Updated 29 October 2026

Transfer certificates (TC) in the UAE

What a school transfer certificate is, when your child needs one, and how to get it when you move schools, arrive in the UAE or leave.

A TC proves which year your child completed. In Dubai it is needed to join a school from Year 3 (Grade 2) upwards, and it is the main guide to your child's year group from Year 2.

In Dubai you ask the school, not KHDA. Once fees are cleared, the school requests it and KHDA attests it digitally, with a QR code. There is no need to visit KHDA.

Coming from abroad? Ask the new school what attestation it needs before you leave.

What a transfer certificate is

A transfer certificate (TC), also called a leaving certificate, is issued by your child's school when they leave. It confirms that they were a pupil there and the year group or grade they completed. In Dubai, KHDA (the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, which regulates private schools) says you need a transfer certificate to move between Dubai schools, and you may need a student leaving certificate when you leave Dubai, to prove the years your child studied there.

When your child needs one

To join a Dubai school in Year 3 (Grade 2) or above: KHDA's registration service asks for an attested school certificate or transfer letter.
To decide the year group from Year 2 (Grade 1) up: KHDA's placement rules make the TC the main reference. A valid TC showing a higher grade is accepted; if it puts a child more than one year above the age chart, the school must tell KHDA. Without a TC, the age chart applies. See UAE school age cut-off and year groups.
FS1 to Year 1: age decides the year group, so the TC matters less, but schools may still ask for reports.

Getting a TC when you leave a Dubai school

KHDA's service manual sets out the steps:

Ask your child's current school for a leaving (transfer) certificate.
Make sure all tuition and administrative fees are cleared with the school. KHDA's service is only available once fees are settled.
The school applies for the certificate through KHDA's online services.
KHDA's system produces the attested certificate at the school. You do not need to visit KHDA.
You pay the service fee, as set out in the school's policy.
The certificate carries a QR code (KHDA's 'smart attestation') that anyone can scan to check it is genuine.
You give the certificate to the new school.

The same route is used whether your child is moving to another Dubai private school or leaving Dubai's private school system altogether. Through the same school-led process, KHDA also attests an end-of-year report card (once the school has uploaded results), a good conduct certificate and an education continuity certificate.

Separately, KHDA has an online attestation service for academic certificates and grade cards issued by Dubai private schools: you log in with UAE Pass and upload the certificate, the school checks it, KHDA approves it, and you download the attested copy after paying. The child must be registered in the KHDA system.

Older students changing curriculum. Dubai College's admissions page notes that, under KHDA's guidelines for admissions and transfers, students in Years 10 to 13 (Grades 9 to 12) must get UAE Ministry of Education approval to transfer to a school with a different curriculum. Ask both schools early if this applies to you.

Arriving from outside the UAE

Language: KHDA says all certificates, including those from abroad, must be in Arabic or English. Others need translating by a legal translator, with the translation authenticated.
Attestation: the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that when you are abroad, documents are attested at the nearest UAE embassy or consulate, and that a document must first be attested by the appropriate bodies in the issuing country. Each embassy sets its own procedure.
What the school accepts: requirements for certificates from abroad vary between schools and countries. Ask the new school for its exact list in writing, and arrange anything it asks for before you leave.

Leaving the UAE

Get the attested leaving certificate and the latest attested report card before your child's last day, and keep digital copies. If a school or authority in your next country asks for UAE documents to be legalised, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests UAE-issued documents for use abroad, online or by courier, depending on the document.

If you are moving to England, a state school must not refuse a place it has available just because records have not arrived from your child's previous school. See moving back to the UK: getting a school place.

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi schools are regulated by ADEK (the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge), not KHDA. Gulf News reported in January 2025 that parents can get an attested report card through the TAMM app ("Issue an Attested Report Card"), for example when transferring schools within Abu Dhabi. For a transfer certificate, ask your school which ADEK process it uses.

Questions parents ask

What is a transfer certificate (TC) for school in the UAE?

A certificate from your child's school confirming they studied there and which year group or grade they completed. UAE schools use it to register a new pupil and decide their year group. In Dubai, KHDA attests it digitally so the next school can trust it.

From which year is a transfer certificate required in Dubai?

KHDA's registration service asks for an attested school certificate or transfer letter for children joining Grade 2 or higher, which is Year 3 and above in a British school. KHDA's placement rules use the transfer certificate as the main reference for year group from Grade 1 (Year 2) upwards; younger children are placed by age.

How do I get a transfer certificate attested in Dubai?

You do not apply to KHDA yourself. Ask the school, clear any outstanding fees, and the school requests it through KHDA's online services. KHDA's system issues the attested certificate at the school, with a QR code for checking. You pay the fee set out in the school's policy.

Can the school hold back the transfer certificate if we owe fees?

KHDA's service manual says the leaving certificate service is available only once all fees are settled or cleared with the current school, so clear the account before you ask.

We are moving to Dubai. Does my child's certificate from abroad need attesting?

Check with the new school before you leave, because it is much easier to arrange in the country that issued the document. KHDA requires certificates in Arabic or English (or a legally authenticated translation). The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs says documents from abroad are attested at the UAE embassy or consulate in that country, after the issuing country's own bodies have attested them.

What if my child's transfer certificate shows an incomplete year?

KHDA tells Dubai schools not to repeat or skip the year automatically. The school must assess whether the child can manage the next year group. The default is to move up with support; keeping a child in the lower year needs evidence and KHDA approval.

Do UK schools need an attested transfer certificate?

Not for a state school place in England. The School Admissions Code says a school with places must not refuse a child because information has not been received from their previous school or because they followed a different curriculum. Reports and an attested certificate are still useful to show what your child has studied.

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