UK Degree Certificate and Transcript Apostille for Saudi Mosadaqa and QVP: University verification, solicitor certification and express FCDO apostille in one managed service

Using a UK degree certificate in Saudi Arabia can involve several separate checks. Your employer, visa representative or Saudi authority may request Mosadaqa, QVP, an FCDO apostille, university verification, or a combination of these steps.

Our full-chain service prepares UK degree certificates and academic transcripts for Saudi use. Depending on your requirements, we coordinate:

• verification with the issuing university or an approved verification platform;
• solicitor verification and certification;
• an FCDO paper apostille or eligible e-Apostille;
• a two-working-day express apostille option;
• document preparation for Mosadaqa and QVP; and
• support with consent forms, university enquiries and verification evidence.

The precise route depends on your qualification, university, Saudi visa occupation, employer and receiving authority.

The Essential Distinction

Applicants often use the words attestation, verification, certification, legalisation and accreditation as though they mean the same thing. They do not.

University verification checks whether the university genuinely awarded the qualification.

Solicitor certification records what the solicitor has examined and certifies the document or copy in an appropriate form.

FCDO legalisation by apostille authenticates the signature, stamp or seal of the UK public official who signed the document. It does not independently verify your degree classification, transcript results or course content.

Mosadaqa verifies a non-Saudi educational certificate through the Saudi Ministry of Education and the relevant Saudi cultural mission. The process may involve direct contact with the awarding institution.

QVP forms part of Saudi Arabia’s Professional Accreditation framework. It examines the validity and occupational relevance of a worker’s qualification and, where applicable, professional experience.

GOV.UK confirms that the Legalisation Office can legalise qualification certificates and copies of documents after a UK solicitor or notary certifies them. GOV.UK also explains that the Legalisation Office checks the public official’s signature, stamp or seal before it issues the apostille.

What is Mosadaqa?

Mosadaqa is Saudi Arabia’s electronic Certificate Verification Service for non-Saudi educational qualifications. It works as an educational certificate verification process, not simply as an embassy stamp.

The official process includes:

• submission of the certificate-verification application;
• review of the application and supporting documents;
• contact with the educational institution;
• assessment of the institution’s response; and
• issue of a verification decision.

The Saudi educational authority may ask the issuing institution to confirm the award, mode of study, course and related academic information.

Mosadaqa’s published user guide lists a bachelor’s degree certificate, bachelor’s transcript, passport information and consent among the requirements for bachelor’s-level verification. Higher qualifications can also require evidence of preceding studies.

What is QVP?

Applicants often refer to QVP as the Qualification Verification Program. It operates within Saudi Arabia’s Professional Accreditation arrangements.

QVP does more than check whether a certificate exists. Saudi official guidance describes professional verification as a process that checks:

• the validity of academic qualifications;
• relevant professional experience;
• the level and field of education; and
• whether the qualification and experience align with the proposed occupation.

The programme often matters for higher-skilled occupations that require academic or professional qualifications.

QVP and Mosadaqa: What is the Difference?

	Mosadaqa	QVP
Main purpose	Verifies a non-Saudi educational certificate	Verifies qualifications, experience and alignment with the proposed occupation
Principal Saudi framework	Ministry of Education and Saudi cultural missions	Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development Professional Accreditation programme
What may be checked	Award, issuing institution, course, mode of study and academic details	Qualification validity, experience, educational level, field and occupational suitability
Common supporting evidence	Degree certificate, transcript, passport and consent	Qualification, occupation information and experience evidence where applicable
Does an apostille replace it?	No	No
Does the other Saudi verification automatically replace it?	No	No

Both services may contact the same university, but they serve different administrative purposes.

Do not assume that Mosadaqa will replace QVP.

Also do not assume that QVP will satisfy every Mosadaqa, employer or regulator requirement.

Do I Need Both QVP and Mosadaqa?

There is no reliable universal answer.

Your case may require:

• QVP only;
• Mosadaqa only;
• an apostilled UK degree and QVP;
• both Mosadaqa and QVP; or
• additional registration with a profession-specific Saudi regulator.

