Frequently Asked Questions

What distinguishes a General POA from a Special POA?

A General POA delegates authority across categories of matter; a Special POA delegates authority to perform a single defined act. The distinction is categorical, not gradient. The choice between them follows from what the attorney is being asked to do: continuing authority across unidentified matters calls for the first, a defined transaction calls for the second.

Does a General POA extend to property transactions by default?

Not reliably. Property transactions in the UAE are subject to institutional requirements that typically call for express authority naming the property or the transaction type. A General POA drafted in conventional terms may be read as reaching property administration but not property dispositions. Where a property transaction is contemplated, the property-specific instrument is the appropriate one.

Does the principal's death end a General POA?

Do not assume an ordinary POA remains usable after the principal’s death or loss of capacity, or that a drafting formula changes the applicable law. The effect on any act already performed — including where the attorney or a third party was unaware of the death — requires separate assessment under the applicable law and the instrument. Stop relying on the instrument and obtain case-specific advice from a qualified legal practitioner and the receiving authority.

Does a General POA need to be notarised?

For use in the UAE, a General POA is notarised before a UAE notary or through one of the digital notarisation channels. Notarisation is the formal act by which the instrument ac-quires the form required for institutional acceptance.

What is the position on a General POA executed abroad?

A General POA executed abroad for use in the UAE must be authenticated for UAE use. The UAE is not a Contracting Party to the Hague Apostille Convention (HCCH status table, checked 10 September 2026), so an apostille alone does not replace the UAE authentication route. For a foreign-issued POA used at the Dubai Land Department, DLD’s published chain is: notarisation in the issuing country, attestation by that country’s foreign ministry, legalisation at the UAE embassy or consulate there, and attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs on arrival, with a sworn Arabic translation where the document is not in Arabic. Confirm the document, translation and submission requirements with the receiving authority before execution. Detailed attestation requirements are covered on notarization.ae.

How is a General POA revoked?

Revocation is the principal’s deliberate termination of the authority. The substantive de-cision sits with the principal; the procedural execution is owned by poacancellation.ae.