Your certificates and documents need to be authenticated by Government departments from the country of origin as well as in UAE before you could submit those for official transactions. Attestation proves the legitimacy of a document and assures acceptance. Generally a document gets attested by first by Notary followed by concerned Ministry from a country of origin, UAE Embassy / Consulate and later by Ministry of Foreign Affairs in UAE.

You need attested academic certificates when applying for a job visa. Likewise, attested marriage and birth certificates are necessary when you apply residence visas for spouse and kids in UAE.

Commercial documents of foreign origin (Trade, License, MOA, Certificate of Incorporation, Board resolution, Power of Attorney, etc) also have to be attested before submitting for official departments here in UAE. Such attestations are mandatory when you establish branch/ Rep. Office/ Subsidiary of a foreign company a corporate shareholder in a UAE entity. PoA issued in a foreign jurisdiction has to be attested by concerned departments before submitting for official transactions in UAE.