Date: 27th of April, 2022

Author: Julia Nasri

Having a baby is a joyous occasion, a new step in a parent’s life. With all the new firsts, many parents can often feel overwhelmed, especially when it comes to paperwork. Let me do my best to break it down for you.

What should I bring with me to the hospital?

Paperwork is no joke in the UAE and making sure you take the time in advance to know which documents need to be prepared will help this magical day go as smoothly as possible. Necessary documents for the baby bag include both mom and dad’s passports, their marriage certificate, and Emirates IDs. 

Once your bundle of joy has arrived, the vital records department will take these documents and prepare a birth notification. This is NOT the birth certificate that is delivered by the Ministry of Health but will be used to draft your child’s UAE birth certificate. Here, you will also record your baby’s full name in both English and Arabic.

What to do after receiving your birth certificate

Your UAE birth certificate will be ready to go after a week or two, and you will receive electronic and physical copies in both English and Arabic. The next step is to take this document and get it stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so it can be used by the parents at their home embassies. If your embassy accepts documents in English or Arabic, perfect. If not, you will need to translate your child’s UAE birth certificate into your country’s official language so that you can apply for any necessary vital documents such as Certificate of Birth Abroad and passports. It is best to consult with your embassy/consulate to understand what is exactly required.

Getting a sworn translation might seem like a hassle but knowing which steps to take in order to get that translation can simplify the whole process. With Idiomatic Dubai, we want you to focus on the joy that comes with having a baby, not the stress of preparing your paperwork. Our sworn translators are able to handle whatever your document needs, and we have language experts in over 100 languages to accommodate our wide variety of clients. Enquire about sworn translation here.