The Four Digital Notarisation Channels

The UAE’s digital notarisation landscape consists of one identity layer and three notarisation channels. The identity layer is UAE Pass. The three notarisation channels sit above it: Dubai Courts e-Notary, MOJ E-Notary, and ADJD Digital Notary. This page describes each.

UAE Pass

UAE Pass is the federal digital identity administered by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority. It supports qualified electronic signatures, which is the signature level the notarisation channels require. A signatory cannot use any of the three notarisation channels without a verified UAE Pass account at the qualified signature level. The verification is a one-time process, after which the account is used across the channels without further setup.

Dubai Courts e-Notary

Administered by Dubai Courts. Jurisdictional reach: documents intended for matters with in Dubai jurisdiction or for a Dubai counterparty. Accepted document categories include Powers of Attorney, declarations, undertakings, acknowledgements, and certain contracts. Output is digitally sealed under Dubai Courts seal and is accepted by Dubai counterparties without paper authentication.

MOJ E-Notary

Administered by the Ministry of Justice. Jurisdictional reach: federal matters and emirates served by federal courts. Accepted categories are broadly aligned with those of Dubai Courts e-Notary, with categorical differences set by the administering authority’s published procedure. Output is digitally sealed under MOJ seal and is the conservative channel where the destination is federal or unclear.

ADJD Digital Notary

Administered by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. Jurisdictional reach: documents intended for matters within Abu Dhabi jurisdiction or for an Abu Dhabi counterparty. Accepted categories follow the same general structure as the other two channels. Output is digitally sealed under ADJD seal and is accepted by Abu Dhabi counterparties without paper authentication.

Cross-emirate recognition

A digitally sealed instrument from one channel may be recognised in another emirate but is not guaranteed to be. The acceptance question is decided by the receiving counter party, not by the issuing channel. Where the destination is in a different jurisdiction from the issuing channel, the prudent course is to use the channel matching the destination.