Guide # Duties of a Private Notary in the UAE, and of the Dubai Courts Notary Public The duties of private notary in UAE law come mainly from Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022. Before sealing any document, a notary must verify the identity of the people concerned, check their capacity and consent, and read out the content and its effects. In Dubai, the same core duties apply to the Dubai Courts notary public and to private notaries on the Dubai Courts roll. In this guide * At a glance * What is a private notary? * The core duties before a document is sealed * Language and interpretation * Personal appearance and remote notarisation * Duties of public notary in Dubai * Fees are a legal matter too * When a notary breaks the rules * How PrivateNotaryDubai.com helps Knowing these duties helps you prepare. Almost every delay at a signing comes from one of them: an ID that does not match, a signer who does not understand the document, or a language problem. ## At a glance * **Who regulates notaries:** federally, Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022. In Dubai, Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public. * **Two kinds of notary in Dubai:** the government notary public at Dubai Courts, and private notaries who are lawyers licensed by Dubai Courts and entered on its roll of private notaries. * **Core duties before sealing:** verify identity, check capacity and consent, read out the content and explain its effects (Article 7). * **Language:** instruments are in Arabic, with a conditional exception, and an interpreter is used when the notary does not share the signer's language (Articles 5 and 8). * **Fees:** set by law, not by the notary's choice. ## What is a private notary? In Dubai, the title belongs to a lawyer who holds a Dubai Courts licence for notarial work and whose name appears on the court's roll of private notaries. Private notaries carry out notarial acts from their own offices, in parallel with the government notary public at Dubai Courts ([Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013](https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4%29%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html)). In everyday use, "private notary" means the same thing across the UAE: a licensed professional outside the government notary office who can notarise documents. The meaning is about the role, not the building. An authorized private notary in the UAE is an individual whose name is on the official register, never a company. The document a private notary seals is a notarised document in the same way as one sealed by the notary public. ## The core duties before a document is sealed Article 7 of [Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563) sets out what the notary must do. In practice, it comes down to four checks. 1 ### Verify identity The notary verifies the identity of the people concerned from an ID card, a passport or another official document issued by the UAE. For the signer, this means bringing the original. A photo on a phone, an expired document or an ID with a different spelling from the document can stop the signing. 2 ### Check capacity The notary must be satisfied that the signer has the legal capacity to make the document. This is why a notary speaks directly to an elderly or unwell signer, and why a hospital signing takes more time than an office one. 3 ### Confirm consent The signer must be signing willingly. A notary who sees pressure from a relative, or a signer who seems not to know what the document is, can decline to proceed. This duty protects the signer more than anyone else. 4 ### Read out the content and its effects The notary reads out the transaction and explains its effects. A power of attorney is not just read; the signer is told what the agent will be able to do. ## Language and interpretation The instrument drafted by the notary is in Arabic. It may be drafted in a foreign language only in circumstances and under conditions set by a resolution of the Minister of Justice (Article 5). Dubai's own notary law adds that a document written in another language must come with an Arabic translation made by a certified translator, and the parties sign both (Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, Article 27). If the notary does not understand the signer's language, the notary engages an interpreter listed in the Ministry of Justice's Interpreter Register, who interprets in the presence of the people concerned (Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Article 8). Translation of the document and interpretation at the signing are two separate things. You may need both. ![A woman in a hijab working on a laptop at a modern office desk](https://privatenotarydubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/px8154160.jpg) ## Personal appearance and remote notarisation The default rule is that the people concerned, or their legal representatives, appear before the notary in person (Article 17). The law also allows the notary to use IT tools to carry out transactions without personal appearance (Article 18), and gives electronically notarised documents the same evidential value as paper ones (Article 23). Our [guide to the Dubai Courts e-notary](https://privatenotarydubai.com/e-notary-dubai/) explains how that works. Side by side ## Duties of public notary in Dubai The notary public at Dubai Courts is the government notary. The same