1. No Ministry of Justice stamp, or a stamp on one page only
UAE courts, notaries and government departments accept a translation only when every page is stamped and signed by a translator licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice under Federal Decree-Law No. 22 of 2022. A translation done by a typing centre, by a translation app, by a bilingual colleague or by a translator licensed in another country does not carry that stamp. A certified translation with the stamp on the first page only is treated as incomplete.
How to avoid it: before you pay anyone, ask who will translate, review and stamp the document. Then check the delivered file: stamp and signature on every page. Our guide typing centre vs legal translation covers the questions to ask.
2. The wrong language
Dubai Courts, ADJD, Sharjah and RAK courts, the federal courts, notary publics, GDRFA, ICP, MoHRE, DET and DLD file in Arabic. An English translation of a French birth certificate, however good, is not what they asked for. The reverse also happens: a document going to a foreign embassy, bank or university is delivered in Arabic when English was needed. ADGM and DIFC are English-language jurisdictions and have their own rules for Arabic documents and bilingual contracts.
How to avoid it: name the receiving authority when you order. The translator confirms the direction before starting.
3. Names that do not match the passport or Emirates ID
Every authority compares the translated name with the passport, and in the UAE with the Emirates ID. A name transliterated from Russian, Hindi, Chinese, Arabic or Farsi can be spelt several ways in English, and an English name can be written several ways in Arabic. French accents, Russian patronymics, married and maiden names, and a middle name present on one document and missing on another all cause mismatches.
How to avoid it: send a passport copy, and the Emirates ID of everyone named, with every order. If an earlier translation was accepted, send that too, so the new one matches it.
4. Missing parts of the document
The authority holds the original and compares. If the back of the certificate carries a stamp, a marginal note recording a marriage or divorce, an attestation sticker or a registrar's signature, and the translation does not show it, the file is incomplete. The same applies to schedules and exhibits attached to a contract, the pages of an evidence bundle, and the apostille or attestation certificate stapled to a document. A summary, an extract or a "key points" translation is never accepted in place of the full document.
How to avoid it: send both sides of every page and everything attached to the document. A clear scan or photo is fine.
5. Attestation missing or in the wrong order
Documents issued abroad usually need attestation of the original before translation, and some authorities then require the translation itself to be attested. People often translate first and attest later, and then discover that the attestation stamps added afterwards are untranslated, or that the authority wanted the attested original translated.
How to avoid it: ask the receiving authority two questions before ordering: does the original need attestation first, and does the translation need attestation after. Tell the translator the answers. Attestation is done by the issuing country's authorities and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not by the translator.
6. Inconsistency across a set of documents
A visa file, a court bundle or a company formation set is read as a whole. If the company name is translated one way on the trade licence and another way on the board resolution, if a date appears as 5 March on one page and 3 May on another, if a defined term in a contract changes between clauses, or if the case number on an exhibit does not match the claim, the whole set is questioned.
How to avoid it: translate related documents as one set, or send the earlier accepted translations so the new work matches them. For contracts, name the defined terms and the official English and Arabic company names when you order.
7. An unreadable original
A translator cannot certify a word they cannot read, and a certified translation cannot contain a guess. Faded stamps, handwriting, a photo taken at an angle, a cropped edge or a low-resolution scan all lead either to a delay, while a clearer copy is requested, or to a translation marked "illegible" where the authority expected text.
How to avoid it: a flat, well lit photo of each page, with all four edges visible, is enough. If a stamp or a line is unreadable on the original, say so when you order rather than hoping it passes.
8. Prepared for the wrong authority or format
A translation can be correct and still be refused because it was prepared for a different use. A court registry expects a certain layout for pleadings and exhibits; a notary expects the translation to accompany the document being notarized; some authorities ask for a hard copy with a wet stamp, others accept a PDF; some ask for the original document to be presented with the translation.
How to avoid it: name the authority and the purpose when you order, and ask the authority whether it needs a hard copy or the original. The translator prepares the format for that destination and tells you if a hard copy is needed.
If your translation has been sent back
Ask the authority for the reason, in writing if you can. It usually falls into one of the categories above, and the fix is different for each: a translation issue goes back to the translator, an attestation issue to the attestation chain, a document issue to the issuing body. If a Mairit translation is involved, send the authority's note and the original on WhatsApp at +971 55 947 4486. We tell you whether the issue is in the translation, the attestation or the document itself, and what the next step is, before you pay for anything further.
Checklist before you file
- Stamp and signature of a UAE Ministry of Justice licensed translator on every page.
- Translated into the language the receiving authority reads.
- Every name spelt exactly as in the passport, and in Arabic as in the Emirates ID.
- Both sides of every page translated, with all stamps, notes, stickers and attachments.
- Attestation done in the order the authority requires.
- Related documents translated as one set, with consistent names, dates and terms.
- The format the authority expects: PDF, hard copy or original presented alongside.
How Mairit's process prevents these
Mairit is a legal translation technology company. You send the document on WhatsApp or by email and name the authority. mairit.ai prepares the first draft and routes the job. A UAE Ministry of Justice licensed sworn translator from Mairit's network then reviews the draft against your original, checking names against the passport and Emirates ID you sent, dates, amounts, negations, stamps, defined terms and the order of pages, and certifies the translation with their stamp and signature on every page. If a page is unreadable, you are asked for a clearer copy before work starts, not after. The translation is delivered online as a PDF, and the price is confirmed before any work starts: English to Arabic and Arabic to English AED 15–45 per page, every other language AED 45–100+ per page. The full workflow is on how certification works.
Frequently asked questions
Can a translation be rejected even if it has the Ministry of Justice stamp?
Yes. The stamp is the necessary condition, not the only one. The authority also checks that the names match the passport, that every page and every stamp on the original is translated, that the original is attested in the required order, that the set is consistent, and that the format matches its own rules.
What happens if my translation is rejected?
Ask the authority for the reason. A translation issue goes back to the translator, an attestation issue to the attestation chain, a document issue to the issuing body. If a Mairit translation is involved, send the authority's note and the original on WhatsApp at +971 55 947 4486 and we tell you where the issue is and what the next step is before you pay for anything further.
Does a translation certified in Dubai work in Abu Dhabi?
Yes. The Ministry of Justice licence is federal, so a translation stamped by a licensed translator is valid in every emirate. A rejection in Abu Dhabi of a translation certified in Dubai is almost never about the stamp; it is usually about names, attestation or missing pages.
Do I need to translate the back of the document?
Yes, if it carries anything at all: a stamp, a registrar's signature, a marginal note, an attestation sticker or an apostille. The authority compares the translation with the original, and an untranslated back is read as a missing page. Send both sides of every page together.
Can I use Google Translate for a government form or certificate?
Not for anything that will be filed. UAE authorities accept only translations certified by a Ministry of Justice licensed translator, and machine translation produces text, not a certified document. It is fine for understanding a document yourself. Mairit uses its own AI for the first draft, and a licensed human translator reviews, corrects and certifies it; that review and stamp are what the authority needs.
Related pages
Send your document before you file
Tell us where it is going. We check the language, the names and the attestation order with you before any work starts.