Power of attorney
Power of attorney for a car sale in Dubai when the owner cannot be there
A power of attorney for car sale in Dubai lets someone you trust sell or transfer your car when you cannot be at the sale yourself. The owner signs it before a notary public, and it names the car, the agent and exactly what the agent may do. Under UAE law a sale needs a power of attorney that names the act, so general wording such as "all matters concerning my car" is not enough (Article 870, Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025).
Most of the car POAs we draft are for owners who are leaving the UAE, travelling for work, or already living abroad while the car is still registered here. We write the POA in English and Arabic, check every detail against the registration card, and you sign before our in-house notary public, in person, online or on a home visit.
What the agent can do with the car, act by act
A vehicle POA can cover one task or several. Write each one out, so nobody at the counter has to guess.
Sell the car
Sign the sale and hand the car over. Say whether the agent may agree the price, or may only sell at a price you set.
Transfer the ownership
Complete the change of owner for the buyer, including the forms and the fees.
Renew the registration
Take the car for its renewal and pay the renewal fees while you are away.
Pay traffic fines
Pay or settle the fines registered on the car, so they do not hold up a sale or a renewal.
Export or deregister
Deal with the papers for a car that is leaving the UAE for good.
Collect papers and plates
Receive a registration card, a plate or other papers issued in your name.
The wording
What a car POA must say
These are the details we put in every car POA. A missing or wrong detail is the usual reason a POA is sent back.
Checklist
Vehicle power of attorney
1
The owner Full name as in the passport, nationality, passport and Emirates ID numbers. For a company car, the company's name exactly as on its trade licence, and the person who signs for the company.
2
The agent The same details for the person you appoint. If you appoint two people, say whether each may act alone.
3
The car Make, model, year, colour, plate number with its emirate and code, and the chassis number, copied from the registration card.
4
The acts Sell, transfer, renew, pay fines, export: each one written out. Selling must be named, because a sale needs a special power of attorney (Article 870).
5
The money Whether the agent may receive the price, and the account it should be paid into if you want it paid to you directly.
6
The term An end date, if you want one. UAE law sets no fixed period: the POA lasts for the term it states, or until the work is done or it is revoked (Articles 897 and 898).
7
Delegation Whether the agent may pass the task to someone else. If you revoke the POA, every sub-agency made under it ends with it (Article 903).
01
One car, or a company's cars
A car registered to a person is sold under a POA that the owner signs. A car registered to a company is different: the POA is signed for the company by the person its documents authorise, often with a board resolution behind it.
If you renew or sell company cars often, one company power of attorney that lists the vehicle tasks can save a new POA for every car. See company power of attorney and board resolution and MOA drafting.
Case by case
Giving a car POA from abroad
You can still give a car POA from abroad. There are three routes, and the right one depends on where you are and who will read the POA.
Sign online with our in-house notary public
We prepare the POA, you check it on your phone, and you sign online. Ask us first whether online signing works for your case and for the office that will act on the POA.
Sign before a notary where you live
Sign before a notary in your country, then have the POA attested by that country's foreign ministry, by the UAE embassy or consulate there, and by MOFAIC in the UAE. An apostille does not replace this chain, because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention. A POA written in another language usually needs a legal Arabic translation before it is used in Dubai.
Sign before a UAE consul
An accredited UAE consul may also carry out notarial acts (Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Article 3). Ask the UAE embassy or consulate near you whether it offers this.
Step by step
How we prepare your car POA
01
Send us photos
The registration card, your passport and Emirates ID, and the agent's passport or Emirates ID.
02
Tell us the plan
Sale, transfer, renewal or export, and whether the agent may receive the money.
03
We draft it in English and Arabic
Every detail is copied from the registration card and the IDs, and you check the draft before anything is signed.
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
The agent receives it
We send the signed POA to you or straight to the agent, by courier if you add it.
Watch for
Mistakes that stop a car sale
01
A wrong plate or chassis number One digit different from the registration card is enough for the POA to be questioned.
02
General wording "To act in all matters of my car" does not name the sale. Name the sale.
03
A car still under finance If a bank has a claim on the car, the POA does not remove it. Ask the bank what it needs before you plan the sale.
04
An ID that has expired Bring a valid passport or Emirates ID to the signing: the notary checks your identity from it.
05
A name that does not match The agent's name must be spelled exactly as on their passport or Emirates ID.
Prices
Fees
Our service price and the government fees are separate lines on your quote.
| Service | Our service price |
|---|---|
| Vehicle 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 |
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, executing or notarising a special power of attorney costs AED 100 per party (Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, item 9), and a private notary adds 30 percent, so AED 130. 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. If the POA goes 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.
Can a friend sell my car in Dubai with a power of attorney?
Yes, if the POA names the car and gives the power to sell it. A sale is one of the acts that needs a special power of attorney under Article 870, so general wording is not enough.
Can I give a power of attorney for a car sale from outside the UAE?
Yes. Sign before a notary where you live and complete the attestation chain, sign before a UAE consul where that is offered, or ask us whether you can sign online with our in-house notary public.
Can the agent receive the money from the sale?
Only if the POA says so. Write whether the agent may receive the price, and the account it should be paid into.
Is there a time limit on a car POA?
For the term written in it. UAE law sets no fixed period. It also ends when the work is done, when you revoke it, or if either of you dies or loses legal capacity (Article 897).
Can I cancel a car POA before the sale?
Yes, in most cases at any time (Article 898). Tell the agent, and every office that has a copy, so nobody acts on it after it ends.
Get your car POA drafted
Call or WhatsApp +971 52 484 1790, or email support@notariolawyersuae.com with a photo of the registration card and what the 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 a POA that covers more than the car, see general power of attorney and special power of attorney.
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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 870, 871, 897, 898 and 903: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011/download
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the regulation of the notary profession, Article 3: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- 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