Family power of attorney
Power of attorney for divorce in the UAE
A power of attorney for divorce authorises a named lawyer to act for you in court proceedings. Under Article 870 it has to name each act, so the drafting decides what your lawyer can and cannot do.
- Special agency, acts named
- Arabic with certified translation
- Ratified before a notary
What a divorce power of attorney does
It appoints a named lawyer to act for you in a divorce case, and it states act by act what that lawyer may do. It does not decide anything about the marriage, and it does not tell the court what to order.
Type of agency
Special, with each act named
Who ratifies it
A notary public
Federal notary fee
AED 100 per party to the document
The article the whole document rests on
UAE agency law now sits in Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, the Civil Transactions Law, which came into force on 1 June 2026 and repealed the 1985 law. Any page still citing Article 955 is citing a repealed statute. Agency runs from Article 866 to Article 903. Article 869 allows an agency to be general, special, conditional or deferred. Article 870 then sets the rule that decides how a divorce power of attorney has to be written.
Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, Article 870(1)
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 our notary services cover
We draft, translate and check powers of attorney, and we attend the appointment with you. The ratification happens before a notary public, who verifies identity, checks capacity and consent, and reads out the content of the instrument and its effects before it is signed. Advice on the divorce itself belongs with the lawyer who will run your case. This page is about the instrument only.
What the court requires in your case is for the court to decide, and it can turn on how the case is brought and who is doing what. We do not predict that, and a power of attorney does not change it. Before we draft, we confirm with the lawyer who will hold the document which acts they need named, so the wording matches the case in front of you rather than a template someone reused.
Acts to name in the document
Article 871 says an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only the power to perform acts of management. If you want any of the following done, it has to be named.
- Pleading before the court in the named case. Article 870 lists pleading before the court as an act that needs a special agency specifying it.
- Agreeing a settlement in the case. Settlement appears in the same article, so wording drafted in general terms will not carry it.
- Referring a matter in the case to arbitration, which Article 870 treats as a separate act to be specified in the document.
- Administering an oath and accepting one. The article names administering and accepting an oath among the acts a special agency must specify.
- Making an acknowledgment on your behalf, which is also on the Article 870 list and is not covered by a general form of words.
- Appointing a substitute agent. Sub-agency is recognised in the law, and Article 903 treats a sub-agency as revoked when the main agency is revoked.
If one spouse is outside the UAE
The route depends on where the document is signed. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille obtained abroad does not replace the attestation chain.
In the UAE
Signed inside the country
You sign before a notary public here. The notary verifies identity from an Emirates ID, a passport or another official State document, and the instrument is drawn up in Arabic.
Abroad
Signed outside the country
The document is attested by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then the UAE embassy or consulate there, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the UAE.
How we handle it
Four steps, from instructions to a ratified document.
1
Confirm the acts
We ask the lawyer who will act for you which acts the case actually needs. Pleading before the court, settlement, arbitration and oaths each have to be named separately under Article 870, so this is settled before a word is drafted. If the acts are not fixed yet, we wait.
2
Draft in Arabic
The instrument is drafted in Arabic. Federal law sets Arabic as the language of the instrument, with a foreign language permitted only in the circumstances set by ministerial resolution. In Dubai, a foreign-language document is accepted with an Arabic translation by a certified translator, and both versions are signed by the parties.
3
Translate and check
Where a translation is needed, we use a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice. Dubai Courts asks for documents as PDF soft copies, translated into Arabic as legal translation approved by the Ministry. We check the file against that before anyone takes a morning off work.
4
Attend the ratification
You sign before the notary public, and we attend with you. The notary verifies identity, capacity and consent, reads out the content and its effects, and ratifies the instrument. If the notary does not speak your language, an interpreter from the Ministry’s Interpreter Register is engaged, or one sworn in by the notary.
What to have ready
The sourced requirements are identity, language and, for a document signed abroad, attestation. We check the file before the appointment rather than at the counter.
From you
The principal
- Emirates ID, passport, or another official document issued by the State
- Your name exactly as it appears on that document
- The case reference or details your lawyer asks us to include
- Confirmation of the term you want the document to run for
About the lawyer
The agent
- Emirates ID number, or a copy of the Emirates ID in PDF
- A passport copy where an Emirates ID is not being used
- Full name and firm as they should appear in the instrument
- The written list of acts the lawyer needs named
Language and format
Before submission
- Documents as PDF soft copies
- Arabic translation by a Ministry of Justice legal translator
- Both versions signed where a foreign language is used
- An interpreter if the notary does not speak your language
What this document does not do
Two things worth keeping straight: the limits of the instrument itself, and the control you keep over it once it is signed.
- It does not decide the divorce, or any part of it. The court does that.
- It does not give your lawyer an act you did not name in it.
- It carries no statutory validity period. It runs for the term written into it.
- You may revoke or restrict the authority at any time under Article 898, subject to the exceptions in that article.
- Revoking the main agency revokes every sub-agency derived from it, by force of Article 903.
- Article 902 makes a litigation agent liable for acting after learning of dismissal, so notice is what matters.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
What is a special power of attorney for divorce?
It is an agency limited to a named subject, drafted so that every act the lawyer may perform is written out. Article 869 allows an agency to be general, special, conditional or deferred to a future time. Article 870 requires a special agency for anything that is not an act of management and preservation, which is why divorce proceedings are handled this way.
Do I have to attend court if I sign one?
That is for the court to decide, and it can depend on how the case is brought. The document authorises your lawyer to plead before the court if it says so, but it does not settle what the court will require of you. We confirm the position with the lawyer running your case before we draft anything.
Which acts have to be named in the document?
Article 870 requires a special agency specifying the type of act for anything beyond management and preservation, and it names settlement, acknowledgment, arbitration, administering and accepting an oath, and pleading before the court. Article 871 adds that an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only acts of management.
Does the document have to be in Arabic?
The instrument the notary draws up is in Arabic, and a foreign language is permitted only in circumstances set by a resolution of the Minister. In Dubai, a foreign-language document is accepted with an Arabic translation by a certified translator, both versions signed. Dubai Courts asks for translation by a legal translator approved by the Ministry of Justice.
What if one of us is outside the UAE?
A document issued abroad is attested by the foreign ministry of the country that issued it, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation inside the UAE. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille does not replace that chain.
How long does a divorce power of attorney last?
There is no general statutory validity period in UAE law. Article 897 extinguishes an agency on completion of the work entrusted to the agent, on expiry of the term specified for the agency, or on the death or loss of capacity of the principal or the agent. So the term is whatever the document states.
Can I cancel it after it is signed?
Article 898 allows the principal to 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 agent’s interest. Article 902 holds a litigation agent liable for acting after learning of dismissal, while acts done before that knowledge remain effective. Notice is what matters.
What are the official fees?
Under the federal schedule in Cabinet Resolution 19/2024, executing or notarising a general or special power of attorney is AED 100 per party, and notarising a translation included in the instrument is AED 50 per page. Attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is AED 150 for individual documents and AED 2,000 for commercial ones. Dubai Courts publishes its own schedule.
Start here
Ask us to draft it
Send us the list of acts your lawyer needs named. We draft the instrument in Arabic, arrange the legal translation where one is needed, check the file against what the notary will ask for, and attend the appointment with you. The ratification itself is done by the notary public. If the shape of the case is not settled yet, we can hold the draft until it is.
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.