Notary Public

A Notary Public in the UAE is a government-authorised official who certifies signatures, attests to the truth of declarations, and notarises legal documents — POAs, MOAs, board resolutions, declarations of solvency, transfers. Notaries operate under the UAE Ministry of Justice (Dubai Notary Public is part of the Dubai Government Courts). Both public-sector notary offices and licensed private 'mobile notaries' issue notarisations; the private channel is faster and offers home / office visits.

The process of using a Notary Public generally involves the following steps: 1. Document Preparation: Prepare the document to be notarized, ensuring it is complete and accurate. 2. Identification Verification: The Notary Public verifies the identity of all parties involved, typically through government-issued identification documents. 3. Document Review: The Notary Public reviews the document to ensure it is legally sound and meets all requirements. 4. Notarization: The Notary Public affixes their official seal and signature to the document, along with a statement attesting to its authenticity. 5. Document Retention: The notarized document is retained by the Notary Public for a specified period.

In the UAE, notarization is frequently required for opening corporate bank accounts, executing contracts, and legalizing documents for international use. For example, a UAE-based company may need to have its Articles of Association notarized to facilitate its registration with the relevant authorities. Notarization is also essential for legalizing documents such as marriage certificates or birth certificates for use in other countries. Furthermore, notarial services are often required for property transactions and other significant legal matters.

Notarised documents have full evidentiary weight before UAE courts and government bodies. Almost every corporate-action signing — bank account opening, license amendment, share transfer — passes through a notary.