Certified French translation for UAE courts, ICP, ministries, banks and employers, by an MOJ-licensed legal translation office. We translate French documents into Arabic for use here, and Arabic or English documents into French for use in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and francophone Africa.
Trusted Credentials
Before You Translate
Rejections are often not about the translation. They are about a missing legalisation step, the wrong version of a certificate, or a name spelled differently from the passport.
The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone does not make a French document usable here. Since 1 September 2025, French public documents for non-Apostille countries are legalised by the French notariat, then legalised by the UAE Embassy in Paris, then attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Check the current requirements before you start, as they change.
A French birth certificate comes in three forms: the full copy (copie intégrale), an extract with parents' names (extrait avec filiation) and an extract without them. For family sponsorship, school registration or inheritance, the full copy is usually the safest because it shows both parents and the marginal notes (mentions marginales) such as marriage or divorce.
UAE bodies generally expect the Arabic translation to cover the whole document, including the legalisation and MOFA stamps. Complete the attestation chain first, then send us the attested document, so one translation covers everything and you do not pay twice.
French Documents We Translate
From France and from French-speaking countries whose records are written in French or in French and Arabic.
Birth, marriage and death certificates, the family record book (livret de famille), and certificates of custom or celibacy for marriages in the UAE.
Judgments with their proof of finality (certificat de non-appel or equivalent), custody and maintenance orders, for UAE personal status courts.
Baccalauréat, licence, master, diplôme d'ingénieur and transcripts graded out of 20, for degree recognition (MoHESR) or school equivalency (MOE), professional licensing and employment.
The French extrait de casier judiciaire (bulletin n°3) and equivalents from Belgium, Switzerland and North Africa, for visas and employment.
Kbis extract, articles (statuts), shareholder minutes (procès-verbaux) and powers of attorney, for setting up a UAE branch or subsidiary, or for banks.
UAE certificates, judgments, contracts and Emirates-issued degrees translated into French for use in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec or West Africa.
How It Works
WhatsApp a full scan of every page, back pages and stamps included, and tell us which authority will receive it. We confirm the page count and price before starting.
We check every name against your passport and, for Maghrebi names, against any Arabic spelling on your Emirates ID or home-country ID, so the Arabic matches your UAE records.
A legal translator renders the document with its stamps and marginal notes, including dates, numbers and legal terms.
The stamped, signed translation reaches you as a PDF, with the legalisation stamps translated on the same pages. A hard copy is available on request, and many single certificates are ready the same day.
Where It Is Used
Transparent Pricing
Excl. 5% VAT
The page rate covers translation only. French notarial legalisation, UAE Embassy and MOFA fees are paid to those bodies. SWLT does not notarise; if a document needs notarising, our legal partner arranges it.
FAQ
Our public rate is AED 100 per 200-word page, excluding 5% VAT, in either direction. A typical birth certificate is one page. We count the pages from your scan and confirm the total before starting.
Not on its own. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so it still expects legalisation: in France, notarial legalisation and then the UAE Embassy, followed by UAE MOFA attestation. Our apostille vs attestation guide explains the difference.
Since 1 September 2025 the French notariat has handled legalisation that the Foreign Ministry's legalisation office used to do. The document is then legalised by the UAE Embassy or Consulate in France and attested by MOFA in the UAE. Requirements change, so confirm with the embassy before you send originals.
Yes. Many Maghreb and Lebanese records are bilingual. If the authority accepts the Arabic part as it is, you may only need the French sections translated. Each country has its own legalisation route before the UAE Embassy, so check it with the issuing country's foreign ministry.
We follow the passport and, where you have one, the Arabic spelling on your Emirates ID or visa. Accents are often missing in the passport's machine-readable line, a hyphenated given name such as Jean-Pierre is one name, and particles like "de" stay with the surname. For North African names written in French, such as Belkacem or Ben Ali, we restore the original Arabic spelling rather than spelling out the French letters.
French records separate the birth name (nom de naissance) from the name used after marriage (nom d'usage, often written "épouse X"). We translate both exactly as written, so the authority can link the document to a passport issued in either name.
Yes. Legalise the UAE document first (MOFA, then the French Embassy in the UAE if required), then we translate it. French authorities often ask for translations by a translator sworn before a French court of appeal, so ask the receiving body whether a translation made in the UAE is enough.
Same-day delivery is available for many single documents such as certificates. Longer files, judgments and company documents take longer, and we give you a delivery time with the quote.
This page covers written translation. For meetings, hearings and events, see our French interpreting service, quoted on request.
You May Also Need
Our article on French to Arabic translation for Abu Dhabi clients.
Why an apostille alone is not enough for the UAE.
The last attestation step for documents issued abroad.
Contracts, judgments and court files, MOJ certified.
Get an instant estimate — final quote via WhatsApp
WhatsApp a scan of every page and tell us where it is going. We confirm the page count, the price at AED 100 per page + VAT, and the delivery time.