Arabic drafting and translation
Power of attorney legal translation in Dubai
The instrument is notarised in Arabic, so the Arabic is the version that counts. We draft the wording, provide the certified legal translation and check every name and every act against your papers before you sit down with the notary public.
- Arabic drafted, English beside
- Names checked to passport
- We attend the notary
The short answer on Arabic
A power of attorney is notarised in Arabic, and a document in another language needs a certified legal translation by a translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice. There is no rule that makes the document bilingual, but we set an English version beside the Arabic so you can read what you are signing.
Language of record
Arabic, as the notary drafts it
Who may translate
Legal translator registered with the Ministry
Notarising a translation
AED 50 per page, Resolution 19/2024
What legal translation means for a power of attorney
Legal translation is not the same as ordinary translation. The notary public reads the Arabic and acts on the Arabic, so the Arabic text is the power you are actually granting. If the Arabic says your agent may manage a property and you meant that he may sell it, the agent does not have the power to sell, and the document has to be drawn and ratified again.
Wording is where a power of attorney most often comes apart, and it usually comes apart over something small. A name transliterated one way in the Arabic and printed another way in the passport stops the notary from matching the signatory to the identity document. A company written under its trading name rather than the name on the trade licence raises the same question. These are small differences on the page and complete stops in practice.
Where the Arabic requirement comes from
Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 says the instrument the notary draws up is in Arabic, with drafting in a foreign language allowed only in circumstances a ministerial resolution sets. In Dubai, Law 4/2013 on Notaries Public requires instruments in Arabic and permits a foreign-language document only when an Arabic translation by a certified translator comes with it, both versions signed by the parties. Dubai Courts asks for translation by a legal translator approved by the Ministry of Justice.
Federal Decree-Law 20/2022, Article 5
The instrument drafted by the Notary shall be in Arabic, and may, however, be drafted in any foreign language, according to the circumstances and subject to conditions to be described in a resolution of the Minister.
Six places where a translation has to be exact
These are the six things we set against your papers before anything goes to a notary public. Each one can turn a completed power of attorney into a repeat appointment.
- Your name as the passport prints it, against the Arabic transliteration. One spelling is chosen and used in every line of both versions.
- The company name exactly as the trade licence carries it, not the trading name, the brand or an abbreviation used in correspondence.
- The named acts. Article 870 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 requires a special agency for sale, settlement, mortgage, arbitration and pleading before the court.
- The difference between managing and disposing. Article 871 says a power written in general terms grants acts of management only, which does not include selling.
- The subject of the power. A title deed number, plot number or building name has to read the same in the Arabic as it does on the deed.
- The term. Article 897 ends an agency on expiry of the term specified in it, so a date written loosely shortens or extends the power.
Translating before signature and after signature
A translation made before signature and a translation made after signature are different pieces of work, and they carry different risks. The order of events decides what can still be changed.
Drafted in Dubai
English draft into Arabic
The wording is still open. We agree the acts in English, produce the Arabic, and correct anything that reads loosely before you sit with the notary public.
Executed abroad
Foreign document into Arabic
The wording is fixed. The foreign power of attorney carries its attestation chain, and the Arabic has to follow what it already says, not what you now want.
How we handle the Arabic, step by step
Four stages, from the papers you send us to the appointment itself. Ratification happens before a notary public.
1
Collect the names and the papers
We take the passport page for the principal, the passport or Emirates ID for the agent, and the trade licence if a company is a party. Every name that will appear in the Arabic is read off a document rather than off an email, and one spelling is fixed for each person before a word is drafted.
2
Agree the acts in plain words
Before anything is translated we write out, in ordinary language, what the agent may do. Sell or only manage. Sign a settlement or only attend. Mortgage or not. This is the stage where a power quietly becomes narrower or wider than you intended, so we put it in writing and ask you to confirm it.
3
Produce the Arabic and the certified translation
Our lawyers and legal consultants draft the Arabic. Where a foreign-language document has to travel with it, the translation is done by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice, because that is what Dubai Courts asks for. We set the English beside the Arabic so you can read both before you sign.
4
Attend the notary public with you
Ratification happens before a notary public. We book it, come with you, and answer questions on the wording. If the notary does not speak your language, Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 has an interpreter from the Ministry’s register attend. Notarising a translation carried inside the instrument costs AED 50 per page under Cabinet Resolution 19/2024.
