The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) has affirmed that it is making exceptional and ongoing efforts to verify the authenticity and integrity of academic qualifications issued by higher education institutions. Through a comprehensive verification and monitoring system, the Ministry works to safeguard the integrity of academic qualifications, strengthen confidence in them, and protect both public and private sector employers.
The Ministry explained that it takes a firm stance against any attempts to forge, falsify, alter or manipulate academic qualifications or the information contained in them. It works closely and in coordination with the competent judicial authorities across the UAE, including the Ministry of Justice, the Federal Public Prosecution, and local public prosecution authorities.
The Ministry noted that judicial rulings have been issued against a number of defendants convicted by the competent judicial authorities. Some rulings included prison sentences of up to three years and financial fines of up to AED 30,000, in accordance with the UAE Federal Penal Code.
In this regard, Ahmed Abdullah Al Hammadi, Director of the Legal Affairs Department at MoHESR, said: “The Ministry places the highest priority on safeguarding the credibility of academic qualifications, whether issued within the UAE or abroad. This forms part of the Ministry’s strategic direction to strengthen integrity in higher education and protect the credibility of academic qualifications.”
He added that the Ministry’s team is committed to continuously enhancing the efficiency of its verification and monitoring mechanisms and its coordination with relevant authorities. He said: “Any case involving suspected forgery, manipulation or alteration of information contained in academic certificates is handled in accordance with approved legal procedures and referred to the competent judicial authorities whenever there is a suspected criminal offence, so that the necessary action can be taken in accordance with the applicable legislation.”
Al Hammadi further noted that safeguarding the credibility of academic qualifications extends beyond the higher education sector. It also protects government and private sector entities, employers and society from the use of inaccurate academic qualifications or information. This, in turn, strengthens confidence in the competencies and accredited qualifications recognised in the UAE and enhances the overall credibility of the country’s higher education system.
The Ministry warned against any practices that undermine the integrity and credibility of academic qualifications, stressing that it will not tolerate such violations and will refer cases involving suspected criminal offences to the competent authorities. At the same time, the Ministry will continue to enhance the efficiency of its verification, monitoring and data exchange systems, and strengthen integration with relevant entities to support faster and more accurate verification of academic qualifications and records.
The Ministry continues to strengthen the efficiency of its academic qualification verification systems through an integrated digital ecosystem that ensures speed and accuracy in processing and review. In 2025, the Ministry processed a total of 178,600 requests to verify academic qualifications. This figure rose to 253,000 requests in 2026, as of the beginning of September 2026, reflecting significant growth in demand and reinforcing the confidence of individuals and institutions in the Ministry’s approved verification systems.
The Ministry affirmed that the cases of forgery identified remain isolated and very limited compared with the large number of academic qualifications verified and processed annually through its approved systems. The verification and monitoring framework in place contributes to the early detection of violations and helps safeguard the credibility of academic certificates and qualifications, further strengthening confidence in the UAE’s higher education system.
The Ministry called on government and private sector entities and employers to verify the authenticity of academic qualifications whenever they have concerns or observations regarding the validity of certificates or academic records. It also encouraged them to use the Ministry’s approved verification channels and report any cases suspected of involving the forgery or manipulation of academic qualifications, contributing to the protection of the labour market and the promotion of integrity and transparency.
Article 252 of Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 on Crimes and Penalties stipulates that anyone who forges an official document may be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years, while forgery of an unofficial document is punishable by detention.
Acts of forgery involving academic certificates and qualifications include creating a forged academic certificate or transcript, altering information contained in a genuine certificate, adding or removing information that affects the content of a qualification or knowingly using a forged qualification.
9/14/2026