Spanish documents are apostilled by different ministries depending on type — education, judicial or commercial — before UAE Embassy Madrid and MOFA Dubai complete the chain. Benchmark routes each document to the correct ministry the first time.
Educational títulos route via the Ministerio de Educación, judicial and notarial documents via the Ministerio de Justicia, and commercial documents via the Cámara de Comercio. As with Italy, Spain splits apostille authority by document type rather than by region, and using the wrong ministry restarts the entire chain. All apostilled documents then go to the UAE Embassy in Madrid, MOFA Dubai, and a certified Arabic translator.
UAE employment visas, DHA/DoH/KHDA licensing, family sponsorship, Golden Visa and company registration all require attested Spanish documents with certified Arabic translation — the apostille alone is not accepted by UAE ministries.
Títulos and transcripts need this chain for KHDA/DHA/MOH licensing and UAE university admission. Registro civil records — nacimiento, matrimonio and defunción — need it for family visa sponsorship. Antecedentes Penales, Spanish police clearance, is required for UAE Golden Visa applications, within the usual three-month recency requirement. Registro Mercantil documents — nota simple, escritura and invoices — need the same chain for UAE business use.
You will typically need the original Spanish document, a colour scan of your passport bio page and UAE visa or entry stamp, and a signed poder or authorisation letter if a family member or agent holds the original in Spain — a certified Arabic translation is handled in-house.
Educational títulos must go through the Ministerio de Educación, not the Ministerio de Justicia — using the wrong authority restarts the chain, and this is the most common issue with Spanish documents. UAE authorities typically require the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales issued within the last three months. Any name mismatch between certificate, passport and Emirates ID blocks downstream applications. And UAE ministries reject Spanish-only documents — a certified Arabic translation is required after MOFA Dubai.
Spain's apostille authority splits by document type rather than by region, which catches people out more than they expect. We confirm whether your document needs the Ministerio de Educación or the Ministerio de Justicia before it's sent, so it isn't returned for the wrong stamp. Free pickup is available across Oud Metha, Bur Dubai and nearby.
Educational documents go through the Ministerio de Educación, judicial and notarial through the Ministerio de Justicia, commercial through the Cámara de Comercio. We confirm this before submission.
UAE authorities typically require it issued within the last three months.
Yes, handled in-house once MOFA Dubai attestation is complete.
Typically 2–4 weeks depending on document type and the relevant ministry's processing time.
Yes, via the Cámara de Comercio before UAE Embassy Madrid and MOFA Dubai.
Yes, a signed poder or authorisation letter allows a family member or agent to act on your behalf.
