Commercial Document Attestation for Indian Shipping Professionals Going to the UAE

A senior ship's agent from Bharati Shipyard Mumbai with an Indian Maritime University BTech in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering (Visakhapatnam campus 2012) and eleven years at Bahri India's Mumbai office handling chartering operations for the Mumbai-Jeddah and Mumbai-Dammam crude tanker corridors, with a Jebel Ali-based DP World offer for a senior terminal commercial manager role in hand. The DP World HR file needed his IMU BTech attested, his class-twelve Andhra Pradesh State Board certificate attested, his Bahri India service letter on Bahri India HR letterhead with the Mumbai Country Manager's countersign, his Indian National Shipowners Association (INSA) certification, and a fresh PCC from the Mumbai Passport Seva Kendra Lower Parel. The Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra HRD steps ran in parallel through the State Higher Education Departments at Mangalagiri and Mantralaya Mumbai. MEA attestation at Patiala House Delhi. UAE Embassy attestation in Delhi through VFS Global. UAE MOFA digital stamp at the same VFS Global desk. The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) seafarer endorsement followed his arrival in Dubai. The route runs about five weeks end to end.

That sequence is the sequence behind most Indian senior shipping-professional moves to the UAE. The UAE shipping ecosystem runs out of Jebel Ali (DP World's flagship port and the largest container terminal between Rotterdam and Singapore), Khalifa Port at Abu Dhabi (AD Ports Group's main facility), Sharjah Hamriyah Free Zone, Khor Fakkan terminal and the smaller ports at Fujairah (a key bunker fuel hub) and Ras Al Khaimah. Indian senior shipping professionals fill mid and senior roles in freight forwarding (DSV, Kuehne and Nagel, DB Schenker, Bahri Logistics, Almajdouie, DHL Global Forwarding, Agility), customs clearing, ship agency, port operations, container terminal management, marine insurance, P and I, classification society work and maritime trading. The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) and the Federal Transport Authority Land and Maritime (FTA) regulate the sector. This page is for the Indian shipping or maritime professional taking up a UAE role, and for the freight forwarder, shipping line, ship agency or P and I broker coordinating the documentation.

The in India stamps the UAE shipping professional application needs in 2026

The UAE is not a Hague apostille country for Indian documents. The work runs through embassy attestation.

For personal documentation (the candidate's degree, experience and PCC):

State-level attestation on the degree certificate. HRD or SDM depending on the issuing state. Three to seven working days.

MEA attestation in Delhi. Three to five working days.

UAE Embassy attestation in Delhi through VFS Global. Four to seven working days standard.

UAE MOFA digital stamp. Since the 2023 MOFA digital rollout, this is now applied in India through the same VFS Global partner.

For commercial documentation (the company's shipping documents, bills of lading, certificates of origin, Powers of Attorney to UAE shipping agents):

Chamber of Commerce attestation through FICCI, PHDCCI or the right body. Two to four working days.

MEA attestation in Delhi. Three to five working days.

UAE Embassy attestation through VFS or VFS Global. Four to seven working days.

UAE MOFA digital stamp through VFS Global.

Certified Arabic translation by a UAE-listed translator on the documents the UAE customs or DMCA reads in Arabic.

Tracked return courier takes three to seven working days inside India.

If everything is in order, the work runs in three to five weeks.

What documents the file carries

For the shipping professional's work visa: The relevant academic qualification (B.Tech Marine Engineering, B.Sc Nautical Science, MBA in Shipping, the IIMS / IIFT diplomas in shipping and logistics) with marksheets. Detailed experience letters from each Indian shipping employer, naming the role, the period and the technical work. Professional certifications (FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding, IMDG awareness, dangerous goods handling, AGCAS Customs Broker certification, MTO licence) where applicable. PCC from the RPO. Passport with at least twenty-four months of validity.

For the company's commercial shipping operations: The Indian shipping company papers (Certificate of Incorporation, MOA, AOA, GST registration, PAN, IEC, RCMC). The MTO or NVOCC licence under the Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act 1993. Bill of lading and shipping contract templates. The Power of Attorney to the UAE shipping agent or freight forwarder. Certificates of origin and commercial invoices for specific consignments.

Where SiZA fits on the UAE shipping professional application, and where it does not

When you first send us scans on WhatsApp at +91 9220161774, we read both the personal and the commercial documents for UAE Embassy, DMCA and FTA fit. We tell you which documents need Chamber of Commerce attestation first, where SDM or HRD applies on the personal side, and how the two tracks run in parallel. We share the realistic timeline and the realistic cost end to end before any payment is taken.

When the originals reach our Noida office, we run the documentation steps from our Noida office. Chamber of Commerce attestation on commercial documents, SDM or HRD attestation on personal documents, MEA attestation in Delhi, UAE Embassy attestation through VFS or VFS Global, UAE MOFA digital stamp, certified Arabic translation by a UAE-listed translator where the UAE customs or DMCA asks for it, PCC attestation after the RPO issues the PCC, and tracked return courier to you or directly to your UAE shipping operation. Named SiZA staff carry the documents between offices in Delhi NCR.

We do not handle UAE customs clearance itself. That is your freight forwarder's job. We do not file the UAE work permit (your UAE employer does that with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation). We do not run the DMCA or FTA licensing applications. We do not handle ship registration with the UAE shipping flag. We do not handle anything inside the UAE after the residence visa is stamped.

For a free scan-review of your UAE shipping professional or commercial file, send a WhatsApp message to +91 9220161774 with photos of your degree (for the personal file) or your shipping company papers (for the commercial file) and a short note on the use case.

Two pages on this site worth reading next: UAE country documentation guide, embassy attestation services, certified translation services.