Lawyer-certified true copies for individuals and companies in Dubai

Certified True Copy in Dubai, Certified by a Licensed Lawyer

At Instant PRO we prepare a true copy of your document, which a licensed lawyer checks against the original and stamps with a certification that the copy matches it. This certification is a professional act performed by the lawyer; it is not a notarisation or an attestation by the Notary Public. It is what is commonly called a “certified true copy”.

You will need one when an authority, such as an embassy or a body abroad, asks for a copy of your passport, Emirates ID or trade licence and will not accept an ordinary photocopy. You send us a scanned copy of the document, then we hold a video call in which you show us the original in your hands, and the lawyer compares the copy with the original item by item. If they match, the lawyer stamps the copy with a certification that it matches the original that was shown, without certifying that the original itself is genuine or free from forgery, which is a matter for the authority that issued it. You do not need to visit our office, and your original never has to leave your hands. If you would like to receive the copy where you are, we deliver it door to door.

We accept requests on every day of the week, including public holidays, and handle urgent cases around the clock, because the need for such a copy often arises the night before an embassy appointment or just before a filing deadline. The transaction is completed within one working day once we have received the complete scan and the verification call has taken place.

Send us a scan of the document and the name of the authority it will be submitted to, ideally with its written requirements if it has any, and we will schedule the call and give you the cost before we begin.

Documents We Certify as True Copies

For individuals

Passport. The most frequently requested document, for visa files at embassies and for transactions carried out outside the UAE. Authorities differ on the pages they require: some accept the data page alone, while others also ask for the residence page or the stamp pages. That is why we ask about the authority’s requirements before the scan, not after.

Emirates ID. We certify both sides together unless the authority accepts one, because the back of the card carries details it may need.

Driving licence. Usually requested as additional proof of identity, or for transactions related to driving in another country. A certified copy does not take the place of an international driving permit, nor does it replace the requirements of the competent authority in that country.

Electricity bills. Usually requested as proof of residential address, so your name and address should appear on the bill. Many authorities set a maximum age for the bill from its issue date, so it should be as recent as the authority requires.

Title deeds and ownership certificates. Such as the title deed of a property in your name, when an authority abroad asks for proof of ownership. Here the certified copy attests only that the copy matches your deed; it is not a document on which a property transaction inside the UAE can be based, as certificates for that purpose are issued by the competent land registration authority.

For companies

Memorandum of Association. Requested for opening accounts, contracting with parties abroad and company files at embassies. The certification covers the pages shown to us; if the memorandum has annexes or amendments that the authority requires, they must be shown as well.

Trade licence. If the receiving authority requires a valid licence, as many do, it is advisable to check the expiry date before certification. It is also advisable that its details, including the trade name, legal form and activities, match the rest of the file, because the receiving authority reads the documents together.

Ownership certificates registered in the company’s name. These are treated in the same way as those of individuals as to what the certification does and does not attest.

For company documents, the verification call is conducted by whoever holds the originals, whether as the company’s representative or as someone authorised by it. Certification here does not mean authenticating the signatures of the officials who issued the licence, or the signature of the Notary Public who notarised the memorandum; the authentication of those signatures has its own competent authorities.

If your document is not listed above, send us a copy and we will tell you whether it can be certified before anything else is done.

How We Complete the Transaction

We start with the authority that will receive the copy, not with the document. It is the authority that determines the pages required, the language, the number of copies, and whether it accepts a copy certified by a lawyer or requires a document attested through the official attestation route. Some authorities require the person certifying the copy to have seen the original in person. If the authority has a written list of requirements, send it to us with the document so that we can tell you, before we begin, whether this service meets your need.

We then ask you for a clear colour scan in which the edges of the page, the stamps and the photograph appear in full without cropping, because a cropped image cannot be certified as matching its original.

The original is viewed over a video call; this is a procedure we follow to check the original, not a requirement imposed by law. You show the document in good light and turn its pages when asked, and each page of the scan is compared with the corresponding page of the original: the name, the number, the photograph, the issue date, the expiry date and the stamps. If any difference appears between the scan and the original, even in a single digit, the certification stops until the document is scanned again. Once they are confirmed to match, the lawyer stamps the copy with the true-copy certification, and you receive it by the method you choose, from our office or wherever you are.

Steps of the Transaction

Step 1 - Authority and scan

You tell us the receiving authority and its requirements, and send the scan of the document.

Step 2 - Review and cost

We review the scan and its pages, and tell you whether the service meets the authority’s requirements and what it will cost.

