ADGM Notary Support

Abu Dhabi Global Market is a common-law jurisdiction with its own courts, its own registration authority and its own notary public service. That last point is the one that catches people out: an ADGM notarisation is not the same route as an Abu Dhabi Judicial Department appointment onshore, and the two have different eligibility, different documentary requirements and different fee schedules.

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Article contents10 sections
  1. Who Actually Operates the ADGM Notary Public
  2. What ADGM Will Not Notarise
  3. Bilingual Documents and Wet-Ink Signatures
  4. The Appointment Runs on ADGM’s Sequence, Not Yours
  5. Two Fee Layers, and Separate Individual and Corporate Schedules
  6. Frequently Asked Questions
  7. Need Support With Your Document?
  8. Official Legal and Authority References
  9. Legal Disclaimer
  10. Related pages

Who Actually Operates the ADGM Notary Public

The service is run by ADGM Courts in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, under Abu Dhabi Law No. 11 of 2017. That partnership explains the fee structure described below — there are two authorities involved, and each charges for its own part.

The notarial acts available include notarisation of documents, notarisation of specimen signatures, verification of the date of a document, declarations and affirmations, and the notarisation of non-Muslim wills. That last category is a substantive reason to use ADGM rather than an onshore office for estate planning, and it sits alongside the separate DIFC wills route.

What ADGM Will Not Notarise

The service declines documents that contravene the law or public order, and — more commonly encountered — documents that belong to another jurisdiction. Articles of association for a company registered outside ADGM are the standard example: the document is perfectly valid, it simply is not ADGM’s to notarise.

This is the single most useful thing to establish before booking. The question is not “can this be notarised” but “is this the right authority for this document”. A mainland Abu Dhabi company document generally goes to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department; an ADGM entity’s corporate documents go to ADGM. Our page on notary services in Abu Dhabi covers the onshore side and the boundary between the two.

Bilingual Documents and Wet-Ink Signatures

Two formal requirements cause more rejected appointments here than anything else, and both are easy to satisfy if they are known in advance.

  • The document must be bilingual, in Arabic and English. An English-only document — which is the natural output of a common-law drafting process — is not sufficient, and the translation has to be prepared before the appointment rather than arranged around it.
  • Signatures must be handwritten. Electronic signatures are not accepted, which matters because ADGM entities frequently execute documents electronically as a matter of course.

For a document being prepared for ADGM notarisation, therefore, build the Arabic version into the drafting timeline and plan for wet-ink execution by everyone who has to sign.

The Appointment Runs on ADGM’s Sequence, Not Yours

Requests are submitted online. Once the notary public accepts the request, a payment link for the ADGM Courts fee is issued by email, and that fee must be paid before an appointment can be scheduled. The practical effect is that the booking is not confirmed at the point of request — it is confirmed after acceptance and payment, and each step has its own turnaround.

There is one further scheduling constraint worth planning around: all authorised signatories must attend the same appointment. For a corporate document with signatories in different countries, that requirement can determine the whole timeline, and it is better discovered at the drafting stage than at the booking stage.

Two Fee Layers, and Separate Individual and Corporate Schedules

Charges arise at two levels — an ADGM Courts fee and an Abu Dhabi Judicial Department fee — and the ADGM Courts schedule distinguishes between individual and corporate applicants, with different amounts for each. Powers of attorney are also treated differently from other instruments in that schedule.

Published fee schedules change, so rather than reproducing figures that will go stale we point to the source: ADGM publishes its notary public fees on its own site, and the current position should be taken from there. Our page on notary fees and official charges links the official sources for the onshore schedules as well. Professional fees for drafting, review and translation are separate from all of the above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to be an ADGM entity to use the ADGM notary?

There is no stated requirement for an ADGM connection, but the service will not notarise documents that belong to another jurisdiction. Corporate documents of a company registered outside ADGM — its articles of association, for instance — are declined.

Can my document be in English only?

No. Documents must be bilingual in Arabic and English. Prepare the Arabic version as part of drafting rather than after, because the appointment cannot proceed without it.

Can we sign electronically?

No. Handwritten signatures are required and electronic signatures are not accepted, which is a common surprise for ADGM entities that execute everything else electronically.

Do all signatories have to attend together?

Yes. All authorised signatories must attend the same appointment, which for a multi-jurisdictional corporate group is often the binding constraint on timing.

How is the appointment booked?

The request is submitted online. Once the notary public accepts it, a payment link for the ADGM Courts fee is sent by email, and that fee has to be paid before the appointment can be scheduled.

Can ADGM notarise a non-Muslim will?

Yes, notarisation of non-Muslim wills is among the acts offered. DIFC operates a separate wills registration route, which is covered on our DIFC wills page.

Is this the same as notarising at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department?

No. ADGM Courts runs the service in partnership with ADJD, but the route, the requirements and the fee schedules differ. Which one is correct depends on the document and on where the entity is registered.

Need Support With Your Document?

Our firm provides legal services across the UAE, including drafting, review and coordination for notary-related documents and transactions. The practice is managed by Emirati Senior Lawyer Abdulhamid Al Balooshi, with more than two decades of legal practice. Our office is based in Dubai, and we assist clients across the Emirates, including matters that can be prepared or coordinated remotely where the applicable procedure allows.

For companies with recurring document requirements, corporate service arrangements and special professional rates may be available for long-term legal drafting, review and notary-related support. Official government, notary and third-party fees remain separate.

Website: https://uaenotarypublic.com/ Email: notary@uaenotarypublic.com Office: 14th Floor, Aspin Commercial Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE

The legal and procedural sources above were reviewed for this article on 20 August 2026. Current authority requirements should be checked again at the time of filing, particularly for fees, electronic eligibility and document lists.

This article provides general information about UAE notary-related procedures and is not legal advice for a particular transaction. Notarial, attestation, translation, registration and acceptance requirements can differ according to the document, parties, legal capacity, Emirate, free zone, country of issue and receiving authority. Fees and electronic procedures may change. Notarisation does not by itself guarantee enforceability, registration, approval or acceptance by another authority. Where the official UAE legislation portal provides that the Arabic text prevails, the Arabic text is authoritative in the event of inconsistency. Obtain advice on the facts of your matter and verify the competent authority's current requirements before signing, paying fees or relying on a document.

Fawad Khan, Paralegal