Power of attorney
General power of attorney attestation in Dubai, from the first draft to MOFAIC
General power of attorney attestation in Dubai starts with the signing. The POA is drafted, then signed before a notary public, who checks your identity and seals it. If the POA will be used outside the UAE, or was signed abroad for use here, it also goes through MOFAIC attestation. A general POA lets one person look after your affairs while you are away. It does not let your agent do everything: under UAE law, a POA written only in general terms covers acts of management.
That limit is why we start by asking what your agent will actually do. If the answer is a car sale, a property sale or a court case, a general POA is the wrong document, and we point you to the right one. If the answer is running things while you are away, a general POA fits, and we write each power out in full so the bank or office reading it does not have to guess.
Side by side
General or special: what your agent can sign with each
The Civil Transactions Law calls a power of attorney an agency, and says an agency may be general, special, conditional or deferred to a future time (Article 869). For most people the choice is between general and special.
| General POA | Special POA | |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Acts of management, when it is written in general terms | The acts it names, such as selling a named car or property |
| Selling, gifting or mortgaging | Not covered by general wording | Covered when the POA names the act |
| Settling a claim, arbitration or pleading before a court | Not covered by general wording | Covered when the POA names the act |
| Typical use | Day to day matters while you are away, with each power written out | One transaction, one asset or one case |
Source: Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Articles 869 to 871. Article 870 lists the acts that need a special agency: gifts, sale, settlement, mortgage, acknowledgment, arbitration, administering and accepting an oath, and pleading before a court.
Which power of attorney fits your task
Start from the task, not the name of the document. If your task is one of these, a specific POA is usually the right one.
Selling or transferring a vehicle
A vehicle POA names the car and what the agent may do with it. See vehicle power of attorney.
A court case
Pleading before a court needs a POA that says so. The details are on our court case power of attorney page.
A company matter
A company POA is signed for the company, usually after a board resolution. See company power of attorney.
One named transaction
A sale, a gift, a mortgage or a settlement needs a special POA that names the act. See special power of attorney.
A child's travel
A parent who cannot travel signs a travel POA or a consent letter. See child travel power of attorney.
Everything else while you are away
A general POA, drafted on this page, with each power written out.
The wording
What a general power of attorney should say
The words decide what your agent can do. A general POA we draft states:
Checklist
General power of attorney
1
The principal Your full name as in your passport, your nationality, your passport and Emirates ID numbers, and your address.
2
The agent The same details for the person you appoint. If you appoint two agents, whether they act together or each alone.
3
The powers, one by one Each power written out, with the banks and offices it is for where you know them. General words alone give management powers only.
4
Delegation Whether the agent may appoint someone else in their place. If you revoke your POA, every sub-agency made under it ends with it (Article 903).
5
The term The date the POA ends, if you want one. The law sets no fixed period, so the term is the one you write.
6
The language In Dubai a notarised instrument is in Arabic. A text in another language needs an Arabic translation by a certified translator, signed with it (Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, Article 27). We prepare the English and the Arabic side by side.
Case by case
Attestation means different things, depending on where the POA goes
People use "POA attestation" for three different steps. Find your case.
Signed in Dubai, used in the UAE
The POA is signed before a notary public, who checks your identity and your consent and applies the seal. That notarisation is the step most people in Dubai mean by attestation. You sign before our in-house notary public, in person, online or on a home visit.
Signed in Dubai, used abroad
After notarisation, the POA goes to MOFAIC for attestation, then to the embassy or consulate of the destination country in the UAE if that country asks for it. MOFAIC lists a general power of attorney as a commercial document, so its fee is AED 2,000.
Signed abroad, used in Dubai
A POA signed in another country is attested by that country's foreign ministry, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by MOFAIC in the UAE. An apostille cannot replace this chain, because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention. Offices in Dubai usually ask for a legal Arabic translation of a POA written in another language.
MOFAIC works online, through its website and app, and its Customer Happiness Centres are closed.
Step by step
How we prepare and notarise your general POA
01
Tell us the task
What the agent will do, where, and who will read the POA: a bank, a government office, a company registry or an office abroad.
