Power of Attorney for Inheritance in the UAE: A Guide for Heirs Living Abroad
An heir who lives outside the UAE can usually act in a UAE inheritance through a special power of attorney. It must name the estate and the acts, be notarised abroad, attested by that country's foreign ministry, the UAE embassy and MOFA, and translated into Arabic. Here is how to get it right the first time.
Yes. An heir who lives outside the UAE can usually take part in a UAE inheritance without flying in, by giving a power of attorney to a co-heir, relative or lawyer here. For it to be accepted, the document has to name the estate and the exact acts the agent may perform, be notarised in the country where it is signed, be attested by that country's foreign ministry, the UAE embassy or consulate there and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and come with a legal Arabic translation. A power of attorney lets someone act for you. It does not prove that you are an heir; only the court process does that.
That is the short version. Below is how families actually put this together, and where it tends to go wrong.
What can an inheritance power of attorney be used for?
It lets one person stand in for an heir at each step of the estate, from opening the file to receiving the money. In Dubai, inheritance work now sits with the Probate Court, set up by Decree No. 25 of 2023. Under Article 10 of that decree, an estate file is opened at the request of a concerned party, and a reporting judge inventories, administers and liquidates the assets before they are divided.
In practice, an agent holding an heir's power of attorney typically:
- applies for or follows up the heirs' certificate or estate file;
- attends court sessions and receives notices;
- signs a settlement or division agreement on the heir's behalf;
- deals with banks, the employer, developers or the land department about specific assets;
- receives the heir's share, by cheque or transfer.
The settlement step matters more than people expect. Article 11 of Decree No. 25 of 2023 says that when the heirs accept a settlement proposed by the reporting judge, the agreement is signed by every party to the estate claim. One heir abroad without a valid agent can hold everyone up.
Why a general power of attorney is usually not enough
A general POA covers managing and preserving things, not giving them away, selling them or settling disputes. Under Article 870(1) of the UAE Civil Transactions Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, any act that is not management or preservation needs a special agency naming the type of act, and the law lists sale, settlement, donation, mortgage, acknowledgment, arbitration and pleading before the court. Article 871 adds that an agency in general terms grants only acts of management.
An estate involves almost all of those: agreeing a division is a settlement, selling the family flat is a sale, and giving up part of a share to a sibling is close to a gift. So the inheritance POA should be a special one, written for this estate. If you are unsure of the difference, our guide to general vs special powers of attorney explains it.
What should the power of attorney say?
It should leave no doubt about whose estate it is, who is acting and what they may do. A workable inheritance POA usually includes:
- The heir and the agent, with names exactly as they appear on their passports or Emirates IDs.
- The deceased, with full name, nationality, date of death and the death certificate details.
- The relationship between the heir and the deceased.
- The authorities: for example Dubai Courts and its Probate Court, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, DIFC Courts, banks, the employer and the land or vehicle registration departments, as relevant.
- The acts: opening the file, applying for the heirs' certificate, attending sessions, signing a settlement or division, receiving and depositing the heir's share, and, if intended, selling or transferring named property.
- Delegation: whether the agent may appoint a lawyer or pass the authority to someone else.
- Duration, so banks and registries are not left guessing.
Bilingual Arabic and English drafting saves a step later, because the authority reading it in the UAE will work from the Arabic.
How do you sign it from abroad?
You sign it before a notary where you live, then take it through the attestation chain before it is used here. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs sets out the order on its attestation FAQ: documents issued outside the UAE are first attested by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then by the UAE embassy or consulate in that country, and then attested in the UAE through MOFA's website or app. MOFA's attestation service page notes that the embassy step is available online only through selected missions, so check your local UAE mission's website first.
Dubai Courts states the same chain in its court service conditions, and adds that documents must be translated into Arabic by a legal translator approved by the UAE Ministry of Justice (see the conditions on its civil cases service page).
So the order is:
- Draft the POA, ideally in Arabic and English, using the wording the receiving court or bank needs.
- Sign it in person before a notary in your country.
- Have it attested by your country's foreign ministry (or the authority that does this there).
- Have it attested by the UAE embassy or consulate in that country.
- Send the original to the UAE and have it attested by MOFA.
- Get a legal Arabic translation if it is not already bilingual.
The same chain applies to other documents from abroad, such as a death certificate issued overseas or a foreign court ruling naming the heirs. Our guides to making a power of attorney from outside the UAE and to MOFA document attestation walk through each step. If you are in the UAE, it is simpler: the heir signs before a notary here, and in Dubai many notary services can be completed by video.
Where the POA is used: Muslim and non-Muslim estates
The court route depends on the deceased and on any will, and the POA should match it. Dubai Courts' service directory lists separate applications for a Muslim heirs listing certificate and a non-Muslim heirs listing certificate, along with estate services such as transferring amounts from a deceased person's employer to the estate file.
For non-Muslims in Dubai, Law No. 15 of 2017 lets the court appoint an administrator to run the estate. Under Article 22, the court may choose that person from among people the heirs agree on, and the administrator then becomes the estate's legal representative. An heir abroad will often want their agent to be able to agree to that appointment.
Dubai Courts' non-Muslim inheritance division has also said, as reported by WAM, that a ruling issued outside the UAE must be attested by the UAE embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before a file can be opened, and that an affidavit listing heirs who are abroad may not be enough on its own to identify them all.
Other routes have their own rules. A DIFC will goes through DIFC will probate, and an Abu Dhabi registered will through the process in our post on ADJD will probate in Abu Dhabi, where heirs aged 16 or over are expected at the first session.
Mistakes that cost families weeks
Most delays come from paperwork that has to be redone abroad. The common ones:
- Using a general POA for a sale or settlement, then finding the bank or court will not accept it.
- Name mismatches between the POA, passports and the death certificate, especially with transliterated Arabic names.
- Missing a step in the chain, such as skipping the home country's foreign ministry before going to the UAE embassy.
- Not naming the assets, so the agent can open the file but cannot touch the flat or the bank account.
- One heir signing late, so the whole division waits.
Before anyone signs abroad, ask the court or bank that will receive the POA exactly what wording it expects. It takes one email and can save a second trip to the notary.
FAQ
Can one power of attorney cover several heirs?
Several heirs can appoint the same agent, but each heir has to sign as principal. Where heirs live in different countries, each usually signs a separate POA in their own country and takes it through that country's attestation chain.
Does an inheritance POA prove I am an heir?
No. It only authorises someone to act for you. Who the heirs are is decided through the court process, for example by an heirs listing certificate or an estate file at Dubai Courts.
Can I sign at the UAE embassy instead of a local notary?
Some UAE missions offer consular services, but what each one does varies. MOFA asks applicants to check the website of the UAE mission in their country, so confirm there before booking.
Does the POA still work if I, the heir, die before the estate is settled?
No. Under the UAE Civil Transactions Law an agency ends when the principal dies, so your own heirs would need to act. We explain this in what happens to a power of attorney after death.
How The Deed Box can help
The Deed Box drafts inheritance powers of attorney for heirs in the UAE and abroad, in Arabic and English, and explains the attestation route for your country. We also prepare wills so the next generation has an easier time, and arrange legal translation. We are not a law firm, so for disputed estates, speak to a UAE-licensed lawyer.
Sources reviewed 2 November 2026: Dubai Decree No. 25 of 2023 (Articles 10 and 11); Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 (Articles 870 and 871); Dubai Law No. 15 of 2017 (Article 22); UAE MOFA attestation FAQ and service page; Dubai Courts service directory and civil cases service conditions; WAM, 10 July 2023. This is general information, not legal advice; the official Arabic texts prevail.