To any national who is moving to the United Arab Emirates, getting an Emirates ID is among the most important needs in the formalization of your residence. The Emirates ID is the legal identity document issued by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) needed to open a bank account and sign a lease, access government services and receive healthcare, to name just a few things. Yet, in the case of immigrants coming into the country, especially in Germany and other countries whose issues of primary documents are written in German – an important additional step is often undertaken and this is after what may be considered, German to Arabic translation of primary documents.
Some of the most expected documents to process Emirates ID include birth certificates, marriage certificates, academic records and in some cases medical reports or a relationship certificate. In case any of them are in German they should be translated into Arabic in a legal way but should be well certified to be accepted by the UAE authorities.
This blog entry explains how to request certified German-to-Arabic translations in order to process Emirates IDs, specifically which rules apply, how the procedure is carried out, which authorities accept such translations, and what criteria you should pay attention to when you select a translation service provider.
Reasons Why Emirates ID needs the Certified Translation
Emirates ID is a government-issued Identity which is connected to your immigration status and personal records within the UAE. When it comes to applying or renewing an Emirates ID you must produce official documents that will define your identity, your family relations and your nationality. Documentations checked by the ICP and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) must be in Arabic which is the official language of the UAE.
Any document in German (birth certificate, family book or university degree) must be translated by a translator licensed by the UAE ministry of justice (MOJ) to Arabic. This is one of the strict requirements. Translations that are not certified, custom translations, or translations that are posted outside frequently are not acceptable. Immigration and Emirates ID purposes require the immigration to be considered as the only legal translations of Arabic translation.
The necessity of this is not only by linguistic means but also by legal means. A certified translation is regarded as an equivalent legal version of the original document in Arabic: this is an essential factor in identity check, database filling, and civil status certification. It means that government agencies can now uniformly receive information by documents created overseas and be able to understand and process it without any legal ambiguity and mistranslation.
The process of Legal Translation between German and Arabic
To receive a German document on the Emirates ID processing, its translation and attestation will have to pass a complex legal procedure, in particular, when issued outside the UAE. This is how it usually occurs:
The procedure starts within the state the document was printed in, which is Germany in this situation. In case you are presenting an original German birth certificate, marriage certificate or academic diploma, such document will first have to be certified by the local authorities in Germany i.e. Ministry of Interior or a similar state organ through corresponding attestation. Afterwards it must be certified by the UAE Embassy or Consulate in Germany. This is a diplomatic attestation of validity of the use of the document in the UAE.
After arrival in Dubai, or any other emirate, including Abu Dhabi, the document should be finalized before the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC). It is only on completion of this form of attestation that it can be brought out to be legally translated.
The German document is subsequently delivered to a legal translator authorized by the Ministry of Justice in the UAE that makes a formal translation, into Arabic. The translation will be characterized by the stamp of certification, a statement of accuracy and in others by the special translator license number to be accredited as being legal. Digital verification or QR codes are also available in translation offices.
After this certified translation of German into Arabic is made, it will be the legally accepted version of your document in Arabic language and can be considered as a part of your file at ICP or GDRFA in your Emirates ID.
Also it can be stated that not all the authorities will be willing to accept only a certified translation of the document that was originally printed in German, since they may want to check the original as well, therefore it is a good idea to have the original document as well as the properly done translation in a good shape. Other residency related processes such as family sponsorship, medical testing and stamping a visa also need some translated documents.
Selecting a Certified Translation Provider
The translation legal market in the UAE is heavily monitored and only MOJ certified translators are allowed to perform certified translation which can be used in applying Emirates ID or in getting a visa. That is why the choice of a professional translation office becomes important.
It is good to start by ensuring that the translation supplier is a licensed translation supplier under the Ministry of Justice and has dealt with the German to Arabic translation previously. German language is very deep and to translate to legal Arabic language not only one needs to be good in the language but also acquainted with the legal terms, official wordings and common forms of documents used in both the languages.
The most well-known translation agencies in the UAE collaborate with native German translators and have a wide range of services comprising legal texts and immigration documents, civil certificates, etc. The agencies which are renowned in the handling of sensitive documentation in a professional and confidential way are the Alsun Legal Translation, torjoman and elite legal translation agencies.
Logistically, seek agencies with an online submission portal, free consultation, and small turn-around proportions. The price of engaging a standard German-to-Arabic translation of civil records such as birth or marriage certificates usually varies between AED 100 to AED 200 per page and it can be performed within a timescale of 24 and 48 hours. Emergency services can also be charged at a premium but the majority of service providers can hasten the booking of Emirates ID at the request of those applicants with urgent deadlines.
It is also important that the translator you are going to use gives you both a physical stamp and a signed declaration on legal equivalency because these two items are common practices when you are submitting the translated document to ICP. Unless the translation issued is duly certified, your translation will not be accepted and will therefore delay the process of getting or renewing the Emirates ID.
What is on your mind: Readiness to a Wait-free Emirates ID Application
In the very structured legal and immigration system in UAE, even a minor administrative error such as poor quality translation (not certified), or missing attestation, may bring huge consequences. Emirates ID is not just another identification card that allows identifying you as a person, but your access ticket to services, systems, and rights throughout the UAE. When applying to the Emirates ID, you have to submit a document or a documentation, in German, confirming the same, then, legally translating the document into Arabic is non-negotiable.
When you hire a licensed translator to perform the task, ensure that document attestation is carried out, and comply with the submission requirements stipulated by the government, you save yourself the trouble of being caught in a delay/rejection, or making repeated efforts when the same can be avoided. Although the process can seem quite complicated, the majority of decent translation offices will help you with every step of the process, which includes document evaluation, translation, and ultimate certification so that your Emirates ID application would be as smooth and fully complied as possible.
