance team will flag and send back.
If the documents were issued abroad
A certificate of incorporation issued outside the UAE usually needs to be attested before it is translated, first by the relevant authority in the country of origin, then by that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then by the UAE embassy there, and finally by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs once it arrives. The certified Arabic translation is normally the last step, done once the attestation stamps are already on the page, since the translation has to reproduce them.
How we help
We translate the full range of incorporation and commercial documents, and where attestation is still outstanding, we can handle that step as well so you are not coordinating two separate providers. Send the documents on WhatsApp and tell us which authority or bank the file is going to, and we will confirm exactly what is needed and a fixed quote within 15 minutes.
Contact us on +971 54 588 5472. Related: Document attestation services · Certified translation services