Before a power of attorney goes in front of a Dubai Courts notary, a specific set of documents and decisions has to be in place. Miss one and the file stops at the counter rather than at the drafting stage, which is the more expensive place for a problem to surface. These are the power of attorney requirements in the UAE that we check for before anybody books an appointment: who has to attend, what identity documents are needed, which language the instrument is in, and what the draft itself has to say.
We are a document services provider, not a notary and not a law firm. We check the file, draft where needed, and arrange and attend the appointment. The notarial act itself is performed by a Dubai Courts notary, not by us.
Identity documents, for the principal and the attorney
Two people have to be identified precisely enough for a bank clerk or a registry officer to match them to a document: the principal granting the authority, and the attorney receiving it. For the principal, that means original passport and Emirates ID, not copies. We will tell you in advance if anything further is needed. For the attorney, identity details have to be precise even though they need not attend themselves.
For anyone actually signing at the appointment, whether the principal, a company signatory or a witness, the same rule applies: original passport and Emirates ID, shown to the notary and returned to you afterwards. Nothing stays with us unless you ask us to hold it.
Who has to attend, and when a representative can stand in
For the notarial act itself, the signatory attends. Whether a representative can stand in under an existing power of attorney depends on the specific instrument, and that has to be established before anybody books anything, not discovered on the day.
Two situations come up often. Where the only authorised signatory is abroad, a power of attorney granted in advance sometimes solves it, though sometimes the notary will require that person and no substitute. Where shareholders are in different countries, that is usually manageable with powers of attorney granted in advance, each drafted to cover exactly the acts needed.
The company’s own documents, if the principal is a company
Where the principal is a company, its identity is checked against the trade licence, currently valid: an expired licence stops the file before anything else is looked at. Signing authority is then traced through the memorandum of association and every amendment, and bringing the memorandum without its addenda is the most common gap we see. If authority comes from a board or shareholder resolution rather than the memorandum, that resolution has to be brought as evidence too, and it has to still be in force: a lapsed resolution frequently passes the counter and only fails weeks later at a bank.
Where one of the shareholders is itself a company rather than a person, that corporate shareholder signs through a human being, and which human and on what authority is a question worth raising when you first make contact rather than on the day.
The language requirement
Many receiving authorities in the UAE require Arabic, and which ones do is not something worth guessing at. We draft every instrument in Arabic and English together, not one translated after the other, so the question does not arise later. A governing language clause settles in advance which text prevails if the two ever diverge, and it takes one sentence to include.
If the signatory does not read Arabic or English, the instrument is read to them in a language they understand before it is signed. Tell us the language in advance so it can be arranged.
The draft itself, and why it decides everything
Everything above supports the draft, but the draft is what actually gets read. The instrument, as approved, is what we bring to the appointment, and you bring anything it refers to. If a translation has already been obtained independently, bring that too, so it can be checked before the appointment rather than after.
The single clause that decides whether the whole document works is the scope: what precisely the attorney needs to be able to do, named rather than described by category. A special power of attorney or a company power of attorney both stand or fall on this clause. A power of attorney that authorises the holder to act almost without limit is refused by many receiving parties, because accepting it means accepting responsibility for whatever the holder then does. A scope drafted against the actual transaction, naming the acts and any exclusion, is slower to prepare and considerably faster to use.
What to bring, instrument by instrument
The published fee schedule sets out exactly what to bring for each type of power of attorney, so one appointment is enough.
| Power of attorney | Our fee (AED) | What to bring |
|---|---|---|
| General | 1,500 | Draft, title deed or initial contract |
| Real estate | 1,500 | Deed of sale, passports and IDs for both parties |
| Vehicle | 1,500 | Draft, title or initial contract |
Our fee from AED 1,500 for any of these three. The Dubai Courts fee is separate and passed on at cost.
Why drafts get refused
Most refusals trace back to a handful of causes, all of them things a first reading catches. The authority recited does not match the memorandum, defective on its face and the fastest of these to catch before travelling anywhere. The signatory’s authority had lapsed, worse because it frequently passes the counter and only fails weeks later at a bank. The scope is drafted too broadly, the single most common reason a corporate power of attorney is declined. There is no substitution clause, only discovered when the attorney needs to delegate and cannot, meaning a second instrument and a second trip. The company is named inconsistently across the licence, the memorandum and the instrument, which stops the file outright. Or the English and the Arabic texts do not say the same thing, unenforceable in part and an argument waiting to happen.
Every one of those is checked for in the first reading, before anything is booked.
Send it before you book anything
None of this has to be assembled from memory. Send us the draft, or describe what the attorney needs to be able to do, and we will tell you exactly what your specific instrument requires: which documents, who has to attend, and in which language. There is no charge for that reading and no obligation. Full detail on fees and the full process from draft to notarised document is published separately, and the FAQ covers the questions that come up most. Send the draft and you will have an answer the same working day.
Questions people ask
Can you draft the power of attorney, or only notarise one we bring?
Both. If you have a draft we will check it against what it has to achieve and against what the receiving party will accept. If you do not, describe what the attorney needs to be able to do and we will draft it.
What if a defect is found before the appointment?
That is the good case, and most of what we are for. We tell you, we fix it, and nobody travels for nothing.
Our only authorised signatory is abroad next week.
The answer depends on the specific document, so we establish it before anybody books anything. Sometimes a power of attorney granted in advance solves it. Sometimes the notary will require that person and no substitute.
Do our original documents come back to us?
Yes. Originals are shown to the notary and returned to you. Nothing stays with us unless you ask us to hold it.
How long does the reading take?
The part we control is the reading and the drafting, and you hear back the same working day. The appointment itself depends on the notary’s diary.