How to apply for a Certificate of Recognition in the UAE

Recognition is a two-stage process, and most confusion comes from people treating it as one. First an approved partner verifies that your qualification is genuine. Only then does the Ministry assess it and issue your recognition report.

Stage one: verification

Before the Ministry will look at your file, the authenticity of your qualification has to be established by one of its two approved partners: DataFlow or QuadraBay. They contact the awarding institution directly rather than relying on the paper in your hand.

Reports of the process suggest verification can take up to around 30 days, so treat it as the long pole in the schedule rather than a formality to leave until last.

The documents you need

The requirement list was cut substantially in the 2025 update, so if you are following an older guide you may be gathering paperwork nobody asks for any more.

• Your graduation certificate, signed and sealed.
• Your academic transcript, signed and sealed, covering the full period of study.
• A research summary, if your postgraduate degree was research-based.
• For Emirati sponsored students, the sponsorship letter, where issued by an accredited body in the UAE.

Stage two: the Ministry assessment

With the verification report in hand, you submit your application to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. If the criteria are met, your qualification recognition report is issued and sent to your registered email.

The primary criterion applied at this stage is the awarding university global ranking: the lower the institution ranks, the higher the requirements.

Where people get stuck

• Assuming embassy attestation replaces verification. It does not. They are separate steps and you will likely need both.
• Submitting a transcript that covers only part of the programme. It must cover the full period of study.
• Discovering after graduation that the programme was restricted to one group of students, which the Ministry excludes.
• Leaving verification until an employer sets a deadline, when it can take weeks on its own.

A note on timing

Conditions, fees and processing times are set by the Ministry and change without notice. Use this page to understand the shape of the process, then confirm the current detail on the Ministry site before you submit anything.

Common questions