Topic Summary
Setting up a company in Dubai requires certified Arabic translations of all foreign-language documents before any authority will process your application.
In 2026, the UAE processes hundreds of thousands of new business registrations each year, and every single application that includes a foreign-language document must arrive with a certified Arabic translation before any authority will advance the file. The UAE Constitution designates Arabic as the sole official language [1]. Certified Arabic translation in Dubai typically costs AED 150 to AED 450 per page [2]. A full founder document set runs AED 800 to AED 2,500 [2]. Notarisation adds AED 150 to AED 300 per document [2]. At Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone (DSBH), launched September 2025, a license is issued in one business day once your complete file is accepted [3].
This guide covers the certified arabic translation dubai requirements you need to know, the realistic costs involved, and a clear step-by-step process so you can move from paperwork to a licensed company without unnecessary delays.
What Is Certified Arabic Translation for Company Setup in Dubai
Certified Arabic translation for company setup in Dubai is a legally recognised translation of your foreign-language documents into Arabic, produced by a translator accredited by the UAE Ministry of Justice or a competent UAE authority. Authorities reject uncertified translations, so this step is mandatory before any license application advances.
The Legal Basis for Arabic as the Official Language
Arabic is the UAE's official language under the Constitution, and that status has direct, practical consequences for every founder. The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the Ministry of Economy, and free zone registrars will not log a foreign-language document without a certified Arabic version accompanying it. This applies equally to mainland and free zone company formation files, there's no shortcut for either route.
Take a German national submitting a passport copy and a foreign commercial register extract to a free zone registrar. Both documents must be translated and certified before the registrar will even open the application. The requirement isn't a formality; it's a hard gate that stops the process entirely if you arrive unprepared.
Certified vs. Notarised vs. Attested: What Each Term Means
These three terms get mixed up constantly, and confusing them is one of the most common reasons applications stall. Here's what each one actually means:
Certified translation: A Ministry of Justice-accredited translator signs and stamps the translation, confirming its accuracy. This is the baseline requirement for most applications.
Notarisation: A UAE notary public witnesses and stamps the translator's signature. It's an additional layer that some authorities, particularly for mainland or regulated-activity filings, require on top of certification.
Attestation: A chain of official endorsements confirming a document's authenticity. The chain runs from the home-country competent authority, to the UAE embassy in that country, to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Attestation is separate from translation and often required before translation can begin.
For most free zone applications, certified translation alone is sufficient. Mainland or regulated-activity applications frequently require notarisation or full attestation as well. A UK-issued degree certificate for a healthcare license application, for example, typically needs an apostille from the UK Foreign Office, then UAE embassy attestation, then a certified Arabic translation, three distinct steps, in that order (u.ae, 2026).
Which Documents Require Certified Arabic Translation in Dubai
Documents that require certified Arabic translation for a Dubai company setup include passports, national ID cards, foreign commercial registration certificates, memoranda of association, power of attorney letters, educational qualifications, and marriage or name-change certificates. The exact list varies by authority and business activity.
Personal Identity Documents
Passports issued in non-Arabic script must be translated. Most authorities accept a certified translation of the data page alone, which keeps costs down for straightforward applications. National identity cards from the founder's home country also require translation if they appear anywhere in the company file.
Name consistency matters more than most founders expect. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) requires name consistency across all residency visa documents. A South Korean founder whose passport romanises their name differently from their national ID should request a certified Arabic translation that flags both versions explicitly and confirms they refer to the same person. This small step prevents a visa rejection that could set the whole timeline back by weeks.
Corporate and Legal Documents
When a corporate entity is a shareholder, the document list expands considerably. Here's what you'll typically need translated:
Foreign certificates of incorporation and commercial register extracts
Memoranda and articles of association for the parent company
Power of attorney documents authorising a local representative, these often require notarisation as well as certification
Board resolutions approving the UAE entity's formation
A Singapore-registered holding company opening a Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone subsidiary, for instance, must submit a certified Arabic translation of its ACRA certificate of incorporation and its constitution document before the registrar will process the application (Ministry of Economy, 2026).
Professional Qualifications and Supporting Records
Regulated activities, healthcare, education, financial services, require educational degrees and professional certificates as part of the license application. The relevant regulator sets the standard. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) governs healthcare; the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) governs education. Each specifies its own attestation and translation requirements, which can differ from the free zone baseline.
