Expat Death in the UAE: Death Certificate Translation

1. Hospital death notification

Issued by the hospital where the death occurred or was confirmed; government guidance also refers to a hospital report of the cause of death.

2. Police report or registration letter

The police station where the person lived, or the station investigating the death, issues a letter. If the death is unnatural or unexplained, the body is released only with the Public Prosecution’s permission.

3. The death certificate

Issued by the health authority of the emirate: the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) in the northern emirates, the Dubai Health Authority in Dubai and the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi. Ask for extra copies at the start; some authorities issue the original once and true copies on request.

4. Registration and visa cancellation

The death is registered with MOHAP, the certificate and its translation are attested by MOFA, and the residency authority of the emirate cancels the residence visa.

5. Embassy steps

The embassy or consulate of the deceased issues a no-objection letter for burial, cremation or repatriation, cancels the passport and, for many countries, registers the death in the home country.

It depends on the emirate and the issuing authority. UK government guidance says UAE death certificates are often in English, but that this varies across the emirates; other embassies tell their nationals to have the certificate translated by an authorised translator if it is only in Arabic. Police reports and forensic reports are commonly in Arabic.

Three situations need a translation:

• The certificate is in Arabic only and the embassy, the airline cargo agent or the receiving country needs it in English or the home language.
  
• Police or medical reports are in Arabic and the embassy asks for them with the repatriation file.
  
• The certificate will be used abroad for probate, insurance, pensions or bank accounts, where the receiving authority sets its own language rules.

MOFA attests the death certificate and its translation, so the translation should be ready before the attestation appointment, not after. A practical order is:

1. Collect the original death certificate (and extra copies).
   
2. Have it translated by a UAE Ministry of Justice-licensed legal translator, with the name spelled exactly as in the passport.
   
3. Attest the certificate and translation at MOFA. The published fee for attesting a personal document was AED 150 at the time of writing (November 2026) — confirm on the MOFA website, as fees change.
   
4. Submit the attested set to the embassy for its no-objection letter and passport cancellation, together with whatever else the embassy lists (often the cancelled passport, the embalming certificate and an airline booking for repatriation).
   
   For what attestation adds to a certified translation, see certified vs notarised vs attested translation.

• Name spelling. The Arabic certificate may transliterate a name differently from the passport. The translation must follow the passport so the embassy and the airline can match them. See name spelling mismatches.
  
• Cause of death. UAE certificates do not always state a cause of death. A translator must render exactly what is written and never complete it from the hospital report.
  
• Translating the wrong copy. Translate the final, signed certificate, not a draft or a hospital printout; otherwise the translation will not match what MOFA attests.
  
• Assuming one translation fits every country. Some home-country authorities accept an English translation; others require their own sworn translator. Ask the receiving authority before ordering a second language.

The death certificate is also the first document in any estate matter in the UAE: bank accounts, end-of-service benefits, property and vehicles. Arabic court and registry papers will then need English translation for the family, and documents from abroad will need Arabic. Our guides to foreign probate and inheritance documents and powers of attorney from heirs abroad cover the next steps.

Usually, yes. The UAE government portal says that to repatriate the body, the death certificate must be translated and duly attested, and an NOC obtained from the embassy or consulate. If the certificate is already bilingual, the embassy will tell you whether a translation is still required.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests the death certificate and its translation. The embassy of the deceased then issues its no-objection letter.

Yes. Death certificates are short, and we deliver them the same day so the family can keep their MOFA and embassy appointments.

Often, once it is attested, but the receiving authority decides. Some countries require a translation by their own sworn translator; ask them before you travel.

We translate death certificates, police letters and medical reports between Arabic and English for MOFA attestation, embassies and repatriation files, and we treat these requests as urgent. See our death certificate translation in Dubai and Abu Dhabi pages.

This article is general information about the translation and document side of the matter. It is not legal advice. Laws, procedures and fees change; confirm current requirements with the court or authority concerned and take advice from a lawyer on your own case.

Send a clear photo or scan of the certificate and the passport page, and tell us which embassy the file is for. Smart World Legal Translation – Sole Proprietorship L.L.C. (SWLT) is a UAE Ministry of Justice-licensed legal translation company in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, led by Dr. Hani Elimam. Our federal accreditation is accepted across the UAE, including by Dubai Courts, and we hold exclusive interpretation contracts with the UAE Federal Courts and the Federal Public Prosecution. Arabic⇄English legal translation is AED 60 per 200-word page (excl. VAT), with same-day delivery available. Send your documents on WhatsApp (+971 50 864 8439), email info@swlt.ae, or use our contact page.