Step 3 - Verification call

We hold the video call in which you show the original and it is checked page by page.

Step 4 - Stamping

The lawyer stamps the copy with the true-copy certification.

Step 5 - Delivery

You collect the copy from our office or receive it by door-to-door delivery.

Completion Time

The transaction is completed within one working day of two things being in place: receipt of the complete scan, and the verification call. If you have a set appointment at an embassy or a deadline for submitting a file, tell us the date in your first message. We will then arrange the call and delivery around it, and let you know if the authority will require a further step that takes longer.

What Does a True-Copy Certification Prove?

The certification attests to one thing only: that the copy reproduces, without alteration, what appears in the original shown to the lawyer. It does not attest that the original is genuine, authentic or free from forgery, that it is valid, or that the signature or seal of the issuing authority is genuine; all of that is a matter for the issuing authority. If the receiving authority needs the document to be officially attested, that is a separate route, which we explain under “Points to Consider Before Requesting a Copy”.

Nor is it an official copy within the meaning of the Law of Evidence, or an attestation by the Notary Public. It is a professional certification by a licensed lawyer, and its value lies in the receiving authority accepting it. Some authorities ask for it specifically, because a copy that the document holder makes himself attests only to his own word, whereas a certified copy carries the certification of a licensed lawyer.

The legal difference between a true-copy certification and an official copy

The Law of Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions, issued by Federal Decree-Law No. (35) of 2022, defines an official instrument in Article (24) as one in which a public official or a person entrusted with a public service records what was done by him or received by him from the parties concerned, within the limits of his authority and competence. Article (26) then provides that an official copy of such an instrument is evidence to the extent that it matches its original, and requires, for a copy to be official, that it be taken from the original in accordance with the procedures governing this. Where the original official instrument no longer exists, Article (27) gives the official copy the evidential weight of the original as long as its outward appearance leaves no doubt as to its conformity with it, while other copies may be relied upon only for guidance.

A copy certified by a lawyer is not an official copy in this sense, and we do not present it as one. A lawyer is not a public official who takes the copy from an original in his custody, and we have found nothing in the provisions governing the legal profession that makes a lawyer’s true-copy certification an official copy or gives it the weight of one. It is a professional certification to which no provision attaches any particular legal effect.

How it differs from a true copy issued by the Notary Public

If what you need is a copy of an instrument previously notarised or attested by the Notary Public, such as a power of attorney, a declaration or a contract kept in its records, that copy is issued by the Notary Public itself from its files. Law No. (4) of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai gives the parties concerned, the competent court and the relevant government authority the right to request it, and prohibits giving it to anyone other than the parties concerned except with the written approval of the President of the Courts of First Instance or under a decision of the competent court. Such a copy is closer to an official copy, because it is taken from an original kept by the person who drew it up. It is one of our notary public services in Dubai, and it carries a set government fee, shown in the fees section below.

Fees

The Notary Public fee schedules in Dubai, including the schedule of private notary fees, contain no item for this professional certification by a lawyer, and we are not aware of any government fee charged for it. Its cost is made up of the fee of the lawyer who certifies the copy, our fee, and the delivery cost if you request delivery. We show you each of these separately before we begin.

If, however, what you need is a true copy of an instrument kept by the Notary Public, its fee is set as follows:

Fee for a copy of an instrument kept by the Notary Public
Item	Amount	Source
Request for a paper true copy of the instrument from the public Notary Public (government fee)	AED 5 per page of the instrument	Executive Council Resolution No. (4) of 2014, with its tables replaced by Resolution No. (72) of 2025
Request for a paper true copy of the instrument from a private notary (professional fee)	AED 30	Dubai Courts Director’s Decision No. (312) of 2025

Note: The first amount in the table is a government fee only. The second is a private notary fee set by a published decision. Neither includes any other fees of the private notary’s office, the fee of the lawyer who certifies the copy, Instant PRO’s fee or the delivery cost. If your document needs MOFA attestation, its fee is charged on the document itself and is set out on our MOFA attestation page. We tell you our fees and any additional costs before we begin.

Points to Consider Before Requesting a Copy

The most common reason files are returned is that a certified copy is submitted to an authority that requires the document itself to be attested, or the other way round. Authorities’ requirements differ according to the document, the purpose and the country of use.

