Every year, thousands of Indians leave their homes and move to the UAE for a variety of reasons, such as finding a better job that pays well, improving their lifestyle, and more. For example, a software engineer may be going to Dubai, a nurse may be working in a hospital in Abu Dhabi, or a family may be moving to Sharjah.
Most people will be so occupied with getting a job, buying tickets, and finding a place that they will forget about one important thing—paperwork.
Actually, a lot of the postponements in moving are not only because of waiting for visa approval but also due to missing documents, wrongly done paperwork, or preparations of documents for UAE didn’t meet the requirements.
If moving is in your plans, a checklist like this may be quite helpful in preventing you from coming under a cloud unnecessarily.
1. Check Your Passport First
First things first, check if your passport is valid.
Majority of the employers and immigration bodies require your passport to be valid for a reasonable period of time. In case your passport is near to expiry, get it renewed prior to the submission of your visa application. It will be a great way to avoid any hassle in the future.
While you are at it, also make sure that your name, date of birth and other personal details are consistent with your educational and personal documents.
2. Keep Your Educational Certificates Ready
One of the most requested documents for professionals relocating to the UAE are educational certificates.
Depending on your profession, you may need:
- Degree Certificate
- Diploma Certificate
- Technical or Professional Certificates
- Mark Sheets
Employers might request these documents as part of the hiring process, whereas some governmental formalities might only ask for them at a later stage.
In general, having a set of original documents and their scanned copies handy well ahead of your journey is highly recommended.
3. Personal Documents Are Just as Important
If you’re planning to sponsor your spouse or children after settling in the UAE, personal documents become equally important.
These may include:
- Birth Certificate
- Marriage Certificate
- Passport copies
- Passport-sized photographs
Most applicants only discover that these documents need further verification at the time when they are doing the family visa application. But at times even personal documents might also need attestation, for example birth certificate attestation for UAE might be required at the time of moving to UAE with family.
Looking up the requirements beforehand can be a great time saver later on
4. Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
A Police Clearance Certificate is commonly requested for employment or immigration purposes.
Requirements vary depending on your employer and visa category, but obtaining a PCC can take time. If you know you’ll need one, applying early is usually the smarter approach.
5. Experience and Employment Records
Many employers also ask for documents that confirm your previous work experience.
Keep these documents organised:
- Experience Certificates
- Offer Letter
- Appointment Letter
- Relieving Letter
- Salary Slips (if required)
It’s really nice to have everything ready because then the onboarding process becomes way easier.
6. Organise Digital Copies
A good habit which seasoned travellers suggest is producing digital copies for all your important papers.
Keep duplicated versions in a safe place like cloud storage or an encrypted drive so that they are always at your fingertips.
It can be very handy in case a paper gets lost on a trip or you are unexpectedly asked for it.
7. Understand Which Documents Need Legal Recognition
Not every document issued in India can be used directly in another country.
For most official uses, some certificates have to be legally verified to get recognized by UAE authorities in the process of document attestation for UAE.
This is especially important for educational certificates, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and other official documents used for employment, family sponsorship, or higher education.
Knowing about these requirements in advance of your application helps to prevent unexpected problems at the last minute.
8. Start Preparing Earlier Than You Think
One error that many first-time applicants do is delaying the process of gathering the required documents after getting the visa approval.
But, the verification of the documents ends up taking quite a long time, particularly where several departments have to be involved.
By getting a head start, you’ll have the ability to fix errors, order any missing documents or finish any extra formalities without jeopardizing your travel plans.
Doing a little groundwork at this time may help you avoid a long delay of several weeks.
Final Thoughts
Relocating to the UAE can be a great step in your life, career, or simply a chance to be close to family.
You might be thinking about visas and flights first. However, sorting out your documents is equally crucial. Besides making your move easier, proper preparation of documents helps you steer clear of delays.
The best thing to do is check the official rules for the UAE document attestation before you hand your documents over, if you can’t figure out whether you need to get your certificates legalized first.
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