Company formation power of attorney
Power of attorney for company formation in the UAE
A founder who cannot be in the UAE can authorise someone here to sign the registration paperwork and deal with the authorities. The document has to name each act, because a general wording carries only acts of management.
- Each act written out
- Arabic instrument and translation
- We attend, never notarise
The short answer on a formation power of attorney
A company formation power of attorney is a written authority from a founder or shareholder to a named person in the UAE, ratified before a notary public. It has to name the incorporation acts one by one, because an agency written in general terms only carries acts of management.
Who grants it
The founder or shareholder, not the company
Wording needed
A special agency naming each act
Who ratifies it
A notary public, never our office
Why a founder abroad needs one
Setting up a company here means signing things in person, and a founder who lives somewhere else cannot always be here to do it. A power of attorney for company registration solves that. You name someone in the UAE, you write down exactly what they may sign and do for you, and that person acts in your place until the authority runs out.
The company does not exist yet, so the authority comes from you as a person, not from an entity. That is the part founders get wrong. Until the company is registered there is no company document to point at and no board to pass a resolution, so the document rests on your own identity documents and on the wording you agree before anything is drafted.
The two articles that decide how far it reaches
Agency sits in Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, the Civil Transactions Law. Article 870 says anything beyond management and preservation needs a special agency specifying the type of act and the dispositions it entails. Article 871 says an agency written in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only acts of management. Registering a company is not management, so a general wording will not carry it. Article 955 belongs to the repealed 1985 Civil Code and should never be cited.
Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, Article 869
An agency may be general, special, conditional, or deferred to a future time.
What has to be written into the authority
Article 870 asks for the type of act and the dispositions it entails. We draft against that, and we check the wording with the authority that will receive the document before anything is signed, because each licensing authority sets its own requirements.
- Your full legal name and passport details, spelled the same way across the whole file
- The name and identity document of the person who will act for you in the UAE
- The company you intend to set up, described as closely as you can describe it now
- Each act you are granting, one by one, instead of a single sentence covering everything
- Whether a sub-agent is allowed, since revoking the main agency revokes every sub-agency under it
- An end date, because an agency is extinguished when the term specified for it expires
Signing here or signing where you live
Both routes end with a document a notary public has ratified. The difference is how much sits in front of that, and the attestation charge is the part people miss.
Signing in the UAE
One appointment, one fee line
You attend a notary public here, identity is verified from a passport or Emirates ID, and the instrument is ratified in Arabic at that appointment.
Signing abroad
Three attestations before it lands
A document signed outside the UAE is attested by that country’s foreign ministry, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by MOFAIC inside the UAE.
From your instructions to a ratified instrument
Four stages. You take part in the first and the last, and the middle two are ours. Where a document has to travel from abroad, the attestation chain is the long part, not the drafting.
1
We agree the scope first
We ask what the person here needs to sign for you and for how long. That conversation decides the wording, and it is also where we check the wording against the authority that will receive it, because each licensing authority sets its own requirements for what it will accept.
2
Drafting and the Arabic version
The instrument drafted by the notary is in Arabic. In Dubai a foreign language document is allowed only with a translation by a certified translator, and both versions are signed by the parties. Dubai Courts asks for Arabic legal translation approved by the Ministry of Justice, so that is the translator we use.
3
Identity and consistency check
The notary verifies identity by reviewing the ID card, passport or another official document issued by the State, and also checks capacity and consent. We go through the file before the appointment so a name spelled two different ways does not stop the appointment. An interpreter from the Ministry’s Interpreter Register is engaged where the notary does not speak your language.
4
Ratification before a notary public
The notary reads out the content of the transaction and reveals its effects, then ratifies. Dubai Courts verifies capacity and eligibility by virtual or personal attendance, so you may not have to be in the room. We attend with you. We draft, translate, check and attend, and the notary ratifies.
Government fees on a company formation power of attorney
Every figure below is a published government fee. None of it is our charge for drafting, translation or attending, and we quote that separately. Dubai Courts sits outside the federal schedule under Dubai Law 4/2013 and publishes its own fees, so confirm the current figure with the office handling your file.
| Item | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Notarising a general or special power of attorney | AED 100 per party | Federal government fee, Cabinet Resolution 19/2024, item 9. |
| The same power of attorney through a private notary | AED 130 per party | The AED 100 government fee plus the 30 percent professional fee the same resolution allows. |
| Notarising a translation included in the instrument | AED 50 per page | Federal government fee, same schedule, item 11. |
| Authenticating signatures in an instrument of unspecified value | AED 200 per party | Federal government fee, same schedule, item 8. |
| MOFAIC attestation, commercial document | AED 2,000 | MOFAIC government fee. It lists a commercial or general power of attorney under commercial documents. |
| MOFAIC attestation, individual affairs document | AED 150 | MOFAIC government fee for the personal side of the list, where a formation document rarely sits. |
What we ask you to send
Three stacks. None of this is a licensing authority’s document list. It is what we need to draft the instrument and get the file through the appointment without it being sent back.
