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    Job Relocation – Paperwork Explained

    So, you have just secured your dream job in the Middle East after completing a telephone interview, 2 Skype interviews, a site visit and a lengthy negotiation process. Surely the hard work is done, right?

    Right and wrong! It was right of you to concentrate on bagging that dream job, but the hard work isn’t over just yet. Let’s not overlook the exciting times that await you in your new adventure, but there are still a number of things to prepare for. Paperwork being of the utmost importance.

    Thankfully, our Consultants are just as efficient and skilled at guiding you through your post-offer process as they were with your pre-offer process. With some assistance from your new employer, we will confirm the documents needed and advise you on how to certify, legalise and attest them. If you hold UK documents, we can actually complete the process on your behalf!

    There are two options to consider for the document attestation process in order to ensure that they’ve been completed to the standards required by the labour/visa office in the country you are moving to.

    • Get a visa/attestation specialist to do the work for you – This can be quite costly. However, we would recommend this option if you are a US/Canadian citizen, as the process is a little more complicated. We would also recommend this option if you are currently working overseas and not based in your home country/ the country your documents originate from.
    • Do it yourself! – This will save you a lot of money, especially if you have a large family relocating with you. You will require a number of documents and various stamps in order for them to be accepted by the country that you are relocating to.

    Type of documents you may need to provide:

    • Degree certificate (employee only)
    • Police clearance certificate (employee only)
    • Birth certificates (spouse and children)
    • Marriage certificate
    • School reports/report cards
    • Medical report – HIV, Hepatitis and Tuberculosis (employee only) – Medical reports do not always need to be certified, legalised and attested and can be done in the country you are currently residing in, even if this is not your home country. If required, they will need to be translated into English. Also check with your future employer as some companies will want medical reports attested even if not required by the visa/labour office.
    • Solicitors/Public notaries certify documents
    • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalise documents
    • The embassy of the country you are relocating to attest documents

    The Process

    • Photocopies of the documents need to be certified by a solicitor as a “true copy of the original”
      This applies to degree certificates only
    • Documents need to be legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
      All documents will need to be legalised
    • Documents need to be attested by the Embassy of the country you are relocating too
      E.g. A UK document required for relocation to Qatar will need to be attested by the Qatari embassy in the UK

    You need to be aware of the following:

    • The certification, legalisation and attestation of the documents required need to be done in the country where the documents originate from.
    • Documents that are not in English will need to be officially translated into English by an official translator in the country that the documents originated from – prior to being legalised and attested.
    • If the country you are relocating to does not have an embassy in the country where your documents originate from, contact the closest embassy to you and ask them whether they can attest the documents for you. E.g. Denmark does not have a Qatari embassy, so once a Danish degree is translated, certified and legalised, it is the Qatari Embassy in Holland that will be able to attest the documents.
    • Always check with the Embassy of your relocation country prior to starting the process, to ensure that the requirements have not changed. After all, the first two parts of the process are carried out in order to meet the requirements of the embassy.

    Costs:

    • If you are using a visa/attestation specialist, you will be charged an ‘all in’ fee, which will include the cost for the service and the individual costs for certifying, legalising and attesting each of your documents.
    • If you are carrying out the process yourself, you will avoid paying a service charge; however, you will have to consider that each document will have a cost at each stage of the process and these can vary from country to country.

    Once you have completed the process for all your required documents, your future employer will need scanned copies in order to apply for your visa. All original documents and attested versions will need to be taken with you when you travel, as they will be required to obtain your resident permits on arrival.

    Cavendish Professionals specialise in the recruitment and relocation of talent to different parts of the world. Every candidate that we assist will receive support throughout the entire process, at every stage, making the relocation process as smooth as possible for both them and their families.

    Take a look at our Healthcare and Technical jobs offering relocation opportunities and contact us for more information.