Do I need to be in the UAE to sign it?

No. You can sign through our online notary public services, or sign abroad and legalise it through the UAE embassy and MOFAIC.

Can my formation agent be the attorney?

Yes. You choose the attorney. Keep the scope to the setup steps.

How long is it valid?

There is no general legal validity period. The document states its own term, so set it to end when the setup is done.

Can one document cover the setup and the bank account?

Yes, if both are listed. Some banks also ask for their own forms.

Does it need to be in Arabic?

Notarised documents in the UAE are in Arabic, with limited exceptions. We draft Arabic and English together.

People signing documents across a conference table

Company documents, Dubai

Power of Attorney for Company Formation

A power of attorney for company formation in the UAE lets a person you choose sign and file the setup papers for you. A POA for company setup in Dubai means you do not have to attend every step. We draft it and our in-house notary public notarises it.

Fee from AED 1,500. Fees may vary with the document; we confirm the figure before you sign.

Send the draft

See all fees

In-house notary public at our Business Bay office. Online and home visit notary services across the UAE.

From AED 1,500

Our fee, confirmed before you sign

In-house notary public

We notarise your document at our Business Bay office

Arabic and English

Drafted in both languages together

Mainland or free zone

One document, written for the right authority

What a formation power of attorney does

Setting up a company takes several visits and signatures: the application, the name, the lease, the memorandum, the bank account and the licence. A shareholder who is abroad or busy can give a power of attorney to someone who will do this for them. That person is often a formation agent, a partner or a relative. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, a power of attorney is either general or special. A general power written in general terms covers acts of management only, so a formation power should list each act it allows. It should also name the company, its legal form and where it will be set up, even though the company does not exist yet.

Formation powers of attorney we prepare

Individual shareholder

from AED 1,500

A person gives an agent power to set up the company in their name.

Send the draft

Corporate shareholder

from AED 1,500

A parent company names who will set up its UAE company.

Send the draft

Licence and registry steps

from AED 1,500

Name, application, approvals and collecting the licence.

Send the draft

Bank account opening

from AED 1,500

Opening the new company’s account, if the bank accepts an attorney.

Send the draft

Signing the memorandum

from AED 1,500

Signing the memorandum of association for a shareholder who cannot attend.

Send the draft

Government files

from AED 1,500

Establishment card, visas and other government transactions.

Send the draft

What the document must contain

The shareholder

Full name and passport details, or the parent company’s name as on its registration.

The proposed company

Proposed name, legal form, activity, and the emirate or free zone.

The attorney

Full name and passport or Emirates ID number.

The specific acts

Each step listed: apply, sign the lease, sign the memorandum, open the account, collect the licence.

Any limits

For example no borrowing, no sale of shares, or a capital limit.

The term

There is no general legal validity period. State when it ends, for example on issue of the licence or on a date.

The governing language

One line saying which text prevails if Arabic and English differ.

Three ways to get it notarised

At our Business Bay office

In person with our in-house notary public.

Book a visit

Online notary

Online notary public services for shareholders who cannot come in.

Ask about online

Home visit notary

We come to your home, office or hospital in the UAE.

Book a home visit

How it works

Send the details

Your passport, the proposed company details and the checklist from the authority or your agent.

We check the scope

Each act the attorney must do, and nothing more.

We draft in Arabic and English

With the acts, the limits and the term.

You sign, we notarise

Our in-house notary public notarises it at our office, online or at your address.

What it costs

Document	Fee	What we need
Power of attorney	from AED 1,500	Draft, passports and IDs
Memorandum of association	from AED 600	Owner consent, passport or ID, originals and copies
Board resolution (corporate shareholder)	from AED 2,000	Word draft, trade licence, share certificate, passport or ID
AOA, trade licence or incorporation certificate	from AED 500	Originals and copies, passport or ID

Fees may vary with the document; we confirm the figure before you sign.

What to bring

Your original passport and Emirates ID if you have one, the attorney’s passport copy, and the proposed company details. A corporate shareholder also brings its registration papers and the board resolution approving the setup.

Mainland company

Set up with Dubai Economy and Tourism or another emirate’s economic department. The formation papers go there.

Free zone company

Set up with the free zone authority, such as DMCC. Each free zone has its own document list, so the power of attorney names the free zone.

A memorandum of association being signed

Name the company before it exists

The company has no licence yet, so the document names the proposed company: its name, legal form, activity and location. If the name may change, say the power covers the company under any approved name.

Who signs, and what we check

Each shareholder giving the power

A parent company’s authorised signatory

Original passport or Emirates ID

The attorney’s name against their passport

The proposed name and legal form

The emirate or free zone named

Each act against the authority’s checklist

The end date or end event

Why formation powers of attorney are refused

Most refusals come from four problems. The document lists a general power instead of the specific setup steps. The emirate or free zone is not named. A corporate shareholder signed without a board resolution behind it. The document was signed abroad and not legalised. Each one can be checked before signing, so we check them first.

Common problems and the fix

Wording too general

List each setup step the attorney must do.

Location not named

Name the emirate or free zone where the company will be set up.

No board resolution

A corporate shareholder approves the setup and the attorney by resolution first.

Signed abroad, not legalised

Notarise it there, attest it in that country and at the UAE embassy, then at MOFAIC in the UAE.

Name changed during approval

Cover the company under any name the authority approves.

After notarisation

Give it to the attorney

The attorney presents it at each step of the setup.

Sign the formation papers

The attorney signs the application and, where accepted, the memorandum.

Collect the licence

The attorney collects the licence and hands the papers to you.

Close it off

When the company is set up, let the term end or revoke the power.

A contract being signed with a fountain pen

Cancelling or changing it

You can revoke the power of attorney at any time. Notarise the revocation and send it to every authority, bank and person holding a copy. To change the scope, grant a new one and revoke the old.