Australian investors usually find the UAE easy to deal with. Meetings are in English, brokers and bankers speak it, and most contracts arrive with an English version. It is easy to conclude that Arabic is a formality. It isn't. Arabic is the language of the courts, the notaries and much of the government record, and that shapes which of your documents need translating and which version of a contract counts.

Where Arabic takes over أين تُطلب العربية

Three situations bring Arabic to the front. The first is anything signed before a notary, such as a power of attorney (وكالة) or a mainland company's founding documents. The second is anything filed with a court. The third is any foreign document offered as proof to a government body, when the authority asks for it in Arabic. In each case, an informal translation is not enough. It needs to be a legal translation (ترجمة قانونية) made by a translator the UAE authorities recognise.

The documents investors are asked for المستندات

• Company records. If you invest through an Australian company, expect to show its certificate of registration, a current company extract, its constitution and a board resolution approving the investment.
• Trust deeds. Many Australians invest through a family trust or a self-managed super fund. These structures are less familiar in the UAE, so you may be asked for the deed and proof of who the trustees are. Trust deeds are long and technical, which makes them the most demanding documents to translate well.
• Power of attorney. If you are not flying in to sign, your representative needs one, attested and in Arabic or a bilingual format.
• Proof of funds. Australian bank statements are in English and are normally accepted without translation.

Getting Australian documents accepted التصديق

Before translation comes attestation (تصديق). Australian documents are usually authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, then by the UAE Embassy in Canberra, and finally by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Allow for the distance and the time difference: this stage is much easier to manage before you travel. Translate only once the stamps are complete, so they are included in the Arabic version.

Before you sign قبل التوقيع

Many UAE contracts are bilingual, with English and Arabic side by side. If the two differ, UAE courts generally rely on the Arabic. Have the Arabic text reviewed against the English before you sign, particularly the clauses on price, payment dates, penalties and how disputes are resolved. It is a small cost next to the size of the investment.

This article is general guidance, not legal, tax or investment advice. Requirements vary by authority and transaction, and can change. Confirm the current requirements with the relevant UAE authority or your legal adviser.