Ministry of Justice UAE: What It Actually Does for You

If you're dealing with a federal court matter, certifying a power of attorney, or chasing an expert witness appointment, the Ministry of Justice is the body sitting behind most of it. People confuse it with the Ministry of Interior or the local judicial departments constantly. They're different beasts.

Quick answer

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is the federal body that oversees federal courts, licenses lawyers and legal translators, handles judicial cooperation with foreign countries, and runs notary services across most emirates. It does not run the Dubai Courts, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, or Ras Al Khaimah Courts — those are independent local judiciaries. If your case is in a federal court (Sharjah, Ajman, UAQ, Fujairah), MOJ is your reference point. If it's in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, you're dealing with a separate authority.

What the Ministry of Justice actually oversees

The Ministry of Justice was established under Federal Law and currently operates under the mandate set out in Cabinet decisions reorganising federal ministries. Its remit is wider than most expats realise.

Here's what falls under it:

Federal courts in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah. First instance, appeal, and the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi.
Public Prosecution at the federal level.
Notary Public services — the federal notaries you visit in MOJ offices to authenticate POAs, acknowledgments, and certain contracts.
Lawyer licensing and registration under Federal Law No. 23 of 1991 on the Legal Profession (as amended).
Legal translators — the sworn translator roll. If a translator isn't on the MOJ list, their translation won't fly in a federal court.
Judicial experts registered under Federal Law No. 7 of 2012 on judicial experts.
International judicial cooperation — extradition requests, letters rogatory, service of foreign process, enforcement of foreign judgments routed through bilateral treaties.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi operate their own court systems, their own notaries, their own lawyer rolls. RAK has its own setup too. This split trips up new lawyers more than I'd like to admit.

Notary services — federal vs. local

The MOJ runs federal notary offices. They handle:

Powers of attorney (general and special)
Acknowledgments and declarations
Authentication of signatures on private contracts
Certain marriage-related documents for non-Muslims under the new federal personal status framework

Fees are set by Cabinet Resolution and published on the MOJ website. A standard power of attorney runs around AED 110 to AED 220 depending on type and number of parties, plus typing and translation costs if needed. Bring the original Emirates ID, the document in Arabic (or with certified Arabic translation), and any supporting corporate documents if you're acting for a company.

One thing worth flagging. A POA notarised at a Dubai Courts notary is valid across the UAE — you don't need to re-notarise at MOJ just because your matter is in Sharjah Federal Court. The reverse is also true. Federal courts accept Dubai-notarised POAs and vice versa, provided the document itself is properly drafted.

Watch out: Notarised POAs for property transactions outside the emirate of issuance sometimes get questioned by Land Departments. Dubai Land Department, in particular, prefers POAs notarised by Dubai Notary Public. Not a legal requirement — just a practical friction point.

Lawyer and legal translator licensing

If you want to practise law before federal courts, you register with the MOJ under the Legal Profession Law. Requirements include UAE nationality for full rights of audience before the Federal Supreme Court (with limited exceptions), a recognised law degree, training, and good standing.

Non-Emiratis can register as legal consultants and appear in lower federal courts subject to conditions. The roll is public and searchable on the MOJ portal — useful when a client wants to check if the person they hired is actually licensed. Frankly, most clients never check. They should.

For sworn legal translators, the MOJ runs an examination and licensing system under Federal Law No. 6 of 2012. Only listed translators can produce translations that federal courts and federal notaries will accept. Translation fees are capped by ministerial decision per page and per language pair.

If you need a translation for a federal court filing, ask the translator for their MOJ licence number. Put it on the cover page. Saves arguments later.

Federal courts and case filing

The MOJ's smart litigation services portal lets you file cases, pay fees, and track hearings for federal courts online. The system is decent — not as polished as Dubai Courts' platform, but functional.