02
We draft it in English and Arabic
Each power written out, every name copied from the passports, and the term and delegation stated.
03
You check the draft
You read both languages on your phone, and we revise it until it says what you mean.
04
You sign before our in-house notary public
In person at our office, online or on a home visit. The notary checks your identity and your consent, and applies the seal.
05
Attestation, if it goes abroad
We take it through MOFAIC attestation and tell you which embassy step comes next, if there is one.
Checklist
What to send us before the signing
Send clear photos first. We draft from them and tell you what to bring to the signing.
your passport and Emirates ID, or your passport alone if you live outside the UAE;
a copy of the agent's passport, and their Emirates ID if they live in the UAE;
the details of what the agent will deal with, such as bank names, account details or company names;
for a POA signed for a company, the trade licence, the memorandum of association and the board resolution that authorises it (an office abroad may also want a certified true copy of each);
any earlier POA you are replacing, so the new one can say what happens to it.
Watch for
Mistakes that leave a general POA refused or useless
01
Relying on general words "All matters" reads wide, but under Article 871 general wording gives management powers only. A buyer, a bank or a court can ask for the specific power.
02
Names that do not match the passport A single letter different between the POA and the agent's passport can be enough for an office to refuse it.
03
No Arabic text An English only POA may need a translation before a Dubai office accepts it, which costs time when you are abroad.
04
The wrong attestation route A POA signed abroad without the full chain, or a UAE POA sent abroad without MOFAIC attestation, is often refused.
05
Revoking without telling anyone You may revoke a POA at any time, unless it involves a right of a third party or was issued in the agent's interest (Article 898). Tell the agent and every office that holds a copy.
Prices
Fees
Our service price and the government fees are separate lines on your quote.
| Service | Our service price |
|---|---|
| General 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 |
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.
The federal fee for executing or notarising a general or special power of attorney is AED 100 per party (Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, item 9), and a private notary on the federal schedule adds 30 percent, so AED 130 per party. In Dubai, private notary fees are AED 100 per party for registration and AED 100 per signature. MOFAIC attestation is AED 2,000 for a general power of attorney and AED 150 for a power of attorney of a personal nature. For a visit, a private notary's trip outside their office is AED 1,000 under the Dubai decision on private notary fees. 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.
Is POA attestation the same as notarisation in Dubai?
In everyday use, they often mean the same first step: signing before a notary, who checks your identity and seals the POA. Attestation in the stricter sense is the MOFAIC step, for a POA going abroad or coming in from abroad.
Can a general power of attorney be used to sell my car or my property?
Not if it is written only in general terms. A sale needs a special agency that names the act (Article 870). Use a special power of attorney or a vehicle power of attorney that names the asset.
How long is a general power of attorney valid in the UAE?
As long as the term your POA states. UAE law sets no fixed period, so a POA without a term lasts until the work is done, it is revoked, or either of you dies or loses legal capacity (Article 897). Some offices set their own limit on how old a POA they accept, so ask the office that will read it.
Can I give a general power of attorney from outside the UAE?
Yes. Sign it before a notary where you live, then have it attested in that country, at the UAE embassy and by MOFAIC. We draft the text so the wording works in Dubai. Ask us whether signing online with our in-house notary public works for your case.
Can I cancel a general power of attorney?
Yes, in most cases at any time (Article 898). The exceptions are a POA that involves a right of a third party or was issued in the agent's interest. Tell the agent and every office that relied on it, so nobody acts on it after it ends.
Get your general power of attorney drafted
Call or WhatsApp +971 52 484 1790, or email support@notariolawyersuae.com and tell us what your agent needs to do. 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. For the company papers behind a POA, see board resolution and MOA drafting.
Legal drafting
More in this cluster
Service hub
Legal drafting
Document drafting and notarization in Dubai: we write the clauses, prepare the Arabic text and book the notary, so your document is ready to sign.
Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 Promulgating the Civil Transactions Law, Articles 869 to 871, 897, 898 and 903: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011/download
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, fee table item 9 and Article 2: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491/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 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