Power of attorney
Special power of attorney under UAE law: the acts it must name, and how we draft yours in Dubai
A special power of attorney under UAE law is the POA that names the act. The Civil Transactions Law says that anything beyond managing and preserving your affairs needs a special agency stating the type of act, and it lists the main ones: gifts, sale, settlement, mortgage, acknowledgment, arbitration, oaths and pleading before a court (Article 870, Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025). If your agent will sell, give away, mortgage, settle or admit something for you, this is the POA you need.
We draft special powers of attorney in English and Arabic, with the act, the asset and the limits written out, and our in-house notary public notarises them in person, online or on a home visit.
Side by side
Acts that always need a special POA
Article 870 names these acts. The list is not complete: any act that goes beyond managing and preserving your affairs needs a special POA too.
| Act named in Article 870 | An everyday example | What your POA should name |
|---|---|---|
| Sale | Selling a flat, a car or shares | The asset, the lowest price you accept, and whether the agent may receive the money |
| Gift | Giving a property to a son or a daughter | The asset and the person who receives it |
| Mortgage | Mortgaging a property to a bank | The property, the bank if you know it, and the most the agent may borrow |
| Settlement | Settling a dispute out of court | The dispute and the limits of what the agent may agree |
| Acknowledgment | Admitting a debt or a fact | What the agent may admit, and nothing more |
| Arbitration | Agreeing to take a dispute to arbitration | The dispute, and whether the agent may choose the arbitrator |
| Oaths | Asking for, or accepting, an oath in a case | The case |
| Pleading before a court | Your advocate acting in your case | The advocate and the case. See court case power of attorney |
Questions
Five checks before you sign a special POA
1
Does it name the act?
"To sell" or "to mortgage", not "to deal with" or "to handle".
2
Does it name the asset exactly?
The title deed details for a property, the plate and chassis number for a car, the account number for a bank account.
3
Does it set the limits?
A lowest price, a highest loan, or a date by which the act must be done.
4
Does it say who receives the money?
If the agent may receive payment, the POA should say so, and name the account if the money should go to you.
5
Does it meet the rules of the office that will read it?
Some offices, such as banks and land registries, set their own rules for the POAs they accept, including how recent a POA must be. Ask them before you sign.
A special POA for a property in Dubai
Property is the most common reason people ask us for a special POA. The POA should describe the property as on the title deed, and say exactly what the agent may do: sell, buy, mortgage, lease or register. Ask the office handling the transaction what it needs to see before you sign, because the Dubai Land Department applies its own rules to POAs used in property transactions.
If you later cancel a property POA, the Dubai Land Department has a service to notarise the cancellation, at no fee, at its main office. Tell the agent as well.
General and special in one document
A POA can do both: general powers to run your affairs while you are away, plus named special powers for one sale or one mortgage. If you already have a general POA, it does not let your agent sell or mortgage unless it names those acts (Article 871). The details are on our general power of attorney page.
For a car, see vehicle power of attorney, and for a company, see company power of attorney.
Step by step
How we draft and notarise it
01
Tell us the act and the asset
What the agent will do, with what, and who will read the POA.
02
We draft it in English and Arabic
The act, the asset, the limits, the term and whether the agent may delegate.
03
You check every limit
You read both languages, and we change the draft until it says exactly what you mean.
04
You sign before our in-house notary public
At our office in the Battuta Gate offices, online or on a home visit. The notary checks your identity and your consent and seals the POA.
05
Signed abroad instead?
Sign before a notary where you live, then have it attested by that country's foreign ministry, the UAE embassy there and MOFAIC. An apostille alone is not enough here, because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention.
Checklist
Documents to send us
Photos are enough to start: we draft from them, then tell you which originals to bring when you sign.
your Emirates ID and passport, or only the passport if you live abroad;
the agent's passport, and their Emirates ID if they live in the UAE;
the paper that shows the asset: a title deed, a registration card, a share certificate or an account statement;
for a company, the trade licence and the resolution that authorises the signing;
any earlier POA for the same asset, so the new one can say what happens to it.
01
When a special POA ends
It ends when the act is done, at the end of its term, on the death or loss of capacity of either of you, or when you revoke it (Article 897). You may revoke it at any time, unless it involves a right of a third party or was issued in the agent's interest (Article 898). Revoking at an unsuitable time, or without an acceptable reason, can make you liable for the agent's loss (Article 899).
When you revoke it, tell the agent and every office that holds a copy. Any sub-agency made under the POA ends with it (Article 903).
Prices
Fees
Our service price and the government fees are separate lines on your quote.
| Service | Our service price |
|---|---|
| Special power of attorney | From AED 1,500 |
| Translation coordination (add-on) | From AED 350 |
| Urgent handling (add-on) | From AED 250 |
| Courier pickup and delivery (add-on) | From AED 80 |
| MOFAIC attestation handling, personal document | From AED 150 |
| MOFAIC attestation handling, commercial document | From AED 300 |
All service prices are starting prices and are negotiable. Government fees are paid on top, at cost, exactly as the authority charges them. We confirm your final price before you pay.
On the federal schedule, a special power of attorney costs AED 100 per party to execute or notarise (Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, item 9), and AED 130 per party through a private notary. In Dubai, a private notary charges AED 100 per party for registration and AED 100 per signature, and AED 1,000 for a trip outside the office. For use abroad, MOFAIC charges AED 150 to attest a power of attorney of a personal nature and AED 2,000 for one of a commercial nature. See legal document fees for the full list.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not here, ask it on WhatsApp. Tell us what the document is for and who will sign it.
What is the difference between a general and a special power of attorney in the UAE?
A general POA written in general terms lets your agent manage your affairs (Article 871). A special POA names an act, such as a sale or a mortgage, and is required for the acts listed in Article 870.
Can one special POA cover more than one act?
Yes. It can name several acts and several assets, as long as each one is written out. For example, one POA can name the sale of a flat and the receipt of its price.
Does a special power of attorney under UAE law expire?
The law sets no fixed period. It lasts for the term written in it, or until the act is done or it is revoked (Article 897). Some offices only accept a POA signed within a recent period, so check with them.
Can I sign a special POA online?
Our in-house notary public offers online notary public services. Ask us whether online signing works for the office that will read your POA before you choose it.
Can I use a special POA signed abroad in Dubai?
Yes, once it has been attested by the foreign ministry of the country where it was signed, by the UAE embassy or consulate there, and by MOFAIC. A POA in another language usually needs a legal Arabic translation too.
Get your special POA drafted
Call or WhatsApp +971 52 484 1790, or email support@notariolawyersuae.com and tell us the act and the asset. We have in-house, in person notary public services, online notary public services and home visit notary services. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7. You can also send the details through the request form on our contact page.
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Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 Promulgating the Civil Transactions Law, Articles 869 to 871, 897 to 899 and 903: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011/download
- Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 Concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai, Article 27: https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4)%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html
- Dubai Land Department, power of attorney cancellation notarisation service: https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/request-for-revocation-of-power-of-attorney/
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, fee table item 9 and Article 2: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491/download
- Dubai private notary fees, Dubai Media Office: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public
- MOFAIC, frequently asked questions (attestation fees, document lists and channels): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- HCCH, Apostille Convention status table (the UAE is not a party): https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41