What is an attestation, and why might you need one, or more?
If you are an expat and you are applying for a long-term visa for residence or employment purposes in Qatar, for yourself and/or for your family, you will need to get police clearance certificate attestation that verifies that nothing negative or incriminating comes up when background checks are done on your career, past and present.
Afreno offers comprehensive Attestation services in Qatar for certifying diploma, marriage certificate and other types of documents and certificates in relation to the attestations.
Then there are any number of certificates and documents you might need to have verified to prove that they are legal; if, for example, you have certain educational or vocational qualifications there has to be some way of confirming their legitimacy. Certificate attestation is a means of authenticating documents, which involves the relevant authority checking their validity, then providing the official stamp, seal and signature.
What different types of certificates need attestation?
For job applications, or for professionals wishing to register their credentials, education certificate attestation are essential, and since 2016 this has not been as straightforward a process as it was previously. Undoubtedly in the past there were a few instances of forged certificates turning up from legitimate educational establishments, or perhaps “real” certificates from bogus institutions! In any case, now these documents receive much more scrutiny, and you have to provide not only your original diploma but also a transcript of your marks and a bona fide letter describing in detail the studies you followed. Often this involves pre-verification that has to be done in your home country, or embassy, and once you get to this level of complexity it is probably the time to consult a local expert to get you through the labyrinth of different stages that you have to go through.
There are many kinds of commercial certificates that you might need when setting up a business in Qatar: trade licenses, registration and incorporation certificates, invoices, power of attorney, articles of association, etc. It’s often necessary to supply documents that prove ownership, property rights, assets and liabilities, and these, too, will probably have to receive attestation, and again, expert advice is the way to go to speed up the process.
If your family is travelling with you, you may need to produce various kinds of non-educational certificates: birth and marriage certificates, even medical certificates. These, too, may need to be attested as genuine for visa purposes.
How long does it all take?
This varies according to the type of certificate, and also depends on how quickly your own country’s embassy proceeds, if this is part of the equation. In some cases, it could take a day or two, in others it might be a week or two. The Qatari Government department the documents are being submitted to is also significant in terms of how complicated or lengthy the process will be. Whether you are dealing with the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or other state departments, or various consulates or embassies, it may be necessary to have documents translated, adding another layer of complexity.
Sources:
www.sec.gov.qa/En/SECInstitutes/EvaluationInstitute/SAO/Pages/Attestation_and_Equivalency_unit.aspx
https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/14/06/2018/School-certificate-attestation-shifted-to-government-service-centres
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/legalisation-of-uk-documents-for-use-in-the-state-of-qatar
https://www.qatarliving.com/forum/visas-permits/posts/family-resident-visa-family-visit-visa-expats-qatar
https://www.qatarliving.com/forum/visas-permits/posts/family-resident-visa-family-visit-visa-expats-qatar
About Us
Afreno is a Business Consultancy that draws on its long presence, over 10 years in fact, in the field of forming companies, while capitalizing on its impressive know-how at both local and international levels. This endeavor also extends to developing local partnerships and offering excellent opportunities in real estate.
Unlike any other Business Consultancy company in the State of Qatar, Afreno includes under its umbrella three closely-linked comprehensive services: business advice, legal negotiation and real estate possibilities. This means that any project, however complex, can be dealt with in all its aspects. Added to this is our wide range of reliable clients and trusted business contacts, plus our up to the minute awareness of what is going on in the markets, whether GCC or local. Your business venture will be backed by our in-depth knowledge, the valuable connections we have built over time, and our solid reputation, ensuring that you succeed quickly, whatever enterprise you are involved in. All this will be achieved with the minimum of stress; unsurprisingly Afreno has become the point of reference for anyone wishing to incorporate or grow their business in the local market.
