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?

Yes. The authority of an attorney to act on the principal’s behalf cannot survive the principal. Acts performed after the principal’s death produce no legal effect, regardless of whether the attorney was aware of the death at the time.

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?

The United Arab Emirates acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention, which entered into force for the UAE in February 2026. A General POA executed abroad for use in the UAE must be authenticated for UAE use: where executed in a Convention member state, an apostille issued by the competent authority in the issuing country may be presented in place of the former full consular legalisation chain, with operational acceptance at the receiving UAE institution to be confirmed before reliance; where executed in a non-member state, full consular legalisation through the issuing country’s authorities and UAE MOFAIC remains required. 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.