Notarising a power of attorney in China for use in the UAE
The UAE Embassy in Beijing publishes four stages: a notary office in the applicant’s own city translates the document into Arabic or English and notarises it, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalises it, the UAE Embassy certifies it, and it is returned through the Ministry. China’s consular service confirms the shape from its side and lists the UAE among countries needing consular legalisation. It also publishes what the UAE Embassy charges for a power-of-attorney-type notarial certificate.
Talk to a person. Message us on WhatsApp
The four stages the UAE Embassy in Beijing publishes
The Embassy answers the question "What are the stages for authentication of documents at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Beijing?" with four steps.
- "Submit the documents to the authentication office of the Ministry of Justice in the city where the applicant is located for translation into Arabic or English and authentication."
- "Refer the certified documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Beijing"
- "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC certifies the documents and then sends them to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Beijing."
- "The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates certifies the documents and then returns them to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing"
Source: UAE Embassy in Beijing, FAQs
What China’s consular service publishes
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says documents issued in China for use in countries outside the Apostille Convention "in general, shall be legalised first by MFA or authorized FAOs, and then be legalised by the embassies or consulates of those countries in China." A power of attorney is among the documents it covers.
Its table of foreign missions’ requirements places the UAE under consular legalisation, and gives the UAE Embassy’s charges: RMB 335 for civil documents and RMB 4,500 for commercial documents, with the note "所有委托类公证书（民事和商业）均收费4500元" - all power-of-attorney-type notarial certificates, civil and commercial, are charged RMB 4,500.
The same table says the UAE Embassy does not handle multi-matter certification (不办理多内容认证（一证多事）), which is one certificate covering several matters. A power of attorney that bundles unrelated matters is worth splitting before it is notarised.
Source: China Consular Service, foreign missions’ legalisation requirements
Which UAE mission, by province
China’s table routes notarial documents from some provinces to the UAE consulates rather than the Embassy in Beijing.
| Documents issued in | Legalised by |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi | UAE Consulate General in Guangzhou |
| Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Anhui, Fujian | UAE Consulate General in Shanghai |
| Elsewhere in mainland China | Not separately stated in the table; the Embassy in Beijing publishes the general route |
What each side charges
China’s consular service states: "Fees for the Consular Legalisation by MFA for Chinese applicants are 50 Yuan/document and 100 Yuan/document of business affairs." The UAE Embassy’s own charges are the RMB 335 / RMB 4,500 figures above, as China’s table records them.
The table says its figures are for reference only and that the mission’s actual charges and processing time prevail. The page is headed as updated on 31 July 2026 and carries a body date of 10 August 2026.
The other direction is a different page
A power of attorney made in the UAE for use in China follows the Chinese Embassy in Abu Dhabi’s rules, which include powers it will not notarise at all. That is covered in the guide to a power of attorney from the UAE for China.
Can someone in mainland China issue a new UAE POA online instead?
Sometimes. This is different from signing a 授权委托书 or 委托书 in mainland China and legalising that foreign document. The UAE Ministry of Justice publishes a Digital Power of Attorney service and says its remote route enables customers residing inside or outside the UAE to complete eligible POA transactions without visiting a notary public. Where the applicant, identity method, instrument and final receiver all qualify, the result is a new UAE-issued POA; there is no foreign-signed document to take through mainland China’s foreign ministry or a UAE mission.
That is not a universal passport-only shortcut. The federal MOJ service uses UAE Pass and specified templates. Dubai Courts currently states that online attestation requires a valid Emirates ID and that a concerned party relying only on a passport must appear in person; its workflow may assign no attendance, virtual attendance or personal attendance from the application data. ADJD’s published July 2023 guidance describes a remote meeting but lists an Emirates ID among the documents. The authority—not The Deedbox—decides eligibility and the attendance method.
Choose the transaction before the form. A Dubai property sale may require a property POA drafted for DLD, trustee-office, developer and mortgage steps. A Dubai vehicle sale or export may require a Vehicle/RTA POA and the representative may still have to attend an RTA centre. Banking, company or share transfers, court work, inheritance, property management and private handovers each need their own receiver-specific powers. “General POA” is not a promise that every bank, court, land department, free zone, traffic authority or developer will act on it.
The Deedbox can prepare the UAE-focused draft and organise the document workflow for a general POA, property POA, vehicle or RTA POA, business POA, banking POA, litigation POA or inheritance POA. The principal must still complete the government identity, signature or video step and pay the authority’s fees. The Deedbox is not the issuing court or notary and cannot guarantee a government channel or final receiver will accept a case.
- Confirm the exact receiver and transaction: DLD or a Dubai trustee office, RTA, ADJD, RAK Courts, federal MOJ, a local land department, bank, developer, free zone, company registry or court.
- Check whether the principal has the identity credential required by the selected authority; an original passport alone does not establish online eligibility on every route.
- Choose the UAE-issued digital route only after the live authority service accepts the applicant and required powers.
- If it does not, use the documented mainland China-to-UAE signing and legalisation route on this page rather than forcing an ineligible online application.
