What is an Equivalency Certificate?
An Equivalency Certificate is a document issued from the Ministry of Education in the UAE to verify that a degree that has been awarded by a recognised institute outside the UAE and meets the academic criteria in the UAE, including international education standards.
An equivalency certificate would be requested by a majority of academic and vocational departments to guarantee the legitimacy of degrees and certificates.
This process of attesting that a certificate has been issued by a non-UAE establishment has been implemented to prevent the use of counterfeit educational degrees and certificates.
This also includes certificates issued from online/distance learning methods. Certificates following the distance learning mode, open school or any academic study not associated with the educational system in the UAE will not be equalized.
The certificate can be presented to employers in the UAE and abroad to prove that the degree holder is fully qualified for a job.
Who requires UAE Equivalency?
This certificate can be obtained for anyone who holds any academic qualification such as a secondary school certificate, bachelor’s degree, master’s, or doctorate. For certain professions, it is a requirement if you desire to continue with your education or to seek career prospects in the UAE. Those who are required to apply for a UAE equivalency certificate are:
If you wish to pursue higher studies in the UAE, an equivalency certificate of your previous educational award will be required in order to apply for an intake.
If you are planning to teach or become part of the faculty of a school/college or university, you are required to have your degree equivalised
If you wish to work within the engineering sector, you will need to apply for equivalency of your engineering degree, which is the prelude to registering for the Society of Engineering card (SOE). This is a requirement by the authorities of Dubai.
If you are an expat applying for a government office role, it is likely you will need to get your degree equivalised, especially if it is within a technical and/or scientific field.
In order to apply for your medical licence from the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), Depart of Health (DOH) or Dubai Health Authority (DHA) an equivalised educational certificate is required to complete the process.
If you are looking to apply for the UAE golden visa, the application may require you to submit an equivalised educational award/certificate as part of the application process.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A UAE EQUIVALENCY CERTIFICATE?
Apply for your UAE Equivalency Certificate
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT the Equivalence Certificate
An Apostille is a form of confirmation issued to documents verifying the genuineness of the signature and/or seal of a public officer.
This certificate is usually requested by foreign governments and organisations to use overseas. Once an Apostille has been affixed to your document, it will be valid in member countries of The Hague Convention. We can assist you with UK and Ireland Apostille stamps.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office was previously called Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The merger was announced by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2020, announcing the FCO and Department for International Development (DFID) to be one; now known as FCDO.
It is often a requirement by foreign authorities that documents are legalised before they can be used for official purposes in their country.
Legalisation does not certify the authenticity of a document or give foreign and commonwealth office approval of its content.
The legalisation office is the only competent authority in the UK to provide an apostille service according to the requirements of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, and to deliver a legalisation service to those countries not party to the Hague Convention.
To verify your apostille, you will need to visit the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/verify-apostille
You’ll need:
The date the Apostille was issued
The Apostille number
The Apostille Convention facilitates the circulation of public documents executed in one Contracting Party to the Convention and to be produced in another. With this, it replaces the formalities of a full legalisation process between the parties in the convention.
The countries in the Hague Convention as follows:
Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Servia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zimbabwe
No,
A legalised document will not expire. Both the certification and apostille stamp do not hold expiry dates and are valid indefinitely.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is the only authority to issue the apostille stamp in the UK. There are two services available, Milton Keynes (standard service and for the general public) and Westminster (express service for registered businesses only)
A UK embassy cannot provide you with an apostille.
The document can be certified by a consular officer, but the apostille must be obtained by the FCDO legalisation office.
No, an apostille is not the same as a notary. An apostille is a form of authentication issued by the FCDO for documents to be used in foreign countries that are part of the 1961 Hague Convention. A notary public is a person authorised to witness signatures and notarise documents. With a notary seal and stamp, the document can then be submitted for an apostille.
WE OFFER A F.A.S.T SERVICE
Free UK Delivery
Special delivery for all embassy legalised documents back to your UK address. For international deliveries, we use DHL.
Attest True Copies
We can attest your documents as true copies without compromising your original documents.
Secure Documents
Strict protocols are followed to ensure your original documents are handled safely and securely.
Track Documents
We can update you throughout the process, either via email, WhatsApp or both.