Recognize Your Engineering Degree in the UAE

MoHESR recognition: what it certifies and what it requires first

The MoHESR qualification recognition (equivalency / attestation of qualification) is the centrepiece of a UAE file: it certifies that your foreign degree is valid and what level it corresponds to in the Emirati system. It is not issued against a specific local qualification but on level and on the institution that issued the degree.

Before deciding, primary source verification (PSV) is carried out: your university is contacted to confirm that the degree exists and was issued in your name. That is an important difference from Spain, where the review is documentary and content-based: here the focus is authenticity and traceability, which is why timelines depend so heavily on how quickly your university of origin responds.

What your engineering degree is called at home

Ingeniería Civil, Industrial, Mecánica, Eléctrica and Electrónica in Colombia and Peru; Ingeniería Civil, Mecánica Eléctrica and Química in Mexico, with a cédula profesional; Ingeniero Civil, Industrial and de Petróleo in Venezuela; Ingeniero Civil or en Construcciones in Argentina, with the certificado analítico. In every case, long programmes with a final project or thesis.

For the UAE, the key is transliteration and consistency: the name on your diploma, its certified translation, your passport and your contract must match character for character. PSV and attestation stop at any discrepancy, and redoing one link forces you to redo the ones after it.

Degree attestation chain and the Society of Engineers: the right order

Attestation is where most UAE files fall down, and not because of the degree's content but because of order. The sequence is: legalization of the degree by the competent authority in your country, attestation by the UAE Embassy in your country, attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE and, with that file, PSV verification and recognition before the MoHESR.

Once recognition is issued, the professional layer opens: membership of the Society of Engineers – UAE, which serious employers and certain roles require, and the engineer licences or registrations managed by each emirate's authorities for roles carrying project responsibility. The specific requirements are published by each body and vary between emirates, so consult the official source for your destination.

We build that entire chain in the correct order and respond to each authority's requests. We do not handle job placement: we make sure your credential exists and is valid by the time the offer arrives.

After recognition: professional registration, visa and the Golden Visa

With MoHESR recognition resolved, what usually follows is registration with the Society of Engineers – UAE and, if your role requires it, the professional licence from the authority of the emirate where you work. In parallel comes the immigration side: the work visa is processed by your employer, and the recognized degree is the piece evidencing your qualification in that process.

There is also a less obvious and very valuable use: the long-term residence categories for qualified professionals — the Golden Visa — require evidence of a recognized university qualification, and MoHESR recognition is how you provide it with a foreign degree. It is one of the few pieces of paperwork that serves both professional practice and residence.