If the receiving authority requires the document to be officially attested for use abroad, that is a separate route carried out on the document itself, not on the certified copy, whether it is a paper or a digital document. The route depends on the type of document, the authority that issued it and the country of use. A paper document is usually attested first by the competent authority, after which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests the authenticity of the signatures and seals. A digital document issued in the UAE with a verification feature, such as a QR code or reference number, is attested electronically by the Ministry without prior attestation. A further step at an embassy or consulate may follow, depending on the requirements of the country of use. Details are on our MOFA attestation page.

The UAE is not a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention), so no apostille is issued in the UAE. This means that where a foreign authority requires the document to be attested, the attestation route that applies to it must be completed. It does not mean that every document goes through the same steps, or that every authority requires attestation at all; that is determined by the receiving authority and the law of its country.

A copy of an expired document can be certified, and its expiry will show on it as it is, but many authorities accept only valid documents, so we point this out before stamping. You should also make sure your name is consistent across the documents to be submitted together; if the spelling of your name differs between your passport and a utility bill, for example, it is better to resolve that before submission than after a rejection. If the authority requires the document in a language other than its own, certified legal translation is a separate step from the certification and does not replace it.

Why Instant PRO?

Certification without leaving where you are

All you need to do is send the scan and show the original on a video call; you do not visit an office or hand your original to anyone.

Speed without sacrificing accuracy

The transaction is completed within one working day, every detail of the copy is checked against the original before stamping, and nothing that differs from its original is stamped.

Clarity about what the copy proves

Before we begin, we explain what the certification attests and what it does not, and whether it meets the requirements of the authority that will receive it, so you do not find out at the point of rejection.

Door-to-door delivery

We handle collection and delivery door to door, so the copy reaches you wherever you are.

Available on holidays and in urgent cases

We accept requests every day of the week, including public holidays, and handle urgent cases around the clock. You are welcome at our office, Office 805, Opal Tower, Business Bay, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm.

Frequently Asked Questions about Certified True Copies

What is a certified true copy?

In common usage, it means that a qualified person checks a copy of a document against its original and then stamps it to confirm that it matches. In this service, the copy is checked by a licensed lawyer, who stamps it with a true-copy certification; this is not a notarisation or an attestation by the Notary Public.

Is a copy certified by a lawyer an official copy?

No. Under the Law of Evidence, an official copy is one taken from the original of an official instrument in accordance with the procedures governing this. A lawyer’s certification is a professional certification of conformity, and its value lies in the receiving authority accepting it.

Do I need to come to the office?

No. You send us a scan of the document, show the original on a video call, and receive the copy by door-to-door delivery, or collect it from the office if you prefer. If the receiving authority requires the original to be seen in person, let us know before we begin.

Do embassies accept a copy certified by a lawyer?

That depends on each embassy, the purpose and the document, and we cannot promise acceptance. Some authorities accept it, while others require the document itself to be attested through the route that applies to it. That is why we ask for the authority’s requirements before we begin.

Does the stamp prove that the original document is genuine?

No. The stamp attests that the copy matches the original that was shown. Whether the original is genuine and valid is a matter for the authority that issued it, and the attestation of that authority’s signature and seal is carried out on the document itself, whether paper or digital, through its own route.

Can a copy of an expired passport be certified?

Yes, and its expiry will show on the copy exactly as it appears on the original. However, many authorities accept only valid documents, so we point this out before stamping.

How long does it take?

One working day from receipt of the complete scan and completion of the verification call; urgent cases are handled around the clock.

How much does a certified true copy cost?

The Notary Public fee schedules in Dubai contain no item for certification by a lawyer, and we are not aware of any government fee charged for it. The cost is made up of the certification fee, our fee and delivery if you request it, and we show these separately before we begin. A copy of an instrument kept by the Notary Public, on the other hand, costs AED 5 per page from the public Notary Public, or AED 30 as a professional fee from a private notary.

What is the difference between this service and requesting a true copy from the Notary Public?

In this service, a lawyer checks a copy of a document you hold, such as a passport or trade licence, against its original. Requesting a true copy from the Notary Public concerns an instrument previously notarised there, such as a power of attorney or a declaration, and the Notary Public issues the copy from its records for a set fee.

What is this service called in Arabic?

It is commonly known in Arabic as “tasdeeq nuskha tibq al-asl” (تصديق نسخة طبق الأصل). Some authorities use similar terms in English, such as “certified copy”.

Next step

WhatsApp: +971 56 232 7778
Office 805, Opal Tower, Business Bay, Dubai
Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm
Requests accepted every day of the week, with an urgent-case channel around the clock