As of 1 October 2026: moving a child out of an Abu Dhabi private school, or proving their academic record for a new one, runs through the Department of Education and Knowledge’s attested document services on TAMM, each one costing a flat AED 15 and taking about 6 minutes, read directly from TAMM’s own service pages. For a family relocating between emirates or leaving the UAE entirely, knowing which certificate to request matters as much as the fee itself.
What is the Student Withdrawal Transcript, and when do I need it?
This attested transcript records a student’s withdrawal date and the reason for leaving a private or charter school in Abu Dhabi. ADEK’s own description covers certificates issued from 2012 onward, so this works for a current withdrawal as well as confirming the record of one that happened years ago. It needs an Emirates ID, costs AED 15, and takes about 6 minutes once logged in through UAE PASS.
What is the Sequential Study Transcript, and how is it different?
Where the withdrawal transcript documents the fact and reason for leaving, the Sequential Study Transcript is the fuller academic record: a certified transcript covering a student’s academic progress year over year at a private or partnership school in Abu Dhabi, also available for records from 2012 onward. This is typically what a new school abroad or in another emirate asks for as proof of prior academic standing, rather than the withdrawal transcript alone. It carries the same AED 15 fee, needs an Emirates ID, and takes the same 6 minutes.
What is the School Fees Certificate used for?
This one is different in purpose: it is a certified certificate confirming a private school’s officially prescribed tuition fees, not a record about a specific student. ADEK notes this service requires no supporting documents at all, just the AED 15 attestation fee and the same 6-minute UAE PASS process. Parents comparing schools, or anyone needing official confirmation of a fee structure for a visa, sponsorship, or relocation allowance claim, can use this rather than relying on a school’s own informal fee sheet.
Do I need all three, or just one?
It depends on who is asking. A new school typically wants the Sequential Study Transcript as proof of academic history, an employer’s relocation or education allowance process may ask for the School Fees Certificate to verify the cost being reimbursed, and the Withdrawal Transcript is the specific document that confirms a child has formally left their previous Abu Dhabi school, useful when a new country’s enrollment process asks for proof the prior enrollment has ended. A family handling a full school transfer abroad may reasonably need all three.
Is this specific to Abu Dhabi, or does it apply UAE-wide?
An Abu Dhabi school transfer specifically runs through the emirate’s own Department of Education and Knowledge, and these three services apply to private and partnership schools within Abu Dhabi only. Our Abu Dhabi school fees guide covers ADEK’s broader rules on tuition and curricula; a school in Dubai or another emirate would run its own, separate attestation process through KHDA rather than ADEK. These document requests also fit into the same TAMM platform as the rest of Abu Dhabi’s government services, our TAMM explainer covers how that single login brings together dozens of otherwise separate processes.
What should a relocating family budget for beyond the AED 15 fees?
The attestation fees themselves are negligible, but a family moving a child between schools, especially across borders, usually has a wider set of costs to plan for: a new school’s own admission or registration fees, moving costs, and the general cost of resettling. Our UAE cost of living breakdown is a useful starting point for putting these smaller document fees into the context of a full household relocation budget.
What is the short version?
Three ADEK-attested school documents matter for a child moving in or out of an Abu Dhabi private school: the Student Withdrawal Transcript (withdrawal date and reason), the Sequential Study Transcript (full academic history), and the School Fees Certificate (official tuition confirmation, no documents needed). Each costs a flat AED 15, takes about 6 minutes through UAE PASS, and which one a family needs depends on what the receiving school, employer, or authority is actually asking to see.
Last updated: 1 October 2026. Primary source: TAMM, Issue an Attested Student Withdrawal Transcript (ADEK).