A physiotherapist applying for a healthcare license in Dubai must submit a certified Arabic translation of their degree alongside the DHA's own credential verification process. Worth flagging: DSBH licenses the company, and the DHA approves the regulated activity separately, both steps are required, and both have their own document standards.
How Much Certified Arabic Translation Costs in Dubai
Certified Arabic translation in Dubai typically costs between AED 150 and AED 450 per page for standard documents, with notarisation adding AED 150 to AED 300 per document. Complex legal texts or urgent turnarounds attract premium rates. Budget AED 800 to AED 2,500 for a typical founder's full document set.
Per-Page and Per-Document Rate Ranges
Rates vary by document complexity and urgency. Here's a practical breakdown:
Passport data page: AED 150 to AED 250 per page
Multi-page legal documents (memoranda of association, articles of incorporation): AED 250 to AED 450 per page
Notarisation at a UAE notary public: AED 150 to AED 300 per document
Urgent same-day or next-day service: typically a 50% to 100% premium on the base rate
A sole founder from France with a passport, a three-page French commercial register extract, and a two-page power of attorney should budget roughly AED 1,200 to AED 1,800 for certified translation of the full set. That's a realistic working figure, not a worst-case estimate.
How Translation Costs Sit Within Your Overall Setup Budget
Translation is a one-time pre-application cost. It doesn't recur at renewal. At Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone, a license starts from AED 12,500 (B2C activities from AED 11,375). The first-year all-in cost for a sole founder with one visa starts from AED 18,350. Visas are always an additional cost; they're never included in the license fee. Translation sits on top of these figures.
Factoring in AED 800 to AED 2,500 for certified arabic translation dubai requirements keeps the total well within a realistic first-year budget. A sole founder setting up a professional services company at DSBH with one visa and a standard document set should plan for a total first-year outlay starting from around AED 19,150 to AED 20,850 once translation is added. DSBH requires zero paid-up share capital, which helps free up cash for these pre-application costs. You can calculate your full business setup cost before committing to any figures.
Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Certified Arabic Translation for Your Dubai Company
To get certified Arabic translation for your Dubai company setup, gather all foreign-language documents, attest originals where required, engage a Ministry of Justice-accredited translator, collect the stamped certified translation, notarise if your authority requires it, then submit the complete package with your license application.
The Six Steps in Order
Identify every non-Arabic document in your company formation file: passport, corporate certificates, power of attorney, qualifications, and any supporting records.
Check whether attestation is required before translation. Corporate documents from most countries need apostille or UAE embassy attestation first. Contact your free zone advisor to confirm the exact list for your jurisdiction.
Attest originals through the correct chain: home-country competent authority, then the UAE embassy in that country, then UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) if required (u.ae, 2026).
Engage a Ministry of Justice-accredited translator. Verify their accreditation number independently on the Ministry's official register before commissioning any work.
Receive the certified translated document. It will carry the translator's stamp, signature, and accreditation number. Request notarisation at a UAE notary public if your authority requires it.
Submit the complete package with your license application. Every document in the file must be present and correct, partial submissions are returned in full.
A US founder with a Delaware LLC opening a Dubai subsidiary follows all six steps in sequence: they obtain a Certificate of Good Standing, apostille it through the Delaware Secretary of State, have it attested at the UAE Embassy in Washington DC, then commission a certified Arabic translation before submitting to the free zone registrar. Skipping or reordering any step restarts the clock.
You can explore your business activities and run a company name check in parallel with the attestation process, that's the fastest way to reach submission.
Common Mistakes That Delay Applications
Using a non-accredited translator: The authority rejects the translation outright. No partial credit, no grace period.
Skipping attestation before translation: A certified Arabic translation of an unattested document is itself rejected, the certification doesn't fix the underlying problem.
Submitting expired documents: Most authorities require documents issued within the last three to six months. Check issue dates before you start.
Ignoring name consistency: Minor spelling differences between the original and the translation trigger correction requests, even if the discrepancy is obvious to a human reader.
An Indian founder submitted a certified Arabic translation of a power of attorney that had not been attested by the UAE Embassy in India first. The registrar returned the entire file, adding two weeks to the timeline. The business support services at Dubai South Business Hub include PRO assistance that can guide you through the attestation chain to avoid exactly this outcome.
How Certified Arabic Translation Fits Into Your Dubai Company Setup
Certified Arabic translation is completed before you submit your license application. At Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone, the license itself is issued in one business day once your complete document package is accepted, so getting translations right first time directly controls how fast your company is live.
