Admissions Practical Guide
Dubai School Admission Checklist: Required Documents & Attestation Rules
By School Compass Editorial Team • Last verified: November 2026 • 5 Min Read
Quick Summary
To register a child in any licensed private school in Dubai, you must provide: valid UAE Residence Visas & Emirates IDs for student and sponsor, birth certificate, vaccination card, 6 passport photos, previous 2 years' report cards, and a certified Transfer Certificate (attested per country of origin rules).
1. Mandatory Identity & Residency Documents
- Original Emirates ID for both the applicant child and sponsoring parent (for KHDA electronic card-reader registration).
- Copy of student and parent passports with valid UAE Residence Visas.
- Child’s original birth certificate (attested by Ministry of Foreign Affairs if born outside the UAE).
- Copy of student’s up-to-date immunisation and vaccination record.
- 6 recent passport-size photographs of the student on a white background.
2. Transfer Certificate (TC) Attestation Framework
The Transfer Certificate is mandatory for any student enrolling into Year 2 / Grade 1 and above. The attestation requirements depend strictly on where the child previously attended school:
| Previous School Location | Required Attestation Chain |
|---|---|
| Transferring within Dubai | Electronic transfer generated directly through the KHDA online portal by the previous school. No paper stamps required. |
| Transferring from another UAE Emirate | Attestation by the relevant educational authority (ADEK in Abu Dhabi, SPEA in Sharjah, or Ministry of Education). |
| GCC, Western Europe, North America, Australasia | Signed and stamped on school letterhead. No consular attestation required for KHDA approved exempt territories. |
| All Other Countries (India, Pakistan, Africa, etc.) | Triple attestation required: (1) District Education Office, (2) UAE Embassy in origin country, (3) UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFAIC). |
3. Registration & Deposit Fee Caps
Per KHDA regulations, schools are capped on initial fees:
- Application Fee: Maximum AED 500 (non-refundable, but deductible from tuition if accepted).
- Registration Deposit: Maximum 10% of annual tuition upon accepting an offer (deductible from first term tuition).
- Re-registration for Existing Students: Maximum 5% of annual tuition (deductible from first term tuition).