Types of power of attorney
General Power of Attorney Dubai: What It Really Grants
Most people asking for a general power of attorney expect it to let their agent do anything. Under Article 871 it grants acts of management only, and anything beyond that needs a special agency.
- Drafted in Arabic
- Ratified before a notary
- Scope checked against statute
The short answer, before you sign anything
A general power of attorney in Dubai gives your agent authority over acts of management, meaning running what you already have, collecting what is due and renewing what expires. It does not give them power to sell, gift, mortgage, settle a claim or appear in court for you.
Governing law
Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, Articles 866 to 903
Default scope
Acts of management only, under Article 871
Federal notary fee
AED 100 per party to the POA
The law that decides how far it goes
The rule sits in Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, the Civil Transactions Law, which repealed the 1985 Civil Code and came into force on 1 June 2026. Agency is dealt with at Articles 866 to 903. Two of those articles decide what a general power of attorney is actually worth, and a great deal of published guidance in Dubai still quotes the repealed text instead.
Articles 871(1) and 870(1), Federal Decree-Law 25/2025
Article 871(1): “If the agency is expressed in general terms without specifying what is intended, it shall only grant the agent the power to perform acts of management.” 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 acts of management actually stretch to
Management and preservation mean keeping what you already have in working order, and that is a genuinely useful set of powers. The statute does not set out a closed list of them, which is why we name the acts in the document rather than leave your agent arguing at a counter about what management covers.
Collecting money owed to you
Receiving rent, salary, dividends or a repayment on your behalf and giving a valid receipt for it, where the document names that authority plainly.
Running a tenancy you already hold
Renewing a lease, paying and querying service charges, dealing with the landlord and arranging repairs on a property you already own or rent.
Keeping registrations and renewals alive
Renewing a trade licence, a vehicle registration or a utility account, and filing the routine returns that keep an existing arrangement in good standing.
Day to day dealings with authorities
Submitting forms, collecting documents and following up applications with government departments and service providers, where the matter is administrative rather than a disposal.
What it does not cover, whatever the title says
Article 870(1) requires a special agency for any act that is not an act of management and preservation, and it singles these out in particular because each one disposes of something rather than manages it. A document headed general power of attorney does not reach them, however broadly the authority is drafted.
- Selling or gifting property or shares
- Mortgaging an asset or pledging security
- Settling a claim or making an acknowledgment
- Agreeing to arbitration
- Administering or accepting an oath
- Pleading before the court for you
What a general power of attorney in Dubai is
A power of attorney is an agency contract. One person, the principal, appoints another, the agent, to carry out a legal act on their behalf. Article 869 allows that agency to be general, special, conditional, or deferred to a future time, so general and special are the two genuine categories in UAE law rather than marketing labels.
The word general describes how the authority is written, not how much of it there is. If the document sets out broad authority without naming the acts intended, Article 871(1) reads it down to acts of management. That is why a well drafted general power of attorney still says, in plain terms, which matters the agent may handle and for how long.
When a general power of attorney is the right instrument
It earns its place when the job is ongoing administration with no single disposal at the end of it. If the act you need is a sale, a mortgage or a court appearance, the instrument is a special power of attorney, and the two forms are set side by side in our comparison of the general and special forms.
Good fit
You are out of the country for a stretch
Someone you trust keeps your affairs ticking over: renewals, collections, correspondence and appointments, with no sale and no court matter expected while you are away.
Wrong fit
One transaction is the whole point
If the reason for the document is a sale, a mortgage, a settlement or a hearing, the authority is read down to management and the other side will refuse it.
How a general power of attorney is put in place
We take instructions, draft, arrange the legal translation, check the scope against Article 870 and attend the appointment with you. The ratification itself is done before a notary public.
1
Scope and drafting
We ask what the agent actually needs to do, then draft the authority so that it names those acts instead of relying on broad general wording.
2
Arabic text and translation
The instrument is in Arabic. A foreign language version needs translation by a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice, and both versions are signed.
3
Identity and the appointment
The notary verifies identity from an ID card or passport, checks capacity and consent, and reads the content of the transaction out to the parties.
