New Families

The following documents must be submitted by start of the school:

• Student’s Passport

• Student’s Visa

• Student’s Emirates ID Card (both sides): original ID must be scanned by Admissions Office. Diplomatic ID: copy will suffice.

• Student’s immunization record

• Parent (Sponsor) Passport

• Parent (Sponsor) Visa

• Parent (Sponsor) EID (both sides): original ID must be scanned by Admissions Office. Diplomatic ID: copy will suffice.

• Final report card 

• Final Transcript (Grade 10-12)

• Transfer certificate (applicable for students new to Abu Dhabi, attestation information available HERE)

• Equivalency through Ministry of Education of UAE: required for students joining Grade 9-12 from different curriculum.

It is mandatory that all students be registered with the Abu Dhabi Department for Education and Knowledge (ADEK) within 30 days of the start of school. Kindly ensure you provide the Admissions Office the listed documents prior the start of school to finalize the registration at GEMS American Academy and ADEK authorities:

1. The child(ren) and Parent’s ORIGINAL Emirate ID card

2. Copy of the child’s immunization record

3. For UAE citizens: Copy of the family book for KG1 enrollees

4. Final School Report Card: Obtain an original year-end report card for your child for 2022-2023 (must be in English)

   1. • For students entering Grade 2 and above coming from other Abu Dhabi schools, a copy of the eSIS Final Report for 2022-2023 is required aside from the school report

5. Official transcripts (Grade 10 and above)

6. Transfer Certificate: This document's requirements are determined by which country your child is currently attending school. Please scroll down for detailed information and sample. Please follow the ATTESTATION requirement strictly.

   1. • • If you are coming from outside Abu Dhabi: Have this form completed when your child withdraws from the current school and hand carry the original to our office within 30 days from the start of school. This is a requirement of the Abu Dhabi Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi and should be considered as an official certificate; the Ministry has the authority to refuse the document if they choose. You are welcome to scan and email the document to me to ensure correctness, especially, prior to obtaining attestations.

        • If you are coming from another school within Abu Dhabi: Please make sure that your child(ren) is cleared and is either WITHDRAWN on the previous’ school eSIS or TRANSFERRED to our eSIS #9086

(for applicants from Grade 2 and above)

All students in Grades 2 and above must submit a Transfer Certificate before enrolment. Without it, your child’s start date will be delayed as this is a Ministry of Education requirement.

What is a Transfer Certificate (TC)?

• A TC is not the same as a school record or school transcript. 

• A TC should clearly state to which grade a student was promoted at the end of the previous year or the grade in which the student is currently enrolled (if enrolling mid-year). 

• It is a good idea to use the sample form provided in this package. 

• Transfer Certificates must be in English or Arabic and must display an official school stamp. 

Who needs a Transfer Certificate?

• All students in Grades 2 and above require a TC. 

• Students in KG1, KG2 and Grade 1 only require a TC if they enroll after October (mid-year enrolment).

Why do we need a Transfer Certificate?

• The Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi requires that each student from grade 2 and above submits a TC as well as a UAE residence visa and UAE ID Card for registration. 

• When a Grade 12 student enrolls after October (mid-year enrollment), they can only be admitted if they are coming from an American curriculum or IB Curriculum, with a TC.

• Residence visas must be submitted as soon as they are completed. 

Which stamps do I need for my Transfer Certificate?

Stamp requirements are dependent on the school location from which you are transferring. Find your previous school’s location below to determine the necessary stamping authority:

At GAA, the school is divided into 4 house teams.  The house system is designed to further foster community spirit as well as provide students with the opportunity for some friendly competition.  Once families are assigned to a house at random then they will remain in that house for their duration of study at GAA – this helps to let students develop a sense of identity or belonging and learning that their achievements can have an impact on the school community.  It is important to note that siblings are assigned to the same house as their siblings, so any new students who already have siblings in the school will be assigned to the same house.

In order to allow the students the opportunity to show their house spirit, we allow them to buy and wear their house t-shirts at school.  In elementary, the house shirts can be worn on PE days as well as every Friday.  In secondary, the students are informed when they can wear the house shirts based on each department.  You can purchase the house shirts in Threads Store in Dalma Mall. Check Uniform Section for more details.