Setting Up a Business in the UAE:
Document Translation Checklist

Documents likely to require certified Arabic translation at the business registration stage:

• Passport copies of all shareholders and directors
• National ID cards or equivalent identification (if not in Arabic or English)
• Educational certificates of shareholders (required for certain professional licences)
• Police clearance certificates (required for certain licence types)
• Professional experience certificates (for regulated activities)
• Personal CVs or bio data for certain licensing categories

For company formation, the following documents typically require professional drafting and/or translation:

• Memorandum of Association (must be in Arabic for mainland companies)
• Articles of Association (where applicable)
• Board resolutions authorising company formation (if shareholders are corporate entities)
• Parent company documents (if the new UAE company is a subsidiary):

• Certificate of incorporation
• Board resolution authorising UAE company formation
• Parent company MOA/AOA
• All require certified Arabic translation and MOFA attestation

UAE banks require extensive KYC documentation, much of which needs to be in Arabic or translated:

• Company formation documents (MOA, trade licence) — typically already in Arabic
• Shareholder passport copies
• Business plan (may need to be in Arabic for some banks)
• Source of funds documentation
• Financial statements from existing business operations (require certified Arabic translation if in a foreign language)
• Reference letters (if in a non-Arabic/English language)

Free zones in the UAE — DIFC, ADGM, JAFZA, DAFZA, Meydan, etc. — generally work in English, which reduces the translation burden. However:

• DIFC and ADGM operate under English law and accept English documents
• For other free zones, non-English foreign documents may still require certified translation
• Corporate documents from certain countries may require MOFA attestation regardless of language