4
Ratification and release
The notary public ratifies the instrument and the fee is paid for each party to it. You keep the ratified document, and the agent works from it.
What to have ready
The list is short. Most delays come from a translation that was not done by a registered legal translator, or from a document issued abroad that has not been through the attestation chain. Note also that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists a general power of attorney among commercial documents, where its attestation fee is AED 2,000 rather than the AED 150 charged on individual affairs documents.
From the principal
The person granting the authority
- Emirates ID, or a passport for non-residents
- Passport copy with the details page legible
- Full legal name spelled exactly as on the ID
- A contact number for the notary appointment
About the agent
The person receiving the authority
- The agent’s Emirates ID number, or a copy of the card
- A passport copy if the agent is not resident here
- Full name in Arabic and in English
- Confirmation that the agent accepts the appointment
About the matter
So the scope can be written properly
- The specific acts the agent must be able to carry out
- Any account, tenancy or licence number involved
- The end date you want written into the document
- Any supporting document issued abroad, already attested
Six things we check in the wording
A general power of attorney is only as good as the sentence that describes the agent’s authority. These are the points that decide whether the document does the job you wanted it to do.
- That every act the agent genuinely needs is named, not left to general words.
- That nothing on the Article 870 list has been slipped in under a general heading.
- That the Arabic text and the English text say the same thing, clause for clause.
- That the principal and the agent are identified exactly as their ID documents read.
- That an end date, or a clear ending event, is written into the document.
- That anything issued abroad has been legalised first, since there is no apostille route into the UAE.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
What can a general power of attorney do in Dubai?
It lets your agent carry out acts of management on your behalf, such as collecting money due to you, renewing a licence or a tenancy, and handling routine administration. Article 871(1) limits a document written in general terms to exactly that. Anything that disposes of an asset, or that goes before a court, sits outside it.
Can my agent sell my property under a general power of attorney?
No. Sale is named in Article 870(1) as an act that requires a special agency specifying the type of act and the dispositions it entails. Whatever the document is headed, the authority to sell is not there if it was written in general terms. What you need is a special power of attorney that names the property and the act.
Is there a time limit on a general power of attorney?
There is no general statutory period in UAE law. Article 897 says an agency is extinguished 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 legal capacity of either party. So the limit is whatever you write in, which is why we ask for an end date.
Who can ratify a general power of attorney in Dubai?
A notary public. 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 are governed by Dubai Law 4/2013 and sit under Dubai Courts, because the federal decree-law does not apply to local judicial authorities with their own legislation. We draft and attend. The notarisation is carried out before a notary public.
Does the power of attorney have to be in Arabic?
Yes. Under Dubai Law 4/2013 instruments are in Arabic, and a foreign language document is accepted only with a translation by a certified translator, with both versions signed by the parties. The Dubai Courts power of attorney service requires documents to be translated into Arabic by a legal translator approved by the UAE Ministry of Justice.
What does it cost to ratify a power of attorney?
Under the federal schedule in Cabinet Resolution 19/2024, executing or notarising a general or special power of attorney is AED 100 for each party to it, and a private notary adds 30 per cent as professional fees. Notarising a translation included in the instrument is AED 50 per page. Dubai Courts runs its own schedule, so confirm the current figure before you budget.
My general power of attorney was signed abroad. Will it work here?
Only after legalisation. It has to be attested by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE. The UAE is not a contracting party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille on its own does not make a foreign document usable here.
Where is a power of attorney attested in Dubai?
At a Dubai Courts notary, at a private notary office listed on the Dubai Courts roll, or before an accredited UAE consul if you are abroad. Dubai Courts has listed notary service centres in locations including Al Barsha, and its power of attorney service verifies capacity and eligibility by virtual or personal attendance. Confirm the current centre before you travel.
Start here
Have the scope checked before you sign
Send us what the agent needs to do, in your own words. We will tell you whether a general power of attorney in the UAE covers it, draft the Arabic and English text, arrange the legal translation and attend the notary appointment with you. The notary public ratifies the document. We prepare it so that the ratification is the only step left.
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.