Translation office licence in Dubai, general or legal

A translation office licence in Dubai covers general work, and certified legal translation needs a translator registered with the Ministry of Justice.

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Professional services

Usual route: Usually mainland
Extra approval: MOJ translator
AML: Standard bank checks

At a glance

A translation office licence in Dubai is a DET professional licence for translation, interpreting and proofreading. Certified legal translation for courts, notaries and ministries also needs a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). That registration is personal, and it asks for an approved translation qualification, five years' experience for expatriates and professional error insurance.

Covers: General and legal translation, interpreting, proofreading and localisation
Not covered: Legal advice, typing government forms and language courses
Premises: An office with a registered lease for walk-in clients
Timeline: Weeks for the office, months for MOJ registration

Legal, general and spoken work

One office usually sells three kinds of work. Certified legal translation is the one that brings the Ministry of Justice in.

Inside this licence

Certified legal translation into Arabic
Commercial, medical and technical translation
Interpreting for meetings and events
Proofreading, editing and subtitling
Website and product localisation

Outside this licence

Legal advice and contract draftingCovered by Legal consultancy
Typing and submitting government applicationsCovered by Typing centre
Arabic or English coursesCovered by Language centre
Publishing translated booksCovered by Publishing

Interpreting and general translation sit comfortably beside legal work. List them all before you apply, because adding an activity later means an amendment.

Legal office, agency or remote team

Walk-in legal clients point to a mainland office. Corporate and international work can run from a free zone.

Likely route by where most of your clients are
If most of your clients are	Likely route	Why
Walk-in clients needing certified documents	Mainland (DET)	A DET licence, a street office and a registered legal translator
Law firms, courts and government departments	Mainland (DET)	Certified Arabic versions from an MOJ-registered translator
Multinationals buying general translation	Either route	No legal stamp needed, so either licence holds the contracts
Overseas clients served by remote linguists	Free zone	A zone desk licence suits work delivered online

A free zone translation agency can serve mainland clients through a DET branch licence or permit, under Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025. QFZP treats most mainland service fees as non-qualifying.

A free zone suits an agency selling general translation and localisation to companies, often with linguists working remotely. Compare free zones

Company formation in the UAE

Ministry of Justice registration

DET licenses the office as a professional activity. The Ministry of Justice registers each legal translator as a person, on a separate track that usually takes longer.

Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET
The licence
- Professional licenceDET
Alongside the licence
- Degree and experience attestedThe issuing country and the UAE
- Legal translator registrationMinistry of Justice (MOJ)
- Professional error insuranceA UAE-licensed insurer
After the licence
- Staff visas and work permitsMinistry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE)
- Corporate bank accountThe bank

General translation needs nothing beyond the DET licence.

Translation office licence and translator registration

The office licence and your legal translator's registration move separately, and the translator's side is usually the longer one.

Expatriate translators need five years of experience on paper. We check those letters first, because a gap there stops the MOJ file.

The office licence

Trade name approvedDays
Professional licence issuedWeeks
Office lease registeredWeeks
Staff visasWeeks

Your legal translator

Degree and experience attestedWeeks
Error insurance arrangedDays
MOJ registration reviewMonths
Legal oath, then workDays

Small fees and the bank

Bank viewStandard; many small fees, cash and card

A translation office takes many small payments, from walk-in clients paying cash or card to law firms settling monthly. That pattern is ordinary.

Questions come when the account pays freelance linguists abroad, because outgoing transfers then look larger than the office. Translator agreements and a sample of client invoices show what each payment is for. We prepare them with the licence and the MOJ registration.

When certified work is on hold

An office ready, no registered translator
The DET licence can be through in weeks while the legal translator's MOJ file takes months. Until it is done, the office can translate but cannot certify.
Experience letters that fall short
Expatriate translators need five years of experience, shown in attested letters. Letters from closed agencies or freelance years with no paperwork leave a gap the ministry will query.
One translator carrying the stamp
The registration belongs to the translator as a person. If your only legal translator leaves, certified work stops until another registered translator joins, so a second one protects the office.

Questions on translation offices

A question about your plan? Describe your translation office plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.

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How much does a translation office licence cost in Dubai?

Certified legal work matters most, because it adds a street office and a registered legal translator on your payroll. General translation from a desk costs far less to set up and run.

How to open a translation office in Dubai?

Decide first whether you will certify legal documents. If so, plan the legal translator's Ministry of Justice registration with the DET licence, because it usually takes longer than the office.

How to become a legal translator in the UAE?

Register with the Ministry of Justice. You need an approved translation qualification, five years' experience if you are an expatriate, a health certificate and professional error insurance.

Can a free zone company do legal translation in Dubai?

It can sell general translation from a free zone. Certified legal work for Dubai courts, notaries and walk-in clients usually runs from a DET-licensed office, or through a branch licence.

Who can certify a legal translation in Dubai?

A legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice. The office holds the trade licence, while the registration that courts and ministries rely on belongs to the translator.

Can anyone translate legal documents in the UAE?

Not for documents going to courts, notaries or ministries. Those need a translator registered with the Ministry of Justice, while contracts for internal use can be translated by anyone qualified.

Is legal translation required in the UAE?

Yes, for foreign-language documents submitted to UAE courts, notaries and most ministries, because they work in Arabic. A registered legal translator produces the certified Arabic version.

Does an interpreter need a licence in Dubai?

Yes, for paid work. Interpreting sits within the translation and interpretation activity, so it runs under an office's licence, as an employee, or on your own licence.

How long does legal translator registration take in the UAE?

About two months for the Ministry of Justice review once the file is complete. Attesting a foreign degree and experience letters beforehand often takes longer than the review.

Will your office certify legal documents?

Tell us your services and your translator's background, and we line up the office licence with the Ministry of Justice registration.

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On the call

Your services and main clients
The legal translator's experience letters

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