Source: UAE Ministry of Justice — Writing and authentication of contracts and deeds
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, RAK and Fujairah do not share one receiving counter
The signing and legalisation chain in mainland China does not change merely because the UAE asset is in a different emirate. What changes is the receiving authority and the powers it expects. Dubai property and vehicle matters may involve the Dubai Land Department, a trustee office, the RTA or Dubai Courts. Abu Dhabi notarial and civil-Will routes use ADJD. Ras Al Khaimah has its own Courts and Municipality services. Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah use federal-judiciary or local receiving services according to the transaction.
A POA for a Sharjah property, Fujairah vehicle, RAK company or Abu Dhabi bank should therefore name the real asset and acts rather than repeat an emirate keyword. Ask that land department, traffic authority, bank, company registrar, free zone, court, developer or other receiver for its current wording, identity evidence, original, translation and attendance rules before the principal signs abroad.
The same page covers these emirates because the foreign-country route is one corridor. Separate country-to-Dubai, country-to-Sharjah, country-to-RAK and country-to-Fujairah pages would repeat the legalisation answer and split authority. The receiving-system guides explain the genuinely different UAE steps.
- Dubai property and DLD POA requirements
- Dubai vehicle and RTA POA requirements
- RAK POA and Will receiving routes
- Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah routes
Source: UAE Ministry of Justice — writing and authentication of contracts and deeds
Can a person in mainland China make a UAE Will remotely?
Yes, where a UAE registry’s published eligibility and attendance rules fit the person. A Will or 遗嘱 made under home-country law is not automatically a substitute for a UAE-registered Will, and a UAE Will is not automatically effective for an estate in mainland China. Attestation alone cannot decide either cross-border succession question.
DIFC Courts publishes the clearest fully remote option: an eligible non-Muslim testator does not have to be a UAE resident, may attend the registration appointment virtually and may have witnesses join from anywhere in the world. Abu Dhabi Judicial Department publishes a Civil Will route for a non-UAE citizen regardless of religion, using a standard English-Arabic template and online notarial attendance after review. Dubai Courts is a separate route and currently distinguishes online attendance with a valid Emirates ID from passport-only personal appearance.
The choice should follow eligibility, religion where relevant, the location and type of UAE assets, family circumstances, guardianship needs, language and the registry’s coverage. A Power of Attorney cannot be used to sign a Will for the testator. The testator must personally complete the selected registry’s signature and identity process, even when the appointment is virtual.
The Deedbox can prepare and coordinate a UAE Will workflow, but the registry—not The Deedbox—checks eligibility, witnesses, identity, registration and legal effect. Government or registry fees are separate from document-preparation fees, and no page should promise that one Will controls every UAE and foreign asset.
Source: DIFC Courts — Wills FAQ
Questions
Does the document need to be translated?
The UAE Embassy in Beijing’s first stage is translation into Arabic or English and authentication at a notary office in the applicant’s city. UAE MOFA accepts English or Arabic, or an official translation.
How much does the UAE Embassy charge for a power of attorney?
China’s consular service lists RMB 4,500 for all power-of-attorney-type notarial certificates, civil and commercial, and says the figures are for reference. The UAE Embassy in Beijing does not publish a fee on its own pages.
Can one power of attorney cover several matters?
China’s table records that the UAE Embassy does not handle multi-matter certification. Keeping one matter per document avoids the question.
Does this apply to Hong Kong or Macau?
No. This page covers mainland China. The UAE Consulate in Hong Kong’s attestation page carried no content when we checked.
Can I avoid mainland China’s foreign ministry and the UAE embassy by making the POA online?
Only if the applicant and required instrument qualify for a UAE-issued digital or virtual notarial route. In that case there is no mainland China-issued document to legalise. If the UAE route requires an Emirates ID, UAE Pass credential, different template or personal attendance that the applicant cannot meet, the foreign signing and legalisation chain on this page still applies.
Can I register a UAE Will while I remain in mainland China?
DIFC Courts publishes virtual registration for eligible non-Muslim testators and allows witnesses to join from anywhere. ADJD also publishes an online Civil Will route for non-UAE citizens. The testator must personally complete the registry process; a representative cannot sign under a POA.
What this page does not do
- The Chinese table’s fees are stated to be for reference; the mission’s actual charge prevails.
- The UAE Embassy in Beijing does not publish a Digital Attestation page for China, so the digital route used by some other UAE missions is not described here.
- Whether the document is sufficient for a particular transaction is decided by the UAE authority that receives it.
- The Deedbox is not a law firm and not a notary. It does not legalise, apostille or attest documents, and does not act for anyone before a mission, a foreign ministry or a court.
- A UAE digital POA is an alternative issuance route, not a guaranteed shortcut. The live authority decides identity, template, attendance, fee and acceptance requirements; an original passport by itself is not enough on every published route.
- The cross-border effect of a mainland China Will or a UAE Will requires appropriately qualified advice in each jurisdiction where assets or heirs are located.
Sources last checked