Signing a power of attorney in Germany for use in the UAE
Germany publishes this corridor more completely than almost any other. A notarised Vollmacht is pre-certified by the Landgericht, then given a final certification (Endbeglaubigung) by the Bundesamt fuer Auswaertige Angelegenheiten at EUR 22, and then legalised by the UAE Embassy in Berlin or the Consulate General in Munich. The Federal Foreign Office names the United Arab Emirates on the closed list of states whose missions require that final certification, with commercial documents excepted. A complete German-language version also covers UAE-issued digital POAs, asset-specific powers, all seven emirates and remote Will choices.
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Why Germany treats the UAE differently from most countries
The Federal Foreign Office lists the states whose missions require an additional Endbeglaubigung for German documents, "unabhaengig von der oben beschriebenen Vorbeglaubigung" - independently of the pre-certification described above. The list names "Vereinigte Arabische Emirate (außer fuer Handelsurkunden)": the United Arab Emirates, except for commercial documents.
The German Embassy in Abu Dhabi puts the same point from the other side: "Im deutsch-emiratischen Verhaeltnis geschieht dies durch eine sog. Legalisation" - in the German-Emirati relationship this happens by legalisation, not by apostille. Translations on this page are ours.
It also says the binding information about requirements and fees comes from the UAE Embassy in Berlin or the Consulate General in Munich, and that the German Consulate General in Dubai cannot legalise German documents at all.
Which German body certifies a Vollmacht
The Bundesamt fuer Auswaertige Angelegenheiten (BfAA), which took over the Endbeglaubigung of German documents from 1 January 2023, publishes who pre-certifies what. For private individuals and for companies alike, the pre-certification of "alle gerichtlichen und notariellen Urkunden (Urteile, Handelsregisterauszuege, Vollmachten usw.)" - all court and notarial documents, judgments, commercial-register extracts, powers of attorney and so on - is done by the Landgericht, along with translations by a sworn translator.
BfAA states that it can only issue the Endbeglaubigung once the document has been pre-certified by the competent body, and that from 1 July 2025 a fee of EUR 22.00 is charged for each one.
Source: BfAA, Endbeglaubigung
The route side by side
Four authorities, each publishing its own step.
| Step | Who does it | What is published |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Notarisation | A German notary | The Vollmacht is a notarial document |
| 2. Vorbeglaubigung | The Landgericht | BfAA names it for notarial documents including Vollmachten |
| 3. Endbeglaubigung | BfAA | EUR 22.00 per certification since 1 July 2025; the UAE is on the list that requires it, except for commercial documents |
| 4. Legalisation | UAE Embassy Berlin or Consulate General Munich | The German Embassy in Abu Dhabi points to them for binding requirements and fees |
Can it be done without flying back?
The German Embassy in Abu Dhabi states that legalisation from abroad is possible in most cases, because applications can generally be submitted by post and fees transferred. What it does not do is act as a substitute: German documents cannot be legalised by the Consulate General in Dubai.
The UAE missions in Germany publish no attestation requirements of their own on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, so the fee and the counter arrangements have to come from them directly.
Source: German Embassy Abu Dhabi, Legalisation und Apostille
Commercial documents are the exception
The Federal Foreign Office list excludes Handelsurkunden, commercial documents, from the UAE Endbeglaubigung requirement. A power of attorney written for company business may fall on that side of the line, and the UAE mission treats a power of attorney with commercial content as a commercial document.
Because the two systems classify from different directions, ask the UAE Embassy in Berlin which route your document takes before the Landgericht step, not after.
What to settle in the UAE first
German authorities certify signatures and seals. The powers are judged in the UAE.
- Which UAE authority, bank or developer will act on the document, and the wording it expects.
- Whether the document is personal or commercial.
- Whether the receiving authority wants Arabic. A sworn translation is pre-certified by the Landgericht in the same way as the deed.
- That names and passport numbers match exactly.
Can someone in Germany issue a new UAE POA online instead?
Sometimes. This is different from signing a Vollmacht or Generalvollmacht in Germany 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 Germany’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 Germany-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 Germany 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 Germany make a UAE Will remotely?
Yes, where a UAE registry’s published eligibility and attendance rules fit the person. A Testament or letzter Wille 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 Germany. 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 a German apostille work for the UAE?
No. The German Embassy in Abu Dhabi states that the German-Emirati relationship runs on legalisation, and the Federal Foreign Office lists the UAE among states whose missions require a final certification before their own legalisation.
What does the German side cost?
BfAA charges EUR 22.00 for each Endbeglaubigung since 1 July 2025. The Landgericht and the notary charge separately, and the UAE mission publishes no fee on the Ministry website.
Who pre-certifies a notarised Vollmacht?
The Landgericht. BfAA names it for all court and notarial documents, including Vollmachten, and for sworn translations.
Can the German Consulate in Dubai legalise my German power of attorney?
No. It states that it cannot legalise German documents. The chain runs through German authorities and then the UAE mission in Germany.
Can I avoid Germany’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 Germany-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 Germany?
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
- Translations of the German quotations on this page are ours, not official.
- The UAE Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate General in Munich publish no attestation page on the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, so their requirements and fees are not quoted 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 Germany Will or a UAE Will requires appropriately qualified advice in each jurisdiction where assets or heirs are located.
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