Updated 29 October 2026

The UAE equivalency certificate for British-curriculum students

What the UAE Ministry of Education needs before it will treat your child's IGCSEs and A levels as equal to a UAE Grade 12 certificate, and how to apply.

Five GCSE or IGCSE passes at grade E or 3 or above, plus one A level or two AS levels at grade E or above. Arabic and Islamic Studies do not count towards either.

Muslim students must have taken Islamic Studies, and Arab students Arabic, in their last three years of school. You apply online after Year 13; the fee is AED 50.

What the equivalency certificate is, and who needs it

The UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) checks school-leaving certificates from private schools that do not teach the Ministry's own curriculum, and confirms that they are equal to the UAE Grade 12 certificate. For a British-curriculum school, the Ministry treats Year 13 as Grade 12.

You need it mainly for university in the UAE. University of Birmingham Dubai's FAQ, written from the Ministry's rules, says equivalency is a mandatory requirement for admission to diploma and bachelor's programmes at public and private universities licensed by the Ministry. Heriot-Watt University Dubai says all its applicants must get it and allows it to be submitted by the end of the first semester. Each university sets its own deadline, so check yours.

The rules below are national: they come from the federal Ministry of Education and apply whether your child's school is in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or another emirate. Only the attestation step (below) differs by emirate.

The British-curriculum requirements

The Ministry's current service page lists these for a British-curriculum student finishing Year 13:

Level	What is needed	Minimum grade
GCSE or IGCSE	5 approved subjects	E on the A* to G scale, or 3 on the 9 to 1 scale
AS or A level	1 approved A level, or 2 approved AS levels	E
Not counted	Arabic and Islamic Studies	Must still be taken (see below)

These are minimums for the certificate itself. Universities set their own entry grades on top, and those are usually much higher. For what the grades mean, see GCSE and IGCSE grades explained and A level grades and UCAS points.

The Arabic and Islamic Studies rule

The Ministry's service page says:

Muslim students must have taken Islamic Studies in their last three years of study.
Students of Arab nationality must have taken Arabic in their last three years of study.

For a British-curriculum student, the last three years are Years 11, 12 and 13. This matters when your child chooses options and sixth-form subjects: dropping Arabic or Islamic Studies early can cause problems at the end of Year 13. Neither subject counts towards the five GCSE/IGCSE passes or the A level requirement. See Year 9 options.

BTEC students

The Ministry treats a BTEC Level 3 Diploma as equal to a technical or vocational secondary certificate, not the general one. It needs:

a BTEC Level 3 Diploma with at least 120 credits and a grade of PP or higher, and
five GCSE/IGCSE passes at E or 3 or above (the Ministry's guide also accepts an International BTEC Level 2 Diploma or the IB Middle Years Programme certificate instead).

If your child is choosing a BTEC in place of A levels and may study in the UAE, check with the school how this affects which university courses are open to them.

Certificates the Ministry will not equalise

The Ministry's service conditions say it will not equalise:

a certificate from a school following distance learning or the open-school mode of study, or
any study that is not in line with the UAE's education system.

Exceptional cases can go to the Ministry's General Education equivalency committee. If your child is studying online or as a private candidate, ask the Ministry before relying on the certificate.

How to apply

The service is called 'Request for Equivalency of a General Education Certificate within the UAE (Grade 12)'. You apply after your child finishes Year 13 and has their results.

Sign in on the Ministry of Education website or app using UAE Pass.
Fill in the form and upload the documents as PDFs (5 MB per file; merge several pages into one file).
Wait for a notification that the application is ready for payment, then pay the fee.
Receive the equivalency outcome.

Documents

The school graduation certificate and transcripts for the last three years.
The A level or AS level certificate.
The GCSE/IGCSE certificate.
A legal translation of anything not in Arabic or English.

Attestation first

The Year 13 transcripts and certificates must first be attested by the education regulator in your child's emirate:

Emirate	Attested by
Dubai	Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA)
Abu Dhabi	Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK)
Sharjah	Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA)
Ras Al Khaimah	Department of Knowledge
Other emirates	Ministry of Education

Fee and timing

The Ministry lists the fee as AED 50 and the service time as 5 working days (checked October 2026). If the Ministry asks for more documents, you have 7 days to send them or the application is closed. The support line is 800 51115.

If your child does not meet a requirement. University of Birmingham Dubai's FAQ (dated 2022) describes a Ministry 'Letter of No Objection for Conditional Admission', which let a university admit a student conditionally while they met the missing conditions. The conditions it lists include EmSAT, which has since been cancelled for Grade 12 students, so ask the university and the Ministry how this works now.

Where these rules come from

The requirements above are taken from the Ministry's live service page (checked October 2026) and match its 'Guide to Academic Certificate Equivalency for Licensed UAE-based Private Schools', which is labelled 2024 to 2025. Rules have changed before, so check the service page in the spring of Year 13. For how equivalency fits with university applications, see university from a UAE British school.

Questions parents ask

What is an equivalency certificate in the UAE?

It is a certificate from the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) confirming that a school-leaving certificate from a non-Ministry curriculum, such as the British curriculum, is equivalent to the UAE's own Grade 12 certificate. For British-curriculum students it is issued after Year 13.

Do British-curriculum students need an equivalency certificate?

If they plan to go to university in the UAE, almost certainly yes. University of Birmingham Dubai's MoE-based guidance calls equivalency a mandatory requirement for admission to diploma and bachelor's programmes at universities licensed by the Ministry, and Heriot-Watt University Dubai says all its applicants need it. If your child is applying only to universities outside the UAE, check each university's own requirements.

How many IGCSEs do you need for equivalency in the UAE?

Five approved GCSE or IGCSE subjects at grade E or above (or grade 3 or above on the 9 to 1 scale). Arabic and Islamic Studies do not count towards the five.

How many A levels do you need for UAE equivalency?

One approved A level or two approved AS levels, at grade E or above. This is on top of the five GCSE or IGCSE passes.

Does my child have to study Arabic and Islamic Studies for equivalency?

The Ministry's service page says Muslim students must have taken Islamic Studies, and students of Arab nationality must have taken Arabic, in their last three years of study. For a British-curriculum student that means Years 11, 12 and 13. These subjects do not count towards the five GCSE/IGCSE passes or the A level requirement.

How much does the equivalency certificate cost and how long does it take?

The Ministry of Education's service page lists a fee of AED 50 and a service time of 5 working days (checked October 2026). If the Ministry asks for more documents and they are not sent within 7 days, the application is closed.

Is a BTEC accepted for equivalency in the UAE?

Yes, but as a technical or vocational certificate rather than a general one. The Ministry needs a BTEC Level 3 Diploma with at least 120 credits at grade PP or higher, plus five GCSE/IGCSE passes at E or 3 or above (or, according to the Ministry's guide, an International BTEC Level 2 Diploma or IB MYP certificate instead).

Do British-curriculum students need EmSAT, SAT or IELTS for equivalency?

No. The Ministry's English and maths test requirements (EmSAT, IELTS, TOEFL or SAT) are listed for the American curriculum only. The British-curriculum requirements are the GCSE/IGCSE and AS/A level passes.

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