How to cancel a power of attorney in the UAE: it depends who notarised it and who relies on it
There is no single UAE form for cancelling a power of attorney. Abu Dhabi publishes two revocation services and Dubai Land Department publishes its own, and each covers less than most people assume.
To cancel a power of attorney in the UAE, you revoke it through the authority that handles it, and the route depends on where it was notarised and who is relying on it. In Abu Dhabi, the Judicial Department publishes two separate revocation services: one for the principal and one for the attorney. In Dubai, the Land Department publishes an in-person cancellation service for property matters. Neither is a UAE-wide procedure, and neither publishes when the revocation takes legal effect.
Why is there no single way to cancel a UAE power of attorney?
Because a power of attorney is notarised by one authority and then relied on by others. The notary that recorded it, the land department holding it on file, and the bank or registry acting on it can all be different bodies, and each publishes its own service.
That is the mistake most pages on this topic make. They take one authority's procedure and present it as the rule for Dubai, or for the whole country. The Dubai Land Department's cancellation service is exactly that: the Land Department's. It is not "how to cancel a power of attorney in Dubai" in general.
So the first question is not "what form do I fill in?" It is "which authority notarised this document, and who is going to act on it?"
What does Abu Dhabi publish?
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) guidance manual for notarisation and attestation services lists two separately coded revocation services. That manual is dated July 2023, so treat it as ADJD's published guidance of that date and check the current service page before you rely on it.
- Revocation by the principal (service ADJD-0014) — the person who granted the power ends it.
- Revocation by the attorney (service ADJD-0013) — the person holding the power gives it up.
Both are listed on the ADJD website channel with a stated completion time of two working days, and both list the same three documents:
- Emirates ID card.
- The document to be attested.
- The power of attorney being revoked.
Two conditions in the manual are worth reading closely.
A notification undertaking. Each applicant undertakes to tell the other party. The principal undertakes to notify the attorney; the attorney undertakes to notify the principal. That is a promise the applicant makes as a condition of the service. The manual does not say ADJD notifies anyone, and it does not say the revocation is invalid without notice.
A third-party carve-out. The manual says ADJD notarises a revocation where the power of attorney was not issued for the attorney's own benefit and does not involve a third party's rights. It is the only published UAE statement we hold that some powers of attorney cannot simply be revoked on request. It is an ADJD service condition, and it should not be read as a rule for Dubai or for the country as a whole.
Source: ADJD Guidance Manual — Notarisation and Attestation Services
What does Dubai Land Department publish?
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) publishes a "Power of Attorney cancellation notarization application". Its stated purpose is to let a customer notarise a cancellation "in order to prevent the authorized attorney from acting according to the power of attorney".
As published, it is delivered at the Land Department main headquarters, with a stated completion time of 20 minutes. The required document is an electronic copy of the UAE ID of both the client and the attorney, or a valid passport for non-resident foreigners.
Read that last line carefully. DLD asks for a copy of the attorney's ID. It does not say the attorney must attend.
Source: Dubai Land Department — revocation of power of attorney
If the power of attorney you want to end was granted for a property transaction, this is the service that speaks to it. If it was for a vehicle, a bank, a court case or a company, the DLD service is not the answer, and you need the authority that handles that matter.
The three routes side by side
| ADJD, by the principal | ADJD, by the attorney | Dubai Land Department | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who applies | The person who granted the power | The person holding the power | The client, with the attorney's ID copy |
| Channel, as published | ADJD website | ADJD website | DLD main headquarters, in person |
| Stated completion time | 2 working days | 2 working days | 20 minutes |
| Documents | Emirates ID, the document, the POA being revoked | Emirates ID, the document, the POA being revoked | UAE ID copies of client and attorney, or passport for non-resident foreigners |
| Notifying the other party | Principal undertakes to notify the attorney | Attorney undertakes to notify the principal | Not stated |
| Scope | Abu Dhabi notarisation | Abu Dhabi notarisation | Land Department matters |
Fees are published by each authority and change without notice, so they are not repeated here. Our guide to what UAE authorities charge keeps the published figures in one place, with the date each was checked.
What about Dubai Courts?
At the time of writing, we could not confirm what Dubai Courts publishes about cancelling a power of attorney notarised through its notary service. Its service pages were not retrievable when we checked, so we are not going to describe a procedure we could not read.
If your power of attorney was notarised through Dubai Courts, ask the notary that recorded it which service applies before you assume the Land Department's service covers it.
Revoking a power of attorney is not the same as it expiring
These two get merged constantly, and they are different things.
Expiry is a validity period ending. ADJD's guidance manual states that "The maximum period for the POA validity is 3 calendar years after the date of notarisation", with longer terms for lawyers' litigation powers. That is Abu Dhabi's published rule. We have not found an equivalent published cap for Dubai, and we would not assume Abu Dhabi's applies there.
Revocation is something someone does: an application, under one of the services above, that ends the power before it would otherwise end.
A document can be revoked long before it would have expired. And a document that has expired needs no revocation at all. Our guide to general and special powers of attorney covers validity in more detail.
What no authority publishes
Every one of these questions is one that people actually ask, and none is answered by the pages above:
- When the revocation takes legal effect.
- Whether things the attorney already did before revocation still stand.
- Whether the other party has to agree or attend.
- Whether an Abu Dhabi revocation reaches a power of attorney being relied on in another emirate.
- Whether signing a newer power of attorney automatically replaces an older one.
Those are questions about legal effect, and the answer depends on the document and the transaction. They are questions for a lawyer. The Deedbox prepares documents and coordinates notarisation; it does not give legal advice, and the authority decides what it will accept.
If you are cancelling so you can replace it
Many people revoke a power of attorney because they need a different one: a narrower scope, a different attorney, or wording the receiving authority actually asks for. If that is your situation, the replacement is the part worth getting right.
- For property, start with the property power of attorney or the DLD-specific power of attorney.
- For broader authority, see the general power of attorney.
- To check what a document in your hands actually authorises, our guide on how to verify a UAE power of attorney walks through it.
The Deedbox does not currently offer revocation itself online. We say that plainly rather than sell you a service we are not yet running.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel a power of attorney without telling the attorney?
ADJD's two revocation services each include an undertaking by the applicant to notify the other party. DLD's service does not state a notification requirement. Whether a revocation is effective without notice is a legal question the published pages do not answer.
Does the attorney have to attend to cancel a Dubai property power of attorney?
The Dubai Land Department service asks for a copy of the attorney's UAE ID, or a valid passport for non-resident foreigners. It does not state that the attorney must attend. The application is made in person at DLD's main headquarters.
Can the attorney give up a power of attorney themselves?
In Abu Dhabi, yes. ADJD publishes a separate service for revocation by the attorney, alongside the one for the principal. The manual says the attorney may apply where the power of attorney does not involve a third party's rights.
Does a UAE power of attorney expire on its own?
In Abu Dhabi, ADJD's guidance manual publishes a maximum validity of three calendar years from notarisation, with longer terms for lawyers' litigation powers. That is Abu Dhabi's rule. We have not found an equivalent published cap for Dubai.
Does a new power of attorney cancel the old one?
No authority page we hold says so. If you want an earlier document to stop working, revoking it through the relevant authority is the step that is actually published.