Power of attorney process
How to Get a Power of Attorney in Dubai, Step by Step
Most people arrive ready to sign and find they have not settled who the agent is or what that agent may do. Decide those points first, and the steps after them are mostly paperwork and one appointment.
- Arabic and English drafting
- Legal translation arranged
- We attend with you
How to get a power of attorney in Dubai
Decide who your agent is, list the exact acts they may carry out, and name the authority that will receive the document. We then draft it in Arabic, provide the certified translation, and attend the ratification with you before a notary public.
Who signs
The principal, in person or virtually
Language
Arabic, translated if foreign
Published notary fee
AED 100 per party, confirm before booking
The steps, from first decision to signed document
Five stages. The first happens before you contact anybody, and it is the one most people skip.
1
Decide the three things a drafter needs
Name your agent in full, spelled exactly as the passport or Emirates ID spells it. Write down every act you want that person to carry out, in concrete terms, such as selling a named property or appearing in a named case. Then name the authority that will receive the document, because each authority reads the same wording differently.
2
Send us the papers and tell us the purpose
We need identification for you and for your agent, plus whatever identifies the subject of the power, such as a title deed for a property or a trade licence for a company. Then tell us what the agent will do with it. A power that does not name the act is read narrowly, so the purpose shapes the drafting more than anything else.
3
We draft in Arabic and prepare the translation
Instruments in Dubai are written in Arabic. Where a foreign language version is used, Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 permits it only with an Arabic translation by a certified translator, and both versions are signed by the parties. Documents submitted to the Dubai Courts service must be translated by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice. We prepare both versions.
4
The route is chosen and the appointment is booked
Ratification happens before a notary public. Which notary and which channel applies depends on the document, the parties and where the power will be used. We choose the route and explain it before anything is booked. Our page on how notarisation works in Dubai sets out the options. Tell us now if you cannot attend a counter.
5
Attend, sign, and check what you receive
The notary verifies identity from an identity card or passport, checks capacity and consent, and reads the content of the transaction out to the parties. If the notary is unfamiliar with your language, an interpreter from the Ministry register is engaged. Before you leave, check both names against the identity documents and check every act on your list is there.
What to decide before you contact anyone
A drafter cannot start without these. Bring them and the first conversation is about wording rather than guesswork.
- Who the agent is. The full legal name as the passport or Emirates ID writes it, with the identity document number and the nationality.
- How far you trust that person, because once the power is ratified they can act without coming back to you.
- Exactly which acts they may carry out. Anything beyond management and preservation needs a special agency naming the act, under Article 870.
- Whether you want a general agency or a special one. A power expressed in general terms grants only acts of management, under Article 871 of Federal Decree-Law 25 of 2025.
- Which authority will receive it. A court, a bank, the Dubai Land Department, a registrar and a free zone each read the same wording differently.
- How long you want it to last. There is no fixed statutory period in UAE law, so the term is whatever the document itself says.
What to gather before we draft
Three groups of papers. Dubai Courts asks for soft copies in PDF, translated into Arabic by a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice.
For you, the principal
Identity first, in every case.
- Passport, and your Emirates ID if you hold one
- Your full name spelled exactly as the passport shows it
- A phone number and email address we can reach you on
- The language you want to read the document in
For your agent
We need them identified, in writing.
- Emirates ID number, or a copy of the Emirates ID card
- A valid passport copy where the agent is not a UAE resident
- Full name and nationality as the identity document spells them
- Confirmation that the person has agreed to act for you
For the subject of the power
Whatever proves what you are authorising.
- Title deed, where the power concerns a property
- Company or establishment papers, where it concerns a business
- Vehicle ownership certificate, where it concerns a vehicle
- Trademark registration certificate, where it concerns a trademark
What a power of attorney actually does
A power of attorney is an agency. One person, the principal, authorises another, the agent, to act in their place. Under Federal Decree-Law 25 of 2025 an agency may be general, special, conditional, or deferred to a future time. General and special are the two the federal fee schedule and the notary services actually work from. Everything else advertised around Dubai describes the subject matter, not a legal category.
The word general misleads people. A power expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only acts of management. Anything further, including sale, mortgage, donation, settlement, acknowledgment, arbitration and pleading before a court, needs a special agency naming the type of act and the dispositions it entails. The list you write decides how useful the finished document is.
Where you sign it
The document can be the same either way. How it reaches a Dubai notary is not.
In the UAE
Signed here, ratified here
You attend before a notary public in Dubai. Dubai Courts attests signatures and verifies capacity and eligibility through virtual or personal attendance, so travelling to a counter is not always required.
