The legal bit...
- Jade S-B
- Jul 28, 2019
- 4 min read
As with any career in education abroad (I assume), you have to provide evidence of your qualifications. "Easy!" you say to yourself whilst hunting for your school certificates and degree certificate (if you have it, if not your school should explain what happens until you receive it). However, it is not as easy as you might think. I have decided to give a step-by-step guide to getting the required documents stamped, legalised and attested.
Disclaimer - This is my personal experience and could differ depending on your location and employers requirements. If you are unaware I am moving to Fujairah - United Arab Emirates, therefore my experience is based on this.
Step 1:
Find out your countries requirements for gaining a working visa. Your employer can help with this, for example I complete the steps required in the UK and send copies over to the headteacher's PA and they then complete my working visa request.
I was required to get my educational documents, degree certificate and ACRO (International DBS) certificate certified.
Step 2:
After hunting for your documents or ordering them (ACRO) you are required to get them certified by a solicitor or recognised notary. Find a decent solicitor in your area and call them to check if they can certify educational documents and how much it will cost. They may request you book an appointment or suggest you phone on the day to check someone is available to certify the documents. The solicitor I called was very kind and efficient - I called on the day, popped in, he copied my educational documents, stamped them and my ACRO certificate, dated them and signed, he did not charge me "because it didn't take long". But, I do know some people were charged £5/£10 per document. I advise you always call beforehand to check!
Step 3:
Once you have visited the solicitor - another suggestion: go when you have all of your documents! - you need to send them to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to be legalised. Before sending them you are required to complete an online application to state which documents you are sending, if they meet the solicitors requirements and process an online payment.
It is an easy process and the application form informs you of the next steps to post the documents, the type of postage and how long it will take.
The website states:
£30 per document
documents sent and returned by post
normally 2 working days turnaround, excluding postage times
applications during peak periods around Easter and summer can take up to 10 days
When the FCO have completed your documents you receive an email from the shipping company saying they will be delivered on this date (often next working day) and a signature is required. When you receive this email check your bank - if the money has been refunded something is missing from the solicitor or there is an issue with the documents. There will be an enclosed page highlighting the issue. You may also receive another email saying they want to check out the solicitor as they may not be registered on their system - providing they are a solicitor, you have nothing to worry about.
Step 4:
Attesting your documents at the embassy. I think you can pay and send the documents to the UAE Embassy in London, but for convenience I went to London to do it myself. The website provides the address and times you are required to submit your documents - I think it is between 10am and 1pm - but I know someone who was told to come back tomorrow as it was too late just after 11am. I arrived at 11am and was fine! I paid for my documents - £33 per document - and was told to come back at 3pm for collection. Fortunately the embassy is near the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert Museums. There is a McDonald's fairly close and many other restaurants.
I took the train to London Victoria and got a taxi to the embassy - costing £10.
48 Princes Gardens,
London
When collecting the documents I simply gave in my piece of paper and they counted the documents and handed them back with stamps on the back. Once I had finished we caught an Uber back to the train station - costing £7. It worked out a little more expensive to go to London but it is quicker and you know exactly where your documents are.
That is basically the process so far (which I have experienced). I am awaiting my degree certificate in order to get a working visa. There are companies which can do all of this for you but they work out quite expensive. However, if you are busy it can be a pain to do this process. When my degree certificate comes through I will do it through a company as the cost to go to London again for one document will work out the same as a company who completes all of the steps. Below are some companies you could use if you choose too (I am not sponsored to give this information).
UK Apostille Certificate Serive - https://www.apostille.org.uk/
Hague Apostille Service - https://www.hagueapostille.co.uk/
Vital Consular - https://www.vitalconsular.com/legalisation.html
Each cost around £150 per document (including all services).
I hope this helps some people to 'unjumble' (not a word!) the whole process.
A YouTube video which really helped me is below. He has loads of other videos about the UAE which are really helpful!
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