Power of attorney in Dubai and the UAE
A power of attorney lets someone act for you. In Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE, the right document comes down to two questions: what exactly the representative must be able to do, and which authority will receive it. This page answers “power of attorney Dubai” and “power of attorney UAE” together because the document is defined by the task, while notarisation and acceptance depend on the authority and emirate — not on two pages repeating the same generic explanation.
How to make a power of attorney in Dubai
Define the exact act first, identify the receiving authority, prepare the power around that scope, then use the signing or notarisation route that applies to you. Dubai Courts publishes a Power of Attorneys Ratification service: proof of identity for the principal and attorney is required; company, trademark or estate papers are added when the subject needs them; a non-Arabic document needs a legal translation certified by the UAE Ministry of Justice; and a foreign document must carry the published foreign-ministry, UAE-mission and UAE MOFA attestations. Dubai Courts publishes AED 100 per party plus AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fees. Its online channel requires the account and identity route the service specifies. If you are outside the UAE, do not draft first and ask about the chain afterwards — confirm where you will sign and who will receive the document before the wording is settled.
- General Power of Attorney in the UAE · AED 990
How wide a UAE power of attorney should be · What each UAE authority asks for before it accepts a power of attorney · Arranging a UAE power of attorney from outside the country
Property
For a property transaction someone else will attend. Start with Property POA if the question is still how wide the authority should be - selling, buying, leasing, mortgaging and managing are separate powers and none implies another. Go straight to the Dubai Land Department page if your transaction is at DLD, because DLD publishes what it requires.
- Property Power of Attorney for UAE real estate · AED 1,290
- Dubai Land Department Power of Attorney · AED 1,290
Property POA or DLD POA - which one do you need? · What each UAE authority asks for before it accepts a power of attorney
General authority
For someone who needs to deal with ordinary matters on your behalf over a period rather than one transaction. Worth knowing before you choose it: general means wide in scope, not accepted everywhere - some authorities publish the wording they expect.
- General Power of Attorney in the UAE · AED 990
- DEWA Electricity & Water Power of Attorney · AED 990
Business
For company matters handled by a representative. The professional fee is AED 1,490, separate from whatever the relevant authority charges.
Vehicles
For selling, transferring or registering a vehicle when you will not be there. If the transaction is at RTA in Dubai, read the RTA page first - RTA publishes the scope your representative’s document has to contain, and a broad authority that does not contain it can be refused.
- Vehicle Power of Attorney — for UAE vehicles · AED 790
- RTA Vehicle Power of Attorney · AED 790
Courts and disputes
For representation in proceedings. The professional fee for a litigation power of attorney is AED 1,590. Note that the federal portal states only licensed UAE national lawyers may appear before the courts, and that a representative must prove appointment through a notarised power of attorney.
- Litigation Power of Attorney — for UAE court cases · AED 1,590
- Dubai Courts Litigation Power of Attorney · AED 1,590
- Rental Dispute Centre Power of Attorney · AED 1,590
Which emirate the document is for
People search for this as "power of attorney Dubai" and as "UAE power of attorney", but there is no single national procedure because the receiving authority and emirate matter. Dubai Land Department names a power of attorney in three property services, and RTA names the scope a vehicle representative's document must contain. Dubai Courts now publishes a separate ratification route: AED 100 per party plus AED 20, with online attestation requiring a valid Emirates ID and passport-only parties appearing in person. Abu Dhabi publishes something different again: its July 2023 notarisation manual lists twelve named powers of attorney, caps validity at "3 calendar years after the date of notarisation" and charges "AED 100 for each year of the POA validity". At federal level the government portal describes the channel rather than the document. These are authority-specific facts, not one UAE-wide rule.
- Power of attorney in Abu Dhabi · AED 990
How wide a UAE power of attorney should be · Arranging a UAE power of attorney from outside the country
If you are outside the UAE
Being abroad is the most common reason one of these documents exists. What the document then needs in order to travel depends on where you sign and which authority receives it, and our guide sets out what official sources state - and what they leave unanswered.
Property power of attorney from abroad for the UAE · Arranging a UAE power of attorney from outside the country · What each UAE authority asks for before it accepts a power of attorney
Using a UAE power of attorney in another country
A document signed in the UAE does not follow one universal route abroad. The destination mission may require a personal signature, prior UAE MOFA attestation, its own fee and a particular appointment route; the bank, land registry or court at the other end still decides whether the powers and supporting documents are sufficient. Start with the destination guide below, then confirm the wording with the receiving body before signing. We publish a corridor only where first-party sources support a substantial answer.
Using a UAE power of attorney abroad · Power of attorney for India at the Indian Consulate in Dubai or Embassy in Abu Dhabi · Mukhtarnama / power of attorney from the UAE for Pakistan · Special power of attorney at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate General in Dubai · Power of attorney from the UAE for use in Egypt · Power of attorney from the UAE for use in Germany · Power of attorney from the UAE for use in China
Revoking a power of attorney
We do not currently prepare revocations. Dubai Land Department publishes a power of attorney cancellation service of its own - free, stated at 20 minutes, at its main headquarters, needing the Emirates ID of the client and the attorney or a valid passport for non-residents - and that is DLD’s process, not a general statement about revoking a UAE power of attorney. We will not offer you one until we can produce the right instrument for it.
Common questions
Which UAE power of attorney do I need?
Start with the exact task your representative must perform and the authority that will receive the document. A property sale, vehicle transfer, company matter and court case require different powers, and some receiving authorities publish their own wording or scope requirements.
Is a general power of attorney accepted everywhere in the UAE?
No universal acceptance rule is published. General describes a broad scope, but an authority may require powers that are specific to its transaction. The receiving authority and intended act should therefore be identified before the document is drafted.
Can I arrange a UAE power of attorney while abroad?
Often, but the route depends on where the document is signed and where it will be used. The document may need notarisation or authentication outside the UAE and UAE-side attestation before the receiving authority will accept it. The destination authority should be confirmed first.
How much does a power of attorney cost in Dubai?
Dubai Courts publishes AED 100 per party for POA ratification plus AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fees. That is the authority fee for the published service, not a total package price. Drafting, certified legal translation, foreign attestation, courier or private-notary charges can be separate, and our professional fee is shown on the relevant service page.
Can I make a power of attorney online in Dubai?
Dubai Courts publishes an online ratification channel, but the identity and attendance route depends on the applicant and document. Its current page requires a valid Emirates ID for online attestation and directs passport-only parties to appear in person. Confirm the live route before relying on a fully remote process.
Our professional fee covers preparing the document and handling the case. Authority fees are set and charged by the authority, and where we quote one we name the authority and the figure it publishes.