What we need from you before we translate
Send these as soft copies before we start. Dubai Courts takes documents as PDF, and the subject papers depend on what the power of attorney is for.
Papers that carry a name
Every spelling is checked against these.
- Passport page of the principal
- Passport or Emirates ID of the agent
- Emirates ID number for each agent
- Trade licence where a company is a party
Papers that carry the subject
Dubai Courts asks by subject of the power.
- Title deed for a property power
- Vehicle ownership certificate for a vehicle power
- Trademark registration certificate for a trademark power
- All files as PDF soft copies
Papers coming from outside the UAE
These arrive with an attestation chain, not an apostille.
- The power of attorney in its original language
- Attestation by the issuing country’s foreign ministry
- Attestation by the UAE embassy or consulate there
- Attestation by the UAE foreign ministry, MOFAIC
Where a power of attorney fails on wording
The first list is what we see come back from a notary public. The second is what we check before the appointment, so it does not.
- A name transliterated from the English draft rather than read off the passport, so the Arabic and the identity document do not match.
- A power written in general terms, which under Article 871 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 grants acts of management and nothing more.
- An Arabic version translated from an old template that still cites Article 955 of the 1985 Civil Code, repealed by Federal Decree-Law 25/2025.
- Each name set against the passport and the Emirates ID, with one spelling carried through both versions and every annexe.
- Each act named in the Arabic terms the statute uses, including sale, settlement, mortgage and pleading before the court.
- The English read line by line against the Arabic, so what you read is what the notary public will be reading.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
Does a power of attorney in Dubai have to be in Arabic?
Yes. Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 says the instrument the notary draws up is in Arabic, and Dubai Law 4/2013 requires instruments in Arabic, allowing a foreign-language document only when an Arabic translation by a certified translator comes with it and both versions are signed by the parties.
Does the power of attorney have to be bilingual?
No. That is market practice, not a sourced legal requirement. The rule is that the instrument is in Arabic and that a foreign-language document needs a certified legal translation. We produce a bilingual document anyway, because a principal who cannot read the Arabic cannot check what the agent is being given.
Who is allowed to translate a power of attorney?
A legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice. The Ministry runs a registration service for legal translators, and Dubai Courts states that documents submitted to its power of attorney service must be translated into Arabic as legal translation approved by the Ministry of Justice. A fluent friend or an office translation does not meet that.
What does it cost to have a translation notarised?
The federal fee schedule, Cabinet Resolution 19/2024, sets AED 50 for each page of a translation notarised within the instrument. That is a government fee, not ours, and it is charged per page, so a long power of attorney costs more than a short one. Our own drafting and translation fee is separate, and we quote it before we start.
Is an interpreter at the appointment the same as translation?
No. Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 says that where the notary is unfamiliar with the language of the persons concerned, an interpreter listed in the Ministry’s Interpreter Register attends and interprets in their presence. That covers the conversation at the appointment. The document still needs its Arabic text and, where relevant, its certified translation.
My passport and my Emirates ID spell my name differently. What happens?
Tell us before we draft. The notary verifies identity from the ID card, passport or another official state document, so a mismatch between the Arabic in the power of attorney and the name on the document you present can stop the appointment. We pick one spelling, use it in every line, and note the variant.
Can you translate a power of attorney signed abroad?
Yes, but the wording is already fixed, so the Arabic has to follow what the foreign document says. It also needs its attestation chain: the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then the UAE embassy or consulate there, then MOFAIC in the UAE. The UAE is not an Apostille Convention party, so an apostille alone is not enough.
What is the Arabic for power of attorney?
Two words matter. Wakala is the legal register, the word the Civil Transactions Law uses for agency, with the principal as the muwakkil and the agent as the wakeel. Tawkeel is the everyday and administrative word, the one Dubai Courts uses on its service pages. The notary is the katib al adl.
Start here
Send the draft and the passport page
Send us the draft, the passport page for each person named, and the trade licence if a company is involved. We will tell you what the Arabic has to say, where the current wording is too loose to do what you want, and what the notary public will ask on the day. We provide notary services, and we will say so plainly if what you need is a different route.
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.