Financed and leased vehicles
Power of Attorney for a Leased Vehicle or Car Loan
A power of attorney for a leased vehicle is not the same as one for a car you own outright. An agent can only receive authority the principal actually holds, so the wording has to sit inside what the finance or the lease leaves you.
- Special agency wording
- Arabic drafting and translation
- We attend the notary
What this power of attorney can and cannot do
It can pass on authority the principal already holds over the vehicle, and nothing more than that. Because anything beyond management and preservation needs a special agency, the deed has to name the act and the dispositions it entails.
Legal basis
Article 870, Federal Decree-Law 25/2025
Agency type needed
Special, not general terms
Federal notary fee
AED 100 per party to the deed
A power of attorney cannot give more than you hold
This is the point that decides most of these files. Agency puts the agent in the principal’s place, so it carries authority across, it does not create any. Where finance or a lease sits over a vehicle, the principal’s own freedom to dispose of it is the ceiling, and the deed has to be drafted inside that ceiling instead of around it.
Article 870, Federal Decree-Law 25 of 2025
Any act that is not an act of management and preservation requires a special agency specifying the type of act and the dispositions it entails, particularly in donations, sale, settlement, mortgage, acknowledgment, arbitration, administering and accepting an oath, and pleading before the court.
What a power of attorney for a leased vehicle changes
Using a car and disposing of a car are two different things, and a finance or lease arrangement usually separates them. The person driving it every day may have wide practical control and a narrow legal right to dispose of it. A deed that ignores that split reads as if the principal could do more than he can, and that is the version that gets sent back.
Consent from whoever holds the finance or the lease is a separate question, and we treat it as the first one. We do not assume what any lender or leasing company will agree to, and we do not draft a deed that quietly depends on it. We ask you what you have in writing, then we write the authority around what you can actually give today.
Two arrangements people describe the same way
People say leased and financed as if they are one thing. They are not, and the wording differs, so we ask which one you are in before drafting.
Finance
A vehicle with a loan over it
You hold the vehicle and a loan sits behind it. Check the ownership record first, because if it names the bank or the finance company then that party is the owner on the record and naming a sale in the deed will not move it. Where the record is in your name, the deed still reaches only as far as the finance agreement leaves you.
Lease
A vehicle held under a lease
You hold the use of the vehicle under an agreement with someone else. The authority you can pass on is the authority that agreement leaves you, and no wider.
What a special power of attorney for a car loan must state
Article 870 asks for the type of act and the dispositions it entails. In practice that means six things have to be settled on the page before anyone signs.
- Every act the agent may perform, named one by one, not gathered under a broad heading.
- The dispositions each named act entails, which is the exact wording Article 870 uses.
- The vehicle itself, identified closely enough that the authority cannot be read across to another one.
- A line saying the authority stops where the principal’s own right to dispose of the vehicle stops.
- The term of the agency, since an agency ends on the term written into it under Article 897.
- Whether the agent may appoint a sub-agent, because revoking the main agency revokes those under Article 903.
How we handle a file like this
Four stages. The first one is where most of the work sits, and it is the one that is usually skipped.
1
We check what you can actually authorise
We read the paperwork you hold and work out which acts are yours to give away today. That tells us whether you need a special agency for a sale or a mortgage, or whether acts of management cover what you want. If the answer depends on a consent you do not yet have, we say so before we write anything.
2
We draft the deed and its Arabic text
Our lawyers and legal consultants write the special agency, act by act. A notarised instrument is drafted in Arabic under Article 5 of the notary decree-law, and in Dubai a foreign-language document needs an Arabic translation by a certified translator, with both versions signed. We prepare both and read them against each other.
3
You sign before a notary public
Ratification happens before a notary public, who verifies identity from an ID card or passport, checks capacity and consent, and reads the content out to the parties under Article 7. Personal appearance is the default under Article 17, and Article 18 allows the notary to use IT tools instead. We attend with you.
4
You keep the deed and we note the term
You leave with a ratified deed that says what the agent may do and for how long. We record the term with you, because an agency ends when the work is done or when the term written into it expires. You can revoke it later, and we explain how that works before you sign, not after.
