School Admission UAE: Document Translation for KHDA

You relocated to Dubai with two children. The school accepted the enrollment application but needs the transfer certificate, last two years of report cards, and immunisation records from the previous school. The previous school was in France. Everything is in French. The Dubai school wants English. KHDA wants the transfer certificate attested. The school year starts in three weeks.

School admission in the UAE for children transferring from abroad involves documents from three systems: the previous school, the UAE education authority, and the admitting school. When the documents are not in English or Arabic, translation is the first step.

What KHDA and ADEK Actually Require

KHDA in Dubai and ADEK in Abu Dhabi are education regulators, not schools. They oversee admissions standards but do not directly process each student’s enrollment. The schools handle admissions within the regulatory framework.

For international schools (British, American, IB, Indian curriculum), the practical language requirement is English. The school’s admissions office reviews documents in English and processes enrollment accordingly.

For schools following the UAE MOE curriculum (Arabic-medium government curriculum schools), Arabic is required. The transfer certificate, report cards, and supporting documents must be in Arabic.

The translation requirement comes from the school, not the regulator. Ask the school’s admissions office which language they need before translating.

The Transfer Certificate

The transfer certificate is the most important document. It confirms:

• The student’s full name
• The last grade completed successfully
• The date of leaving
• That the student left in good standing (no outstanding fees, no disciplinary issues)
• The school’s accreditation status

If the transfer certificate is from a school outside the UAE, the admitting school may require it to be attested by:

1. The education authority in the issuing country
2. The foreign ministry of the issuing country
3. The UAE embassy in the issuing country

This attestation chain is the same as for degree certificates — the UAE is not a Hague Apostille Convention member, so the embassy step is always required.

The school transfer certificate must be translated after attestation so the translation reflects the stamps.

Report Cards and Transcripts

Schools request the last two years of report cards to determine the appropriate grade placement and to assess the student’s academic level.

Report cards in English are accepted by all international schools in the UAE. Report cards in other languages need translation:

• French report cards: Common from schools in France, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and francophone Africa
• German report cards: From German schools or German curriculum schools abroad
• Hindi/Urdu report cards: From government schools in India or Pakistan
• Chinese/Korean/Japanese: From schools in East Asia
• Arabic report cards: From previous UAE schools or schools in Arab countries (accepted directly)

The translation must preserve the grading system used by the original school. French schools use a 20-point scale. German schools use 1-6 (with 1 being the best). Indian schools may use percentages or letter grades. The admitting school needs to understand what the grades mean in context.

Immunisation Records

UAE schools require proof of immunisation. The vaccination records must show compliance with the UAE’s mandatory vaccination schedule.

If the immunisation records are in a language other than English or Arabic, translation is needed. Medical translation should preserve vaccine names (often in Latin), dates, and batch numbers accurately. DHA may also require the records to be verified by a UAE healthcare provider.

The Practical Sequence

For a family arriving in the UAE with school-age children:

1. Before arrival: Request transfer certificates and report cards from the current school. Start the attestation process for the transfer certificate through the home-country education authority
2. Week 1 in the UAE: Contact the target school’s admissions office. Confirm which documents they need and in which language
3. Week 1-2: Translate the documents that need translation. Send them via WhatsApp for same-day service
4. Week 2-3: Submit the complete file to the school. Arrange the placement test if required
5. Week 3-4: Enrollment confirmed, school start date set

The translation step fits within a single day. The bottleneck is usually the attestation of the transfer certificate if it was not started before arrival.

Special Education Documents

If the child has a diagnosed learning difference, special education needs assessment, or an Individual Education Plan (IEP), these documents need translation. UAE schools with special education provisions (SEN — Special Educational Needs) review these documents during admissions to determine the support they can offer.

The translation of SEN documents requires familiarity with educational psychology terminology. Terms like “dyslexia,” “ADHD,” “speech-language pathology assessment,” and “occupational therapy recommendations” have specific Arabic equivalents that a general translator may not know.

Contact Channels

For same-day translation of school admission documents:

• WhatsApp: +971 50 862 0217
• iMessage: +971 50 862 0217
• Email: info@onlinetranslation.ae
• Phone: +971 50 862 0217
• Walk-in: Palm Jumeirah Mall, Dubai

Send the transfer certificate, report cards, and any other school documents. We translate into English or Arabic — whichever the school needs — and return MOJ-certified translations the same day.