Reviewed by Stan, Head of Hiring Department, TLNT.aeMost delays in a relocation to Dubai are not caused by the visa; they are caused by a document that is still in a drawer in another country. A diploma that needs legalisation, a police clearance that someone must collect in person, a marriage certificate without a translation, a driving licence left at home. All of these are easy while you are still at home and slow, expensive or impossible from Dubai. This guide lists what a specialist should prepare before the flight: the passport, diplomas and attestation as a concept, translations, police clearance where required, medical records, the driving licence, photos, references, the licence paperwork for medics, digital copies, and what to leave in order at home. Which documents your case needs exactly depends on your role, your country and your employer; confirm the list with the employer's HR or PRO and the official portals (ICP, GDRFA, MOHRE, and DHA or DOH for medics).
Talk to usThe short list that everyone needs regardless of role.
Attestation (also called legalisation) is the process by which a document issued in one country is recognised as genuine in another. The exact chain depends on your country and on what the document is for, so the steps below describe the concept, not a fixed recipe; your employer, a licensing regulator or the official portals tell you which documents need it in your case.
Three documents that are often requested for specific roles or purposes, and all three are far easier to obtain at home.
Dubai employers and regulators both ask for proof of what you did and where. Collect it while your former employers still remember you.
The last two tasks are the ones people skip because they are not urgent. They become urgent at the worst moment.
TLNT is a hiring consultancy. Employers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi ask us to search for specialists against criteria agreed at the start; we assess candidates on practical tasks and introduce the ones who meet the criteria. The employer interviews, makes the hiring decision and agrees the terms with you directly; you are employed by the employer's company, the employer sponsors the visa and we give the employer a step-by-step checklist. We do not give immigration or tax advice; take the exact document list from the employer and the official portals.
For candidates: send your CV through our candidates page or build one in the free CV builder; we let you know when an employer has a matching vacancy. Candidates never pay us.
Our fee is fixed for each role and agreed before the search starts. A 10% prepayment of the fee starts the search, the rest is due once the person has started work. If it does not work out, we find a replacement free of charge; the period is set in the contract. Consulting and CRM projects are priced after a free review.
It depends on the role and the employer. Attestation is often required for professional and regulated roles (medical staff, teachers, some office positions where the degree is a condition) and for family sponsorship documents, and less often for roles where the employer hires on skills and a practical assessment. Ask the employer's HR or PRO which documents need attestation in your case, and start the first steps at home: they can only be done in the country that issued the document.
Not for every role. It is often required for healthcare and education roles, for some licences and by some employers as part of their own checks. It is issued by the country where you lived, usually has a limited validity and may need legalisation and translation. Ask the employer whether your role needs it and from which countries, and obtain it close to the flight so it is still valid when used.
Our fee is fixed for each role and agreed before the search starts. A 10% prepayment of the fee starts the search, the rest is due once the person has started work. If it does not work out, we find a replacement free of charge; the period is set in the contract.
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Message on WhatsAppReviewed by Stan, Head of Hiring Department, TLNT.aeCite as: TLNT.ae, "Documents to prepare before moving to Dubai what to collect, legalise and translate at home, and what to leave in order", 2026, https://tlnt.ae/en/guides/documents-to-prepare-before-moving-to-dubai/. Prepared by TLNT.ae, a hiring consultancy working in the UAE since 2022.