MOHRE Rejected Your Work Permit. Nobody Told You the Degree Needs MOJ Translation.

Your employer filed your work permit application. A few days later, it came back rejected. The reason: your degree translation doesn’t meet MOHRE requirements. Nobody — not HR, not the PRO, not the typing centre — mentioned that MOHRE needs a specific type of translation.

You had your degree translated. You paid for it. But the translation didn’t carry an MOJ stamp. And without that stamp, MOHRE won’t process it.

What MOHRE actually requires

For work permit applications, MOHRE requires degree certificates to be translated by an MOJ-licensed translator. That means a translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice. The translation carries the translator’s MOJ license number, stamp, and signature.

A “certified translation” without MOJ is not the same thing. Certified translations work for private companies, banks, and internal HR records. But MOHRE is a government entity. Government submissions require MOJ-certified legal translation.

This distinction trips up thousands of employees every year. The terms sound similar. Many people assume “certified” means “certified by the government.” It doesn’t — unless it specifically says MOJ.

Why this rejection costs you weeks

The rejection itself takes 3-5 business days to come back. Then you need to get the correct translation — another 1-2 days. Then your employer resubmits — another processing cycle. What should have been a straightforward work permit turns into a two-week delay.

During that time, you can’t legally work. Your start date gets pushed. If you’ve already relocated to the UAE, you’re burning through savings while waiting for paperwork that should have been right the first time.

The attestation requirement too

The degree also needs to be attested before translation. Attestation and translation are separate steps, and the order matters. Attestation first, then MOJ translation.

If your degree was issued in a Hague Convention country — India, UK, US, Canada, Philippines — you need an apostille from the designated authority in your home country. If it was issued in a non-Hague country like Pakistan, you need embassy attestation followed by MOFA attestation in the UAE.

If you already have attestation stamps on your degree from a previous job or visa, they’re likely still valid. MOFA attestation doesn’t expire. But check with MOHRE — some employers want it refreshed.

How to fix this fast

Step 1: Check your current translation. Does it have an MOJ license number, translator stamp, and signature? If not, it’s a certified translation, not an MOJ-certified one. You need a new translation.

Step 2: Check your attestation. Does the original degree have attestation stamps? If yes, you just need the MOJ translation. If no, you need attestation first — and that adds time.

Step 3: Get the MOJ translation. Send the attested degree to an MOJ-licensed translator. Standard degree certificates are translated within one business day. The translator produces an Arabic version with the MOJ stamp.

Step 4: Resubmit. Give the MOJ translation to your employer or PRO. The resubmission to MOHRE typically processes faster than the initial application because the rest of your file is already in the system.

Preventing this next time

Before submitting any document to a UAE government entity, ask: “Does this need MOJ certification?” For MOHRE, GDRFA, Dubai Courts, and ADJD — the answer is almost always yes. For private companies and banks, certified without MOJ is usually enough.

If your work permit was rejected for a translation issue, send your degree on WhatsApp — +971 50 862 0217. We’ll check your attestation stamps and provide the correct MOJ translation so your employer can resubmit immediately.