From you, the principal
The founder granting the authority.
- Passport, and an Emirates ID if you hold one
- Your legal name spelled as the passport spells it
- A phone number and address the notary can record
- A written note of what you want the agent to do
From the person acting here
The agent named in the document.
- An Emirates ID number, or a scan of the card
- A passport scan if no Emirates ID has been issued
- The same spelling of their name on every document
- Their agreement to hold the authority you are giving
If you are signing outside the UAE
No apostille route, and nothing laminated.
- Attestation by the foreign ministry of the issuing country
- Attestation by the UAE embassy or consulate there
- MOFAIC attestation once the document is in the UAE
- Translation by a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice
Two checks we run before an appointment is booked
The first list is what sends a formation power of attorney back. The second is what we confirm before anyone travels to a notary office.
- A general wording asked to carry acts that Article 870 says need a special agency
- Wording drafted before anyone asked the authority receiving it what it wants to see
- An Article 955 citation copied from content written under the repealed 1985 Civil Code
- That the Arabic and the English say the same thing, act for act
- That the passport spelling, the agent’s name and the file all agree
- That anything arriving from abroad is attested, translated and not laminated
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
Can someone set up a company in the UAE for me while I stay abroad?
That is what this document is for. You authorise a named person here to act for you, and the instrument is ratified before a notary public. What they may actually do depends on the wording, so each act is written out. The authority that will receive the document sets its own requirements, which is why we check with them before drafting.
Should it be a general or a special power of attorney?
Special. Article 870 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 requires a special agency specifying the type of act and the dispositions it entails for anything that is not management and preservation. Registering a company and signing for it are not management. Article 869 does allow a general agency, but Article 871 reads a general wording down to acts of management.
What language is the document written in?
Arabic. Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 says the instrument drafted by the notary shall be in Arabic, with a foreign language permitted only in circumstances set by ministerial resolution. In Dubai, a foreign language document needs a translation by a certified translator and both versions are signed. Dubai Courts asks for legal translation approved by the Ministry of Justice.
Is an apostille enough if I sign in a Hague country?
No. The UAE is not a contracting party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so there is no apostille route in and an apostille does not replace anything. Whether the issuing country is a Hague member makes no difference on the inbound side. The document still goes through the foreign ministry, the UAE mission there, and MOFAIC.
Why is the attestation fee so different from what I was quoted?
Because MOFAIC charges by document category. Its published attestation fee is AED 150 for individual affairs documents and AED 2,000 for commercial documents, and MOFAIC lists a power of attorney of commercial nature and a general power of attorney under commercial documents. A formation document usually sits on the commercial side. Both figures are MOFAIC’s, not ours.
Who is allowed to ratify it?
Under Federal Decree-Law 20/2022, notarial duties are performed only by public notaries, private notaries and accredited consuls of the State. In Dubai, notaries public sit under Dubai Law 4/2013 and Dubai Courts. The DIFC Courts notary service covers oaths, affidavits, affirmations, declarations and certified true copies, and does not list powers of attorney. The ratification is carried out before a notary public.
What identity documents will the notary want to see?
Article 7(1) of Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 requires the notary to verify identity by reviewing the ID card, passport or any other official document issued by the State. The same article covers capacity and consent, and requires the notary to read out the content of the transaction. Dubai Courts asks for the agent’s Emirates ID number, or an uploaded Emirates ID or passport.
Can I take the authority back once the company is running?
Yes. Article 898 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 lets the principal revoke or restrict the agent’s authority at any time, unless the agency involves the right of a third party or was issued in the interest of the agent. Article 903 says revoking the main agency revokes every sub-agency under it. Article 899 can require compensation for badly timed revocation.
Start here
Send us the plan before you draft anything
Write to us with who is setting the company up, who will act here, and which authority will receive the document. We come back with wording that names each act, an Arabic version, and a list of what has to be attested if you are signing outside the UAE. We draft, translate, check and attend the appointment. A notary public ratifies it.
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.