The UAE now uses one online attestation request for Nigeria-issued documents. Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication comes first, then the UAE request covers both the UAE Embassy in Abuja and UAE MoFA attestation.
Start with the receiving authority
Ask the employer, school, regulator, immigration office or other receiving body which document it needs and whether attestation is required. Attestation, qualification recognition and professional licensing are separate processes.
What the UAE route now requires
For a Nigeria-issued document that requires UAE attestation, first complete any preparation required for that document and obtain Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication. The current UAE Embassy Abuja service then lets the applicant make one online request through UAE MoFA. That request covers attestation by both the embassy in Abuja and UAE MoFA.
The original physical document is still required. The original is submitted at VFS Global in Abuja, the official service provider for the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and collected there. The attested digital document is sent by email.
The Abuja service is for documents issued in Nigeria. A document issued in another country should follow the UAE mission route for the issuing country.
Step by step from Nigeria
The video below explains how UAE attestation works for Nigerian documents, step by step.
Confirm the document and purpose
Get the receiving body’s current checklist. Do not add notarization, education authentication, translation or recognition unless the checklist or a current official rule requires it.
Complete the Nigerian preparation
For educational documents, the UAE Embassy’s Nigeria guidance currently lists education-authority authentication before Nigerian MFA authentication. Other documents follow the preparation stated for their type.
Start Nigerian MFA authentication online
Use the Advanced Consular Services portal to enter the document details, upload the requested file and pay through the live method. Then follow the portal’s appointment step for physical vetting.
Apply through UAE MoFA
Make the application online through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation service, select Nigeria as the country and follow the application instructions. In Nigeria, this attestation service is managed by VFS Global, the official service provider for the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The original document is submitted at VFS Global in Abuja and collected there.
Give the result to the receiving body
Use the digital attestation result and returned original as instructed. The receiving body may still ask for a recent issue date, recognition or profession-specific verification.
Originals and copies
- Birth, marriage and death records are submitted as originals for the UAE attestation service.
- Other documents may be accepted as originals or true copies when they carry the required national authentication.
- Laminated documents are not accepted by the UAE service.
- A power of attorney should first be signed before the Nigerian notary or competent legal authority and then authenticated by the Nigerian MFA.
Translation
UAE MoFA accepts documents in Arabic or English. A Nigerian document already in English does not need an Arabic translation merely for attestation. A receiving body may separately request Arabic for its own procedure, so check before ordering a translation.
Degrees and professional licences
Attestation does not amount to recognition of a foreign qualification. The UAE higher-education ministry uses a separate process that begins with verification by an authorised partner before it issues a qualification-recognition report.
Healthcare regulators may also require primary-source verification for professional licensing. That check applies to the regulated profession and should not be presented as a general requirement for every UAE document.
Common mistakes
- Taking the document straight to the UAE Embassy instead of applying online through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation service.
- Treating a Letter of Eligibility as compulsory for every academic document.
- Ordering Arabic translation for an English document before the receiving body asks for it.
- Sending a non-Nigerian document through the Nigeria route without written confirmation.
- Assuming attestation replaces qualification recognition or professional verification.
Official sources
Check the live authority pages before paying or submitting because appointment methods and operating details can change.
Need help preparing the Nigerian documents?
We can help identify the correct Nigerian record, arrange any required Nigerian preparation and check the current destination instructions for the purpose you name.
Related guidance
Information checked on 15 September 2026. Requirements can differ by receiving authority, document type and purpose.