Power of Attorney in Dubai: Drafting, Notarisation & DLD Registration - 2026

Dubai Power of Attorney — Key Facts 2026

• Notarisation: Mandatory for all POAs used in UAE legal and property transactions
• DLD property transactions: Special POA only — General POA is not accepted
• Validity for DLD transactions: Maximum 2 years from date of notarisation
• Dubai Courts notary fee: AED 100 – 300 per signature
• Private notary service fee: AED 1,000 – 1,900
• Legal drafting fee: AED 1,500 – 5,000 depending on complexity
• Remote notarisation: Available via Dubai Courts e-Notary (BOTIM video call)
• Foreign POA attestation: UAE Embassy → MOFAIC → Arabic translation → DLD
• Automatic revocation: Death of the principal revokes all POAs immediately

Types of Power of Attorney in Dubai — and Which One You Actually Need

There is a lot of confusion in the market about POA types. Some websites list five or six categories. In practice, the Dubai legal system and the Dubai Land Department recognise two primary classifications — and getting this wrong means your transaction will be rejected.

Special Power of Attorney (The One You Need for Property)

A Special POA — also called a Specific POA — authorises a named person (the agent) to perform one specific transaction or a defined set of transactions on the principal's behalf. The DLD requires a Special POA for all property-related transactions: buying, selling, gifting, mortgaging, registering, and transferring title. Under DLD Circular No. 29/R/2025, the Special POA must now include transaction-specific wording that identifies the property, the type of transaction, and the scope of the agent's authority. A vague or broadly worded Special POA will be rejected at the Trustee centre.

General Power of Attorney (Broad but Limited Use)

A General POA gives the agent broad authority to act across multiple areas — managing bank accounts, running a business, handling correspondence, signing contracts. It is useful for ongoing business management or when the principal is abroad for an extended period and needs a trusted person to handle multiple matters. However — and this is critical — a General POA is explicitly not accepted by the DLD for property sale, purchase, or mortgage transactions. If someone tells you a General POA is sufficient for a Dubai property deal, they are wrong.

Do not use a General POA for Dubai property transactions. The DLD will reject it at the Trustee centre. You need a Special POA with transaction-specific wording that meets DLD Circular No. 29/R/2025 requirements. We draft both types — contact us to confirm which applies to your situation.

Which POA Type Covers Your Situation?

DLD Circular No. 29/R/2025 — What Changed and What It Means for You

Issued in July 2025, DLD Circular No. 29/R/2025 is the most significant change to Dubai property POA requirements in several years. If you are involved in a property transaction where a POA is being used — as the buyer, seller, agent, or developer — you need to understand these changes.

Change 1: QR Code Verification Is No Longer Sufficient

Previously, Trustee centres would scan the QR code on a notarised POA to verify its authenticity. As of July 2025, this is no longer sufficient. The POA must be electronically verified through the DLD portal — the Trustee officer checks the document against the DLD's own registry. A POA that is not electronically registered will be rejected regardless of whether it has a valid QR code or notary stamp.

Change 2: Transaction-Specific Wording Is Now Mandatory

The circular requires that every POA used for a DLD transaction includes specific language identifying the property (plot number, building name, unit number), the type of transaction being authorised (sale, purchase, gift, mortgage), and any financial parameters relevant to the transaction. A POA that says "my agent is authorised to deal with my property in Dubai" will be rejected. The property and the transaction must be specifically named.

Change 3: Cheque Payability Rules

In a property sale conducted by an agent under a POA, sale proceeds — manager's cheques — must be made payable to the name on the title deed (the principal) unless the POA explicitly and specifically authorises the agent to receive proceeds. This is to prevent fraud. Developers and Trustee centre officers now check the cheque payee against the title deed name as a standard step. If your POA does not address cheque authority, you cannot accept a cheque at the Trustee centre on your principal's behalf.

What to Do If You Have an Existing Property POA

If your POA was drafted before July 2025, contact us. We review it against the current DLD requirements and tell you whether it is valid, needs amendment, or needs to be revoked and reissued. There is no cost for this review.

POA Validity Periods — Dates That Can Kill a Transaction

This is the most operationally critical section for anyone using a POA for a property transaction. These validity rules are enforced at the Trustee centre with no exceptions:

• Property POAs issued in the UAE: Valid for a maximum of 5 years from the date of notarisation for DLD property transactions — unless a shorter validity is specified in the document itself. We recommend specifying the validity period explicitly to avoid ambiguity.
• Property POAs issued outside the UAE: Valid for a maximum of 2 years from the date of notarisation for DLD purposes. After 2 years, the POA loses validity for real estate transactions even if it has no expiry date on the document.
• Business and general POAs: Validity depends on the terms stated in the document. If no validity period is stated, the POA remains in force until revoked, but specific authorities (DED, banks, courts) may impose their own acceptance periods.
• Death of the principal: A POA is automatically revoked upon the death of the person who granted it. Any transaction attempted after the principal's death using the POA is legally void — regardless of whether the agent was aware of the death at the time.
• Revocation by the principal: A POA can be revoked at any time. Revocation must be notarised and, for property transactions, registered with the DLD. Simply telling the agent verbally or in writing that the POA is revoked is not sufficient — the notarised revocation document is what terminates the agent's authority.

