How to Become a Sworn Legal Translator in the UAE

Article 5 of the Decree-Law lists what an applicant must meet before being entered in the roll:

There is no rule reserving the profession to UAE nationals. The differences are the experience exemption for Emiratis and the residence requirement for foreigners.

Under Article 8, the Translators’ Affairs Committee may waive some conditions for three groups: a translator engaged by a court or the public prosecution when needed (after the oath), translators who were registered before the Decree-Law and have proven their competence, and speakers of rare languages where the roll has no translator, or too few, in that language. Government bodies may also ask for qualifying employees to be registered, but those translators may work only for their own employer (Article 7).

1. Prepare your documents. The MOJ service page lists your passport, a qualification recognised in the UAE, an experience certificate (five years for expatriates), a health certificate and a professional-error insurance certificate. Documents must be in Arabic or come with a certified translation.
2. Apply online. Sign in with UAE PASS and submit the “Registration of Legal Translator” application on the MOJ’s online services, then pay the application fee.
3. Document review. The Committee checks the file. Incomplete files stall here, so make sure degree equivalency and experience letters are in order first.
4. Technical test. Complete applicants are referred to a written and oral technical test, or one of them, on the Ministry’s model. The Committee sets the pass rates.
5. Decision. The Committee must decide within 60 days of the application and notify you within 10 working days. If you pass, you are asked to pay the registration fee. The MOJ service page gives 65 days as the overall service time.
6. Oath. You swear the oath before a circuit of the competent Court of Appeal. Under Article 11 you may not submit any translation before taking it.
7. Translator card and licence. You receive the MOJ translator card, and you also need a licence from the competent local licensing authority before you practise (Article 2).

You can appeal the Committee’s decision to the competent court within 30 days of being notified, or of the 60-day period ending without a reply; the court’s ruling is final. You may also file a new application after at least six months, which also applies if you did not pass the tests. Structured practice in a legal translation course is a good use of the waiting period, especially for legal terminology and the layout of official documents.

Registration is a licence with obligations. Article 13 of the Decree-Law requires a registered translator to:

• translate accurately and faithfully, without changing the content;
• do the work personally and from inside the UAE;
• keep confidential everything learned through the work;
• translate only between the languages you are licensed for;
• show your name, registration number and translation house on every translation and certificate you sign;
• keep a register of the translations you complete.

Registration lasts three years and is renewable. File the renewal at least 30 days before expiry; renewal is assessed on the same conditions as first registration. You may not translate between expiry and renewal, and if no renewal application is filed within 90 days of expiry, the registration is cancelled (Article 10).

The executive regulation also requires at least one specialised course a year while you are registered, and the Ministry prepares an annual performance report on each translator, informed by technical inspections of sample work. Courses in CAT tools or advanced translation skills can count towards that habit.

The law speaks of a translator registered in the Ministry of Justice roll, who swears an oath after registration. In practice people call this a sworn, legal or MOJ-certified translator.

Yes. Foreign applicants need a valid UAE residence permit and at least five years of translation experience; UAE nationals are exempt from the experience condition.

You need an approved qualification from a university or institute recognised in the UAE showing specialisation in the relevant language(s). The Committee publishes the list of accepted qualifications.

The executive regulation provides for a written and oral technical test, or one of them, on the Ministry’s model. Our sworn translator prep course covers the passage types and conventions in detail.

The Decree-Law requires an undertaking to practise from inside the UAE through a licensed translation house, and a licence from the local licensing authority. Check your own set-up with the Ministry.

The Committee must decide within 60 days of a complete application; the MOJ service page gives 65 days as the overall service time. The oath follows registration.

Three years, renewable. Apply at least 30 days before expiry; registration is cancelled if no renewal is filed within 90 days after it expires.

The Decree-Law defines the profession as written, oral or sign-language translation, but you may only work between the languages you are licensed for. Courts may also engage interpreters case by case.

SWLT runs one-to-one preparation for the MOJ test, led by Dr. Hani Elimam, along with courses in legal, court and medical translation. We do not issue the licence; the Ministry of Justice does. Course fees are quoted on request. If you need a translation rather than a career, our MOJ-certified translators handle your documents.

This article is general information. It is not legal advice. Laws, procedures and fees change; confirm current requirements with the Ministry of Justice or the authority concerned, and take professional advice on your own case.

Tell us your language pair and where you are in the process, and we will suggest a preparation plan. 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. Message us on WhatsApp (+971 50 864 8439), email info@swlt.ae, or use our contact page.