The deciding factors can include the occupation on the Saudi work visa, the employer’s policy, the professional regulator, the visa-processing centre and the current documentary checklist.

Some UK applicants report that they received visas with QVP and an FCDO-legalised degree before Mosadaqa approval arrived. Others report that their agent, employer or visa centre asked for both. Applicants also describe separate university enquiries, HEDD consent forms and third-party QVP verification requests. These practical experiences help explain the confusion, but they do not replace the checklist that applies to an individual case.

Do Teachers and School Employees Require QVP or Mosadaqa?

The requirement usually links to the occupation and visa classification, not simply to the fact that the employer operates a school.

A teacher, lecturer, school leader or education specialist may need QVP if the proposed occupation falls within the professional-verification framework. The employer or Saudi authority may also ask for Mosadaqa to verify the underlying academic award.

A school employee should check:

• the exact occupation shown on the visa authorisation;
• the employer’s written onboarding checklist;
• the instructions from the visa representative or application centre; and
• any additional requirement from a professional or educational authority.

Do not treat QVP and Mosadaqa as interchangeable certificates.

Why Might a UK Degree Require Solicitor Certification?

A university degree certificate may not reach the FCDO in a form that the Legalisation Office can legalise directly.

The FCDO needs to authenticate the signature of a recognised UK public official. For many academic documents, a UK solicitor or notary must certify the document first.

A solicitor may certify:

• a copy as a true copy of an original document examined;
• a securely issued digital academic document;
• a document checked through an official source; or
• an accompanying certification statement that explains the verification basis.

The wording must accurately reflect what the solicitor has done. A basic true-copy certification confirms that the copy corresponds with the document presented. It does not, by itself, prove that the university genuinely issued the underlying award.

Do not confuse university verification with solicitor certification.

How We Verify UK Degrees and Transcripts

The appropriate verification route varies between institutions.

It may involve:

• direct confirmation from the university registry or student-records department;
• HEDD;
• Digitary, Gradintelligence or another secure academic-document platform;
• an online university verification facility;
• a formal verification letter; or
• a university-specific consent and disclosure procedure.

Jisc describes HEDD as the UK higher education sector’s official degree-verification service. Universities, agencies, employers, embassies and other organisations use it. However, HEDD does not cover every qualification through exactly the same workflow.

If HEDD or a university requires the graduate’s consent, you need the correct signed form. You also need to identify the requesting organisation accurately. An incomplete consent form or incorrect organisation name can delay the enquiry.

Our Full-Chain Service

1. Initial Document and Requirement Review

We review the degree certificate, transcript and instructions from the employer, visa representative, Mosadaqa or QVP.

We establish:

• which qualification you need to rely on;
• whether your case requires both the degree certificate and transcript;
• whether you also need to provide previous qualifications;
• whether the recipient requires paper or electronic documents; and
• whether each document needs a separate apostille.

2. University or Awarding-Body Verification

If your case requires verification, we identify and coordinate the appropriate route.

This may include:

• checking the university’s current procedure;
• obtaining the necessary consent;
• arranging a HEDD or direct-university enquiry; and
• dealing with any separate verification fee.

3. Solicitor Verification and Certification

An England and Wales solicitor reviews the document and available verification evidence.

We then prepare the certification wording according to:

• what the solicitor has actually examined;
• whether the solicitor has reviewed the original, a copy or a secure digital record;
• the intended apostille route; and
• the receiving authority’s instructions.

4. FCDO Apostille

We submit the solicitor-certified document to the UK Legalisation Office for an apostille.

Saudi Arabia joined the Apostille Convention on 7 December 2022. The apostille therefore serves as the treaty form of authentication for UK public documents that applicants present in Saudi Arabia.

The apostille remains separate from Mosadaqa, QVP and any profession-specific assessment.

5. Saudi Submission Pack

After legalisation, we can prepare clearly named electronic copies and the supporting document pack for the relevant Saudi process.

Where instructed, we can also assist with:

• Mosadaqa or QVP document requirements;
• university consent documentation;
• proof of university verification payment;
• requests for further documents;
• document resubmission; and
• verification-status enquiries.