identity, capacity, consent and reading out duties apply. The differences for the person signing are practical: where you go, how you book, and which fee schedule applies. | | Dubai Courts notary public | Private notary licensed by Dubai Courts | | --- | --- | --- | | Who they are | Government notary at Dubai Courts | Lawyer on the Dubai Courts roll of private notaries | | Where | Dubai Courts service channels | The private notary's own office, or a visit | | Core duties before sealing | Identity, capacity, consent, reading out | The same | | Fees | Set by law | Set by law, including a Dubai Courts decision on private notary fees | ## Fees are a legal matter too Notary fees are not set freely. The federal schedule is [Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491). It sets, for example, AED 100 per party for a general or special power of attorney (item 9) and AED 300 for an affidavit (item 12). Under Article 2(2) of that resolution, a private notary charges the prescribed fee plus up to 30 percent as professional fees, which makes a power of attorney AED 130 per party on the federal schedule. In Dubai, private notary fees are set by a separate [Dubai Courts decision](https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public). The [notary fees page](https://privatenotarydubai.com/dubai-notary-public-fees/) lists them with sources. ## When a notary breaks the rules What the law says about penalties for a notary who breaches these duties is covered in our guide to [UAE private notary fines](https://privatenotarydubai.com/dubai-private-notary-fine/). ## How PrivateNotaryDubai.com helps A notary seals documents. Most families also need help before and after that moment: working out which document the office wants, drafting it, translating it and signing it at home, in hospital or online. That is what PrivateNotaryDubai.com does. We prepare the document so that it passes the notary's checks the first time. We have in-house, in person notary public services, home visit private notary services and online notary public services. See our [private notary services for personal documents](https://privatenotarydubai.com/private-notary-services/). Questions ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the main duty of a private notary? To confirm that the right person signed the document, with capacity, willingly, and understanding what it does. Everything else follows from that. ### Is a private notary's seal as valid as the notary public's? A private notary on the Dubai Courts roll carries out notarial acts under the same laws. The result is a notarised document. Whether a particular office accepts it is up to that office, which is why we check the request first. ### Can a notary refuse to notarise a document? Yes, if the checks are not met: for example, if identity cannot be verified or the signer does not appear to consent. A notary must be satisfied before sealing. ### Does a notary check whether the content of my document is true? The notary checks identity, capacity and consent, and reads the content out. For an affidavit, the signer swears that the content is true, and the responsibility for its truth lies with the signer. ### What does private notary meaning cover in other countries? Terms differ by country. This guide describes the UAE and Dubai. If your document is going abroad, the receiving country may add its own attestation steps. Latest guides ## More guides [View all guides](https://privatenotarydubai.com/latest-news/) ![Abras crossing Dubai Creek, with UAE flags on the boats](https://privatenotarydubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/px20542413-768x512.jpg) Guide ### [UAE private notary fines](https://privatenotarydubai.com/dubai-private-notary-fine/) A fine falls on the notary, not on the people who use one. Which rules set it, and what a family should check. [Read more](https://privatenotarydubai.com/dubai-private-notary-fine/) ![Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai from above, with its towers and traffic](https://privatenotarydubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/px8319470-768x512.jpg) Fees ### [Notary costs in Dubai](https://privatenotarydubai.com/dubai-notary-public-fees/) Our service prices, the federal government fees and the Dubai private notary trip fee, line by line. [Read more](https://privatenotarydubai.com/dubai-notary-public-fees/) ![A man on a video call on his laptop at home](https://privatenotarydubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/px6937762-768x512.jpg) Guide ### [How remote notarisation works in Dubai](https://privatenotarydubai.com/e-notary-dubai/) What can be signed online, how to check who is behind an e-notary listing, and when a visit is simpler. [Read more](https://privatenotarydubai.com/e-notary-dubai/) Contact ## Contact * Phone and WhatsApp: +971 52 947 5935 * Email: support@privatenotarydubai.com * Address: Jebel Ali, Main Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE * Hours: Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time). WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7. * Phone[+971 52 947 5935](tel:+971529475935) * WhatsApp[+971 52 947 5935](https://wa.me/971529475935) * Email[support@privatenotarydubai.com](mailto:support@privatenotarydubai.com) * AddressJebel Ali, Main Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE --- Source: https://privatenotarydubai.com/duties-of-private-notary-in-uae/