MOFA attestation is required in Saudi Arabia for legalizing any documents outside Saudi Arabia as well as in various embassies in Saudi Arabia. For Attestation of oddments, MOFA in Saudi Arabia provides services for which you first need to apply online on MOFA website, then pay the service fees and then visit a MOFA office in your respective city and get your required document attested.
In this post, we will share our experience of getting birth certificate attestation in Jeddah Saudi Arabia.
Apply Online on MOFA Website For Documents Attestation
First step of getting your documents attested is to visit MOFA website and use the provided E-Service (Ratification Services on Documents). Visit MOFA official site and choose E-Srvices tab. Now choose Ratification services on documents. If you can’t find this service directly, you can use the checkbox on the left side of the screen to filter the available services from this category only. Attestation services provided by MOFA can be used to get many types of documents attested and is not limited to just birth certificates.
Read all the instructions and details available and then click on Start the service. Now you will see a form which you need to fill in order to add a new ratification request.
Carefully fill the form by choosing branch, location and providing identity details. You will need to attach the documents that you want to get attested. After adding all required documents, submit the request by filling captcha and pressing submit button.
Once you have submitted your request on MOFA website for attestation, a bill number will be generated and you will be able to pay it using SADAD by using online banking services or even from ATM. Currently, 30 SAR is the fees for getting birth certificate attested from MOFA.
Pay MOFA Attestation Fees Online Using SADAD Service
Once you have a bill generated for your request for MOFA attestation, you need to pay the fees and print the payment receipt. You can pay using SADAD Online service provided by different bank’s through online banking or you can pay through ATM.
I used Samba online banking services to pay the bill for MOFA attestation. Service by other banks is also similar with only slight possible differences in their navigation and menu.
Using Samba online banking, I logged into my account and added beneficiary by choosing SADAD Bills –> Define Bills. In the Service Category chose Government Sectors while for Utility Name choose MOFA Services. Enter your bill number which was generated while applying online on MOFA Portal for birth certificate attestation.
Once you have added the bill in your online banking account, you can pay the bill from your bank account and then you can print the receipt and take it with you for your visit to MOFA office for attestation of birth certificate.
Attest Birth Certificate MOFA Jeddah Office
A year ago (in 2019), MOFA attestation of birth certificate in Jeddah was possible on ground floor of same building in Safa Distrct where Ahwal Madni is located. After getting birth certificate from Ahwal Madani office in Safa District first floor, it ws possible to get it attested in the same building on Ground Floor. We have explained in another post how to get ahwal madani birth certificate.
However, now Ahwal Madni asks you to visit MOFA Balad Office to attest documents from MOFA.
How to Get Birth Certificate Attested from MOFA in Balad Jeddah
After getting birth certificate (شهادة الميلاد) from Ahwal Madni, you need to follow below two steps as part of MOFA attestation process for the birth certificate:
- Get an Appointment for MOFA Attestation as we explained above.
- Visit MOFA Office and get your document (birth certificate) attested.
If you haven’t applied online using E-Services on MOFA portal and haven’t paid online yourself using banking services, you can avail services of the agents shops outside and they will pay the 30 SR fees and will get another 20 Riyal as their service charges and do the payment on your behalf and will hand over to you the payment receipt. Make sure you have received SMS confirmation as well on your mobile number.
Once you are done with payment for MOFA attestation, get a print out of the appointment and visit MOFA office with the document that you wish to print (birth certificate in this case) and don’t forget to keep your original iqama with you.
For me, I reached MOFA Balad Office about half an hour before my appointment time and struggled a little to find a parking. Next I walked to the MOFA entrance and saw a relatively huge queue. The staff at the entrance was checking appointment paper for every one and was allowing to enter by keeping Mobile phone at security desk to be collected later as Mobile phones are not allowed to be carried inside MOFA office.
After passing through security, I was given a token and asked to move to the big hall where seats were available for all those waiting for their turns. There are many counters for attestation and other MOFA Services and I had around 30 people before me but I observed that attestation service was quite quick and my turn came in around 15-20 minutes.
When I reached attestation counter, I simply handed over my appointment paper and birth certificate of my baby and officer took only 2 minutes and stamped/attested birth certificate and handed it over back to me.
Overall, It was a pleasant experience getting birth certificate attestation in Jeddah MOFA.
Jeddah MOFA Location: For MOFA Attestation Services
MOFA Jeddah is located at Madina Munawarah Road near Balad in Al Madinah Al Munawarah Rd, Al-Baghdadiyah Al-Sharqiyah. Below is the map location of MOFA Jeddah office for your reference and you can visit this office as per your appointment for attestation of your documents.
I hope that this article is helpful for you and feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.