Two-Working-Day Express FCDO Apostille Option

Our express route relates to the FCDO apostille stage. It does not cover the complete Mosadaqa or QVP decision.

GOV.UK currently states that eligible e-Apostilles can take up to two working days. Registered businesses can also use the paper-based Next-Day service, subject to eligibility and acceptance.

The express period begins only after we review the document, obtain any necessary university evidence and prepare the solicitor certification. Courier and international delivery time come separately.

Documents to Send for an Initial Assessment

Please provide:

• a clear colour scan of the degree certificate;
• the complete academic transcript;
• the passport biographical page;
• the name used while studying and any subsequent name-change evidence;
• the university name, student number and graduation year;
• the Saudi job title or visa occupation; and
• any written Mosadaqa, QVP, employer or visa-agent instructions.

If you have already submitted an application, please also provide the application reference, current status and any request for further information.

Common Causes of Delay

Recent applicant experiences show that many delays occur before the Saudi authority can reach a decision. Common examples include:

• uploading the transcript instead of the degree certificate;
• omitting the transcript;
• submitting incomplete or incorrectly addressed consent forms;
• using a passport name that differs from the academic records;
• sending the request to the wrong university department;
• leaving a university verification fee unpaid;
• failing to upload the payment receipt when the portal asks for it;
• relying on slow university response times;
• overlooking public holidays; and
• assuming that one platform will automatically reuse verification completed for another platform.

Mosadaqa’s published guidance states that completion time depends heavily on the issuing institution’s response and on the accuracy and clarity of the submitted information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an FCDO apostille the same as Mosadaqa?

No. An apostille authenticates a UK public official’s signature, stamp or seal. Mosadaqa verifies the educational certificate and associated academic information through the Saudi education-verification process.

Is QVP the same as Mosadaqa?

No. Mosadaqa focuses on educational certificate verification. QVP also considers the qualification or experience in relation to the proposed Saudi occupation.

Does an apostilled degree remove the need for QVP?

Not automatically. An apostille and QVP answer different questions. An apostille authenticates the UK certification. QVP assesses the qualification under Saudi professional-verification requirements.

Must I provide my transcript?

Mosadaqa’s published bachelor’s-degree requirements include both the bachelor’s certificate and transcript. You should still follow the actual portal request and current instructions that apply to your case.

Can one apostille cover the degree and transcript?

Sometimes a solicitor can certify and bind documents as one set. However, the recipient may require a separate apostille for each document. GOV.UK advises applicants to confirm whether the recipient wants one apostille for grouped documents or separate apostilles.

Is HEDD compulsory for every UK university?

No. HEDD plays an important role in UK degree verification, but some universities use direct registry enquiries, secure digital platforms or their own verification procedures.

What is the university payment receipt requested by Mosadaqa?

Some issuing institutions charge a separate fee to verify the qualification. If the university charges this fee, the applicant may need to pay it and upload proof of payment. This fee differs from the main portal fee.

How long does Mosadaqa take after “Make decision”?

Public guidance does not give a fixed number of days for that individual stage. Overall completion depends on the university response, the clarity of the evidence and whether the authority asks for further information. Individual forum timelines vary, so applicants should not treat them as guaranteed processing times.

Can anyone guarantee approval?

No legitimate provider can guarantee an FCDO, Mosadaqa, QVP, visa or professional-regulator decision. We can prepare the UK document chain carefully, identify avoidable problems and manage the instructed process. The relevant authorities still make the final decision.

Start Your UK Degree Verification and Apostille

Send us your degree certificate, transcript, university details, Saudi occupation and any written instructions you have received.

We will confirm:

• the appropriate university-verification route;
• the correct solicitor-certification basis;
• whether paper or electronic apostille suits your case;
• whether you should process the degree and transcript separately;
• whether the two-working-day express option applies; and
• how we should prepare the completed documents for Mosadaqa or QVP.

One managed service — from UK university verification and solicitor certification to FCDO apostille and Saudi submission preparation.