How to Get a Dubai POA Without Travelling to the UAE

This is the question we get most often from overseas clients, and the answer is good news: you do not need to fly to Dubai. There are two routes — and both are fully valid for DLD and government authority purposes.

Route 1: Dubai Courts e-Notary (Remote — Fastest)

The Dubai Courts e-Notary platform allows you to notarise a POA remotely via a video call. You do not leave your home. The process works as follows:

1. We draft your POA document with the correct language for your intended use
2. The Arabic draft (Arabic is mandatory for all notarised POAs in Dubai) is prepared and certified
3. A video call is arranged with a Dubai Courts Notary Public officer through BOTIM — a video calling application available in the UAE
4. You show your passport or Emirates ID on camera and verbally confirm the authority you are granting
5. The Notary officer validates your identity, and you receive a one-time password by SMS which you provide on the call
6. The notarised POA is issued to you in PDF format with a QR code and a unique notary reference number — delivered by email, typically within 24 hours

Route 2: Notarise in Your Home Country + UAE Attestation (Standard for Property)

If you are outside the UAE and the e-Notary route is not suitable (for example, some Trustee centres and authorities still prefer a physically stamped POA for high-value property transactions), the alternative attestation chain is:

1. Notarise the POA at a local notary public in your home country
2. Apostille the document at the relevant authority in your country (if your country is an Apostille Convention signatory) — OR —
3. Attest the document at the UAE Embassy or Consulate in your country (AED 150 – AED 500 equivalent)
4. Send the original document to us in Dubai
5. We complete the MOFAIC attestation (UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs — AED 150, 1–3 working days)
6. We arrange a certified Arabic legal translation if the document is not in Arabic (AED 500 – AED 1,500)
7. We register the POA with the DLD electronically and deliver the final attested document

Dubai Power of Attorney — Complete Cost Breakdown 2026

Here are the actual fees. We do not hide costs or surprise clients after the engagement starts. Every fee below is confirmed against current market and government rates.

Step-by-Step: How Takween Advisory Processes Your Dubai POA

Here is exactly what happens when you engage us for a POA — from first contact to delivery of the notarised and registered document:

1. Intake consultation — Day 1 You tell us what the POA is for, who the principal and agent are, and where each party is located. We confirm the type of POA required (Special or General), the scope of authority to include, and the attestation route needed. We also check whether any existing POA needs to be revoked before the new one is issued.
2. POA drafting — Day 1–2 We draft the POA in both English and Arabic. For property transactions, we ensure the document includes all DLD Circular 29/R/2025 required wording — property identification, transaction type, financial authority scope, and agent identification. For business POAs we ensure the scope is precise enough to be accepted by DED, the bank, or whichever authority will rely on it.
3. Notarisation — Day 2–3 For principals in Dubai: we coordinate the Dubai Courts notary appointment or private notary service. For overseas principals: we arrange the Dubai Courts e-Notary video call through BOTIM, or guide you through the home country notarisation and UAE Embassy attestation process.
4. MOFAIC attestation (foreign POAs) — Day 3–5 If the POA was executed outside the UAE, we submit it for MOFAIC attestation on your behalf. This takes 1–3 working days and costs AED 150 per document.
5. Certified Arabic translation (if required) — Day 3–5 If the POA will be submitted to the DLD, Dubai Courts, or any UAE government authority, a certified Arabic legal translation is required. We arrange this through a licensed UAE legal translator.
6. DLD electronic registration (property POAs) — Day 5–7 For all property POAs, we register the document electronically with the Dubai Land Department portal. This step is now mandatory under Circular 29/R/2025 — without it, the Trustee centre will not accept the POA regardless of how well drafted it is.
7. Delivery — Day 7–10 (standard) or 3–5 days (express) We deliver the final notarised, attested, translated, and DLD-registered POA to you — physically if you are in Dubai, by courier or secure digital delivery if you are overseas.

Documents Required for a Dubai POA

All POAs — Principal and Agent

• Valid passport copy — minimum 6 months validity
• UAE Emirates ID copy (if UAE resident)
• UAE residence visa copy (if applicable)
• UAE mobile number and email address

Property POAs (Additional Documents)

• Title deed copy (to identify the property precisely in the POA wording)
• Property details: plot number, building name, unit number, floor
• If mortgaged property: bank NOC or confirmation of outstanding balance
• If you are a company (not an individual): trade licence, MOA, and board resolution authorising the POA

Business / Company POAs (Additional Documents)

• UAE trade licence of the company
• MOA or Articles of Association
• Board resolution authorising the specific individual to sign the POA on behalf of the company
• If the company is foreign: apostilled certificate of incorporation and board resolution

How to Check If a Dubai POA Is Genuine

If you are the agent or a third party relying on a POA presented to you, do not accept it on face value. Fraudulent or expired POAs are used in Dubai property scams every year. Before acting on any POA presented to you:

• Scan the QR code on the notarised document — this gives you the Dubai Courts notary reference details
• Verify electronically through the DLD portal (for property transactions) — Trustee officers now do this as a mandatory step under Circular 29/R/2025
• Check the validity date a POA issued outside the UAE more than 2 years ago is invalid for DLD property transactions even if the document shows no expiry
• Confirm the principal is alive if you have any reason to doubt this, a death certificate search through the relevant authority is the legally correct step
• Check for revocation ask the principal directly whether any revocation has been issued, and verify through the notary reference on the original document