The Document Timeline Relative to License Issuance
Translation and attestation are pre-application tasks. They must be finished before you submit, not during processing. At Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone, launched September 2025, the license is issued in one business day once the application is accepted with a complete file. That speed is only available to founders who arrive with everything in order.
Building in five to ten business days for attestation chains and certified arabic translation dubai requirements means your total timeline from decision to license is typically two to three weeks, not one day. Founders who start the attestation chain for their corporate documents on the same day they run a company name check can realistically reach submission within ten business days.
Regulated Activities Require an Extra Approval Layer
For regulated activities, healthcare, education, financial services, ICT requiring TDRA approval, DSBH licenses the commercial activity and the named regulator approves it separately. The regulator may require its own certified translations, sometimes to a higher standard than the free zone registrar. Always confirm the regulator's document requirements before commissioning translations, since the standard can differ from the free zone's baseline.
A fintech founder applying for a DSBH license and a separate Central Bank of UAE (CBUAE) approval must provide certified Arabic translations that meet both the free zone registrar's and the Central Bank's document standards, and those standards are not always identical. Budget additional time and cost for the regulatory approval stage on top of the free zone application (Central Bank of UAE, 2026).
Certified Arabic Translation Requirements by Document Type
Document Type | Attestation Required Before Translation? | Typical Cost Per Page |
|---|---|---|
Passport data page | Usually no, most authorities accept translation of the data page directly | AED 150 to AED 200 |
Foreign commercial register extract | Yes, apostille or UAE embassy attestation required first; chain: home authority, UAE embassy, UAE MOFA | AED 250 to AED 350 |
Power of attorney | Yes, UAE embassy attestation required; notarisation of the certified translation often required as well | AED 300 to AED 450 |
Educational degree or professional certificate | Yes, apostille from home country authority plus UAE embassy attestation required before translation | AED 250 to AED 400 |
Memorandum or articles of association | Yes, full attestation chain required; regulator may set a higher standard than the free zone registrar | AED 250 to AED 450 |
Is certified Arabic translation required for free zone applications as well as mainland?
Yes. The certified arabic translation dubai requirement applies to both mainland and free zone company formation files without exception. Free zone registrars including DSBH will not process a foreign-language document without a certified Arabic version. The requirement flows from the UAE Constitution, not from the specific authority handling your application.
Choosing an Accredited Translator in Dubai: What to Check
Choose a UAE Ministry of Justice-accredited translator for certified Arabic translation in Dubai. Verify their accreditation number on the Ministry's official register, confirm they have experience with your specific document type, request a sample stamp, and agree turnaround time and fee in writing before handing over original documents.
Verification Steps Before You Engage a Translator
Ask for the accreditation number and verify it independently on the Ministry of Justice's publicly searchable portal, don't take a screenshot as proof.
Confirm the language pair. Accreditation is language-specific, not a general license. A translator accredited for French-Arabic is not automatically accredited for Korean-Arabic.
Check document-type experience. Corporate, legal, and personal documents have different formatting conventions; a translator who specialises in personal documents may not be the right fit for a multi-page memorandum of association.
Get a written quote covering: per-page rate, notarisation if needed, turnaround time, and the process if the authority requests a correction.
A founder who verified their translator's accreditation number online before engaging avoided a costly rejection when another founder used an online translation service whose output carried no official stamp and was rejected on submission. The saving on the cheaper service was AED 300; the cost of re-translation and re-attestation was significantly higher.
Turnaround Times and When to Prioritise Speed
Standard turnaround for most documents is two to four business days. Urgent same-day or next-day service is available from most accredited translators at a 50% to 100% premium on the base rate. If your visa or bank account opening timeline is tight, that premium is worth paying.
For multi-document corporate files, stagger submissions to the translator rather than sending everything at once. Translation agencies that employ multiple accredited translators handle larger volumes faster than a sole practitioner. A founder with a ten-day window between arriving in Dubai and their first bank appointment split the translation workload across two accredited translators and received all certified documents within three business days. Once your license is issued, you'll want to move quickly to open a bank account in the UAE, and having certified documents ready in advance keeps that process on track.
Certified Arabic Translation Dubai: Key Facts at a Glance
Certified Arabic translation for Dubai company setup is mandatory for all non-Arabic documents. Costs range from AED 150 to AED 450 per page. Use only Ministry of Justice-accredited translators. Complete attestation before translation. Factor five to ten business days into your timeline before submitting your license application.
Quick-Reference Summary Table
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Frequently Asked Questions