From abroad
Signed abroad, legalised for the UAE
Sign before an accredited UAE consul, or have the document attested by that country’s foreign ministry, then the UAE mission there, then MOFAIC here. The UAE is not an Apostille country.
Timing, validity and the things that end it
There is no statutory validity period in UAE law. A power of attorney runs until the document or the law brings it to an end.
The term is whatever you write
Federal Decree-Law 25 of 2025 refers to the term specified for the agency. The document sets its own life. Leaving the term out does not make the power permanent, it leaves the question open for the receiving authority.
What ends an agency by law
Article 897 lists the events. Completion of the work entrusted to the agent, expiry of the term specified for the agency, death of the principal or loss of their legal capacity, and death of the agent or loss of theirs.
Property powers are checked harder
The Dubai Land Department tightened its acceptance of powers of attorney in property dispositions in 2025. Legal commentary on Circular No. 29/R/2025 reports a requirement that the power was issued within the previous two years. Confirm the current rule before relying on an older document.
Revocation, and what it takes with it
A principal may revoke or restrict an agent’s authority at any time, unless the agency involves a third party’s right or was issued in the agent’s interest. Revoking a principal agency revokes every sub-agency derived from it by force of law.
What gets a power of attorney refused
Two lists. The first is what we check in the draft, the second is what the receiving authority checks.
- Names that do not match the passport or Emirates ID exactly
- Acts described so loosely that only management powers survive
- No Arabic version, or a translation not done by a registered legal translator
- Whether the act named covers the transaction actually being done
- Whether identity documents for both the principal and the agent are on file
- Whether a document signed abroad carries the full legalisation chain
Official fees, and what they cover
The federal schedule 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. Dubai Courts published a figure of AED 100 per party plus a knowledge and innovation fee, but that page dates from February 2023, so treat it as a figure to confirm. Attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is AED 150 for individual affairs documents and AED 2,000 for commercial documents. Our drafting and translation charges are separate and are not government fees.
| Item | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Notarisation of a power of attorney | AED 100 per party | Cabinet Res. 19 of 2024 |
| Private notary public | plus 30 percent | Article 2(2) |
| Notarisation of a translation | AED 50 per page | Cabinet Res. 19 of 2024 |
| Cancelling a property power of attorney | No fee | Dubai Land Department |
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
Do I need to present original documents?
For the appointment, yes, bring your original identity document. Federal Decree-Law 20 of 2022 requires the notary to verify identity by reviewing the identity card, passport or another official document issued by the State. The Dubai Courts service also asks for soft copies in PDF, so you usually need both the scan and the original.
Can someone else handle the process on my behalf?
We can prepare, translate and submit the papers, and we attend with you. What cannot be handed to anyone else is your own signature. The notary verifies your identity, your capacity and your consent. Dubai Courts also verifies through virtual attendance, so tell us early if you cannot reach a counter.
Does the power of attorney need to be translated into Arabic?
Yes. Instruments in Dubai are drafted in Arabic. Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 allows a foreign language document only when an Arabic translation by a certified translator is attached, with both versions signed by the parties. Documents for the Dubai Courts service must be translated by a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice.
Can I use a power of attorney that was not issued in the UAE?
Yes, once it has been through the legalisation chain. The foreign ministry of the issuing country attests it, then the UAE embassy or consulate there, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone will not make it usable.
How long does it take to get a power of attorney in Dubai?
It depends on the acts involved, the language work required and which ratification route your document takes. We do not quote a fixed number of days, because a short vehicle power and a property power with a translated title deed are not the same job. We confirm what your case involves before anything is booked.
How long is a power of attorney valid in Dubai?
There is no general statutory validity period in UAE law. Under Federal Decree-Law 25 of 2025 an agency ends on completion of the work entrusted to the agent, on expiry of the term specified in the document, or on the death or loss of legal capacity of either party. Authorities can still set their own acceptance rules.
Can I change a power of attorney after it has been signed?
You cannot edit a ratified instrument. You revoke it and issue a new one. A principal may revoke or restrict an agent’s authority at any time, unless the agency involves a third party’s right or was issued in the agent’s interest. Revoking at an inappropriate time can leave you owing the agent compensation.
What is the difference between a general and a special power of attorney?
Those are the two statutory categories. A power expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only acts of management. Anything beyond management and preservation, including sale, mortgage, donation, settlement, acknowledgment, arbitration and pleading before a court, requires a special agency naming the type of act.
Start here
Tell us what your agent needs to do
Send us the three decisions. Who the agent is, which acts they need to carry out, and which authority will receive the document. We will tell you what the drafting requires, which route the ratification takes, and what you need to bring. We draft, translate, check the wording and attend with you. The ratification itself is done before a notary public.
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.