What to bring
Three groups. The third only applies if the principal is signing outside the UAE.
From the principal
The person giving the authority
- Emirates ID or passport
- The vehicle ownership certificate
- The finance or lease paperwork you hold
- Any written consent you have already been given
From the agent
The person receiving it
- Emirates ID number, card or passport
- Full name spelled exactly as on the ID
- Contact details for the notary appointment
- A note of which acts they will perform
If you are signing abroad
The legalisation chain, in this order
- The foreign ministry in the issuing country
- The UAE embassy or consulate in that country
- MOFAIC in the UAE
- AED 150 for an individual affairs document
Why these deeds get refused
Two lists. The first is what goes wrong on the page, the second is what we look at before a word is written.
- The deed is written in general terms, so under Article 871 it only grants acts of management.
- It names a sale or a mortgage that the principal is not free to make.
- The Arabic text and the foreign-language text do not carry the same authority.
- Whether a consent you need has actually been given, and in writing.
- Whether the vehicle details and the ownership record match the names on the deed.
- Whether what you want is an act of management, or an act that needs a special agency spelled out.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
Can I give a power of attorney over a car that still has finance on it?
You can give one, but it can only carry authority you already hold. A power of attorney does not add to what the principal can do, so the deed has to be written around the position you are actually in. Whether a consent is needed first is a separate question, and we check it before drafting.
What is a special power of attorney for a car loan?
It is a deed drafted as a special agency rather than in general terms. Article 870 of Federal Decree-Law 25 of 2025 says any act that is not management and preservation needs a special agency specifying the type of act and the dispositions it entails. Sale and mortgage are both named in that article.
Why does a general power of attorney not work here?
Because Article 871 says an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, only grants the agent the power to perform acts of management. Selling or mortgaging a vehicle is not an act of management. A document that sounds broad can therefore be narrower in law than the person holding it expects.
Does the deed have to be in Arabic?
The notary decree-law says the instrument is drafted in Arabic, with a foreign language permitted in circumstances set by ministerial resolution. In Dubai, Law 4 of 2013 requires an Arabic translation by a certified translator for a foreign-language document, with both versions signed. Dubai Courts asks for legal translation approved by the Ministry of Justice.
How long does it last?
There is no general statutory validity period in UAE law. Article 897 says an agency is extinguished when the work is completed, when the term specified for the agency expires, or on the death or loss of capacity of either party. So the term is whatever the deed says, and we set it deliberately.
Can I sign it while I am outside the UAE?
A power of attorney made abroad has to run through the legalisation chain before it is used here. The foreign ministry in the issuing country attests it, then the UAE embassy or consulate there, then MOFAIC in the UAE. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone does not replace that chain.
Can I cancel it?
Article 898 lets the principal revoke or restrict the agent’s authority at any time, unless the agency involves a right of a third party or was issued in the interest of the agent. Article 899 adds that revoking at an inappropriate time, or without acceptable justification, can leave the principal owing compensation.
What are the official fees?
The federal schedule, Cabinet Resolution 19 of 2024, sets AED 100 per party for executing or notarising a general or special power of attorney, and AED 50 per page for notarising a translation included in the instrument. MOFAIC attestation is AED 150 for an individual affairs document and AED 2,000 for a commercial one. Dubai Courts publishes its own schedule, so confirm the current figure with them.
Start here
Talk to us before you draft anything
Send us what you hold over the vehicle and tell us what you want the agent to be able to do. We will tell you which of those acts you can pass on today, which ones need a consent first, and how the deed has to be worded to survive the notary. If the answer is that you cannot give the authority yet, we will say that.
Tell us what the document has to do
Say who will receive it and what you need it to allow, and you will get a straight answer on the wording, the government fees and what to bring. You can also send it through the contact form.
Call us
Speak to the person who will handle your file and get an answer on the same call.
Send photographs of your passport, your Emirates ID and anything the matter attaches to.
Best for a company matter, or anything that runs to several documents.
Visit the office
Jebel Ali area, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. Come in, or have it handled remotely and only turn up to sign.
Opening hours. Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 18:00. Friday, 9:00 to 12:00. Saturday, 9:00 to 18:00. Sunday, closed.