Visa and residency matters
Power of attorney for visa application and residency matters, UAE
A power of attorney lets you name someone to act for you on visa and residency paperwork. We draft the deed, name each act inside it, arrange the Arabic text and attend the notary with you.
- Drafted around named acts
- Arabic text and translation
- We attend the notary
Power of attorney for visa application, the short answer
We can tell you how a power of attorney for visa application matters has to be written for it to carry the authority you intend. We cannot tell you whether a given authority will accept one for your case, so ask that authority before you pay for anything.
What this page covers
The deed itself, not the application
Law that applies
Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, Articles 866 to 903
Federal notary fee
AED 100 per party to the deed
What our notary services cover
This page is about the instrument, not about immigration. People look for a power of attorney for immigration purposes and expect one document that covers everything. UAE agency law sits in Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, Articles 866 to 903, and what a deed achieves is decided by the words written into it. A deed names a principal, names an agent, and names what the agent may do.
Our lawyers and legal consultants draft the deed, prepare the Arabic text, check it against what you have been asked to provide, and attend the appointment with you. Ratification happens before a notary public. We do not lodge visa applications, we do not advise on residency rules, and we do not speak for any immigration authority. Those questions go to the authority itself.
The wording rule that decides what the deed can do
Article 871 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 says that an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, only grants the agent the power to perform acts of management. Article 870 then sets the rule that matters most here. Anything past management and preservation needs a special agency that names the act. A deed that stays vague does less than most buyers assume it does.
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.
Acts a visa or residency deed would have to name
These are acts a deed would have to name if you want your agent to hold them. Naming an act does not make any authority accept the deed, and we cannot tell you which of these your matter needs. Take the list to the authority, or to its regulated representative, before you commission drafting.
- Signing and submitting the forms named in the deed
- Collecting and receiving original documents, including the passport
- Paying fees and government charges on your behalf
- Signing an undertaking, declaration or acknowledgment, which Article 870 names
- Withdrawing, amending or cancelling something already submitted
- Appointing a sub-agent, if you want that power to exist
What we can confirm and what you must confirm
We can be precise about the deed. We cannot be precise about the authority that receives it, and any provider who is precise about that without reading your file is guessing.
We confirm
The deed and its wording
We confirm the acts named, the Arabic drafting, the identity details, the term you want written in, and that the deed is ratified before a notary public.
You confirm
The receiving authority’s requirements
Only the authority receiving the deed can tell you whether it accepts a power of attorney at all, in whose name, and what wording it wants to see. Ask first.
How we prepare the deed
Four steps, and the first one is the one most people skip.
1
Bring us the requirement
Tell us what the agent has to be able to do, and who will receive the deed. If the receiving authority has published wording, or has told you in writing what it needs, give us that. We draft around a stated requirement rather than a guess, and we would rather ask you twice than write the wrong deed once.
2
We draft the deed and name each act
We write the deed so that every act you want the agent to hold is named, because Article 870 requires a special agency specifying the type of act and the dispositions it entails. We set the term, and we name the principal and the agent as their identity documents spell them, so nothing is left to inference.
3
Arabic text and legal translation
The instrument a notary draws up is in Arabic. Dubai Law 4/2013 requires a foreign-language document to carry a translation by a certified translator, with both versions signed by the parties, and the Dubai Courts service asks for legal translation approved by the UAE Ministry of Justice. We prepare both texts together, not one after the other.
4
Ratification before a notary public
We check the file, book the appointment, and attend it with you. The notary verifies identity, capacity and consent, and reads the content of the transaction out to the parties. Signing is yours to do. Afterwards you hold a clean copy and you know exactly which acts it authorises and for how long.
What we need before drafting
None of this is a visa requirement. These are the items the notary checks and the details the drafting needs.
From you, the principal
Identity and instruction
- Passport, which the notary verifies identity from
- Emirates ID card, where you hold one
- Your name spelt exactly as the identity document spells it
- Anything the receiving authority has asked to appear
About the agent
Named, not described
- Emirates ID number, or a copy of the Emirates ID
- Passport copy, which Dubai Courts accepts in its place
- How the name should read in the Arabic text
- Confirmation that the agent agrees to act
If the deed is signed abroad
The legalisation chain
- Attestation by the foreign ministry of the issuing country
- Attestation by the UAE embassy or consulate there
- Attestation by MOFAIC inside the UAE
- An original in Arabic or English, or a certified translation
Checks that stop a deed falling short
Most of the trouble we are asked to fix comes from the wording, not from the appointment.
- General wording, which Article 871 limits to acts of management
- An act the authority needs, left unnamed in the deed
- A name or identity number that does not match the document
- The current requirement of the authority that receives the deed
- The Arabic text, because that is the instrument itself
- The term written into the deed, since the law reads it from there
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
Can I use a power of attorney for a visa application?
We cannot answer that for your case, and no provider honestly can. Whether a power of attorney is accepted for a given application is a matter for the authority receiving it, under its own rules. What we can do is draft a deed that names the acts you want your agent to hold, in Arabic, ratified before a notary public.
Does a general power of attorney cover visa and residency paperwork?
Do not assume that it does. Article 871 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 says an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, only grants the agent the power to perform acts of management. Article 870 requires a special agency naming the type of act for anything beyond management and preservation. So name the acts.
What fees are published for notarising a power of attorney?
Cabinet Resolution 19/2024 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. A private notary charges those fees plus 30 percent as professional fees. Dubai Courts sits outside that federal schedule and publishes its own fees.
Which language must the power of attorney be in?
Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 says the instrument drafted by the notary shall be in Arabic, and may be drafted in a foreign language only in circumstances set by a ministerial resolution. In Dubai, Law 4/2013 requires a foreign-language document to have a translation by a certified translator, with both versions signed. We prepare the Arabic alongside the English.
What identity documents does the notary check?
Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 requires the notary to verify identity from an ID card, passport, or other official document issued by the State, and to verify capacity and consent before proceeding. The Dubai Courts power of attorney service asks for the agent’s Emirates ID number, or an uploaded Emirates ID or passport. That is the identity requirement we work to.
Do both of us have to attend in person?
Federal Decree-Law 20/2022 sets personal appearance as the default, then allows the notary to use IT tools for transactions within their competence without personal appearance. The Dubai Courts power of attorney service describes verifying capacity and eligibility by virtual or personal attendance. What a particular office runs on the day is worth confirming when we book.
Can I sign the power of attorney from outside the UAE?
A deed issued abroad is attested by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by MOFAIC inside the UAE. MOFAIC publishes AED 150 for individual affairs documents and AED 2,000 for commercial documents. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille does not replace that chain.
How long does it last, and how do I cancel it?
There is no general statutory validity period in UAE law. Article 897 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 extinguishes an agency on completion of the work, expiry of the term specified in it, or death or loss of capacity of either party. Article 898 lets the principal revoke at any time, with exceptions, and Article 903 treats sub-agencies as revoked with it.
Start here
Tell us what the agent needs to do
Send us the requirement in whatever form you have it, a message from the authority, a checklist, or the wording someone has asked you to use. We will tell you what a deed can carry, what it cannot, and what you still need to confirm with the authority before anyone starts drafting. If a power of attorney is the wrong tool for your matter, we will say so.
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.