Filing fees for federal civil cases follow a sliding scale set out in Cabinet Resolution No. 57 of 2018 (and subsequent amendments). For claims up to AED 500,000, expect roughly 6% of the claim value capped at AED 20,000 for first instance. Appeal fees are separate. Labour cases are exempt for the worker.

If your matter is in:

Sharjah, Ajman, UAQ, Fujairah — federal courts, MOJ portal
Dubai — Dubai Courts (separate portal, separate fee schedule)
Abu Dhabi — Abu Dhabi Judicial Department
RAK — RAK Courts

Cassation goes to the Federal Supreme Court for federal matters, the Court of Cassation in Dubai for Dubai matters, and similar in Abu Dhabi. Don't mix them up — a Dubai judgment is appealed in Dubai, not to the Federal Supreme Court.

Judicial cooperation and document attestation

The MOJ is the central authority for most international judicial cooperation. If a UAE court needs to serve documents abroad, or a foreign court needs to serve documents in the UAE, the request usually goes through the MOJ under the Riyadh Convention (1983), the GCC Convention, or bilateral treaties (UAE has treaties with India, France, China, and others).

For enforcement of foreign judgments, the route depends on whether a treaty applies. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022 (the new Civil Procedure Law) and its executive regulations, foreign judgments can be enforced through the execution judge, but reciprocity and treaty conditions matter. The MOJ's role here is administrative — verifying authentication and routing — not adjudicative.

Document attestation for use abroad goes through the MOJ as well, before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds its stamp. The standard chain for a UAE document going overseas is: issuer → MOJ (if judicial) or relevant ministry → MOFAIC → destination country's embassy. The UAE acceded to the Apostille Convention in 2025, which is starting to simplify this. Check the current status before you book attestation appointments — it's been moving.

Costs snapshot (2024): Notary POA AED 110–220. Federal court filing fee ~6% of claim, capped. MOFAIC attestation AED 150 per document. Sworn translation roughly AED 80–120 per page Arabic/English.

When the MOJ isn't your address

A lot of people show up at the MOJ for things it doesn't handle. Quick reality check:

Visa and immigration matters — ICP or GDRFA, not MOJ
Labour complaints — MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation), not MOJ
Family matters in Dubai — Dubai Courts personal status section
Real estate disputes in Dubai — Rental Disputes Centre or Dubai Courts
DIFC or ADGM matters — completely separate common-law courts with their own rules
Traffic fines — police and local traffic authorities

Honestly, most of my first-call clients have the wrong forum. Five minutes of triage saves them weeks.

For broader civil procedure questions, see our civil law guides and the page on enforcing judgments in the UAE if that's where you're headed.

Practical tips when dealing with the MOJ

A few things I tell clients before they walk into a federal notary or file in federal court:

Book online. Walk-ins exist but the wait is brutal. The MOJ smart services app handles appointments.
Arabic is the language of the court. Every document needs certified Arabic translation. Budget for it.
Originals matter. Federal notaries want originals or properly attested copies. Photocopies get refused.
Check the portal status before assuming a hearing or filing was accepted. The portal sometimes lags 24 hours.
Keep a copy of every receipt. Refunds for over-paid filing fees exist but require the original payment reference.

The Ministry of Justice is competent and digitised, but it's a federal bureaucracy. Show up prepared or come back twice.

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Citations

[1] Federal Law No. 23 of 1991 on the Regulation of the Legal Profession (as amended). [2] Federal Law No. 7 of 2012 on the Regulation of Experts Before the Judicial Authorities. [3] Federal Law No. 6 of 2012 on the Regulation of the Translation Profession. [4] Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022 Promulgating the Civil Procedure Law. [5] Cabinet Resolution No. 57 of 2018 on the Executive Regulations of the Civil Procedure Law (judicial fees schedule). [6] UAE Ministry of Justice — Smart Services Portal, moj.gov.ae. [7] Riyadh Arab Agreement for Judicial Cooperation (1983). [8] UAE accession to the Apostille Convention (Hague Convention of 5 October 1961), HCCH status table.