How to Get Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)

Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Attestation

If you need to use a document officially in Saudi Arabia or outside the Kingdom, you may be asked to obtain authentication from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Saudi MOFA calls this service Document Ratification (تصديق الوثائق).

The service covers categories including educational documents, powers of attorney and marriage contracts, commercial documents, letters and personal-status documents.

Saudi MOFA Attestation Process

The basic procedure is:

Document preparation → Required prior authentication → Saudi MOFA online application → Fee payment → MOFA ratification

Saudi MOFA requires the document to have the appropriate chain of prior authentications, ending with a seal/signature recognized by the Ministry. Documents containing alterations or additions may be refused.

1. Complete the Required Authentication First

Saudi MOFA is normally not the first authority to authenticate a document.

For Saudi-issued documents, the appropriate Saudi authority generally needs to authenticate the document first.

For foreign-issued documents, the route depends on the country of issue and intended use. If, for example, a UAE-issued document is intended for Saudi Arabia, the relevant UAE and Saudi diplomatic authentication requirements should be checked before submission.

2. Apply Online for Saudi MOFA Ratification

Submit a request through the official Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs document-ratification portal. The application asks for information such as your current location, nationality, identity/passport details and document category.

Saudi MOFA – Document Ratification Service

3. Select Where You Are Applying

The current application portal allows applicants to select either MOFA headquarters/branches or Saudi missions abroad, depending on where they are applying. It also displays available processing mechanisms according to the selected application route.

This is particularly important if you are currently in the UAE rather than Saudi Arabia.

4. Pay the Attestation Fee

The current Saudi MOFA ratification portal states a fee of SAR 30 per attestation. Certain birth, educational and death certificates belonging to Saudi citizens are exempt under the conditions stated by MOFA.

5. Complete the Required Submission

Saudi MOFA states that applications are initiated electronically, with electronic payment, followed by the applicable Ministry branch or Saudi mission process.

Getting Saudi MOFA Attestation From UAE

If your document is currently in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Al Ain or elsewhere in the world, don't assume that you can simply send an unattested certificate directly to Saudi MOFA.

The correct sequence depends heavily on:

Country of issue + document type + current authentication + intended use in Saudi Arabia.

For example, a UAE-issued commercial document, an Indian degree currently in Dubai, and a Saudi-issued certificate that needs to be used in the UAE can all require different procedures.

Saudi MOFA Attestation Assistance in UAE

Amazon Attestation Services can assist customers in the UAE with reviewing the document and determining the applicable legalization pathway, including coordination of:

• Saudi Embassy/Consulate legalization requirements

• Saudi MOFA attestation requirements

• UAE MOFA attestation

• Educational certificate legalization

• Birth and marriage certificate legalization

• Powers of attorney

• Commercial document legalization

• Legal translation

• Document pickup and delivery

For the fastest assessment, provide a clear copy of the document plus the country of issue, document type, current location, and where the document will ultimately be used.