Power of Attorney for Property
What is a property power of attorney in the UAE?
A property Power of Attorney is a notarised legal document by which a principal authorises an agent to act on their behalf in a real estate disposition before the Dubai Land Department. It is used in sale, purchase, gift, mortgage, usufruct, and musataha transactions.
DLD’s current guidance on the acceptance and verification of POAs submitted for real estate dispositions in Dubai is set out in Circular No. 29/R/2025, which operates alongside the federal Civil Transactions Law and the federal notary regime. Confirm its current requirements with the Dubai Land Department or the Real Estate Registration Trustee before relying on an instrument.
The Circular is Dubai Land Department guidance on the acceptance and verification of POAs used in real estate dispositions. It is understood to address wording by transaction type, verification through the issuing authority’s official records, acceptance limits and the routing of sale proceeds; the original text has not been reproduced here, so confirm its current requirements with the receiving DLD service or trustee before relying on an instrument.
The DLD has historically preferred Special POAs naming the specific property and the specific transaction. The Circular reinforces this by requiring transaction-specific wording. A General POA can be accepted only where it expressly authorises the named transaction type using the Circular’s terminology and references the property — at which level of specificity, a Special POA is the cleaner instrument.
The POA must use the prescribed wording for the relevant transaction type. For sale, formulations include “sale of real estate,” “sale of immovable property,” “transfer for consideration,” and “sale to oneself or to others.” For purchase, “joint purchase,” “co-purchase,” or “purchase for oneself with explicit specification of the ownership share.” Mortgage, gift, usufruct, and musataha each have their own approved formulations. Generic language such as “full authority to manage property” is rejected.
Verification is conducted exclusively through the issuing authority’s official electronic platform: the Dubai Courts portal, the Abu Dhabi Courts portal, or the Ministry of Justice eNotary search. No other source of verification is accepted.
A QR code on the POA is not, by itself, the verification. It should lead to an official verification record at the issuing authority — the Dubai Courts, Abu Dhabi Courts or Ministry of Justice e-notary records — and the receiving DLD service or trustee confirms the accepted verification method. Check with them before the appointment rather than relying on the code alone.
The acceptance rule depends on the transaction. DLD’s published FAQ gives two years from notarisation for a POA used for a sale, mortgage or gift, and five years for a purchase. These are DLD transaction-acceptance limits rather than a universal lifespan: an open-ended POA should not be assumed usable at DLD indefinitely, and any earlier expiry, revocation or condition in the instrument applies. Check the instrument, its current status and the receiving authority’s requirements before use.
Yes, subject to validity periods and the authentication chain. The document must be notarised by the competent authority in the country of issuance, legalised by the UAE embassy or consulate in that country, and attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The UAE is not a Contracting Party to the Hague Apostille Convention (HCCH status table, checked 10 September 2026), so the authentication route does not depend on the issuing country’s membership and an apostille alone is not sufficient. For a foreign-issued POA used at DLD, DLD’s published chain is: notarisation in the country of issuance, 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. Where the document is not in Arabic, a legal translation by a UAE-licensed translator is required and may need to be attested in turn. Confirm the document, translation and submission requirements with the receiving institution before execution.
The original physical POA must be presented at the Real Estate Registration Centre. Uncertified electronic copies and scans are not accepted.
Arabic is the default. Bilingual Arabic-English POAs are accepted for property transactions. Where the document is not originally in Arabic, a certified Arabic translation by a UAE-licensed sworn legal translator is required.
Not on the basis of a generic POA. The default position is that funds go to the seller. Where a POA is used, acceptable methods are: a manager’s cheque in the seller’s name; a cheque in the agent’s name supported by a receipt explicitly stating the funds are received on behalf of the seller; or a notarised acknowledgement from the owner. The POA must expressly authorise receipt of funds.
For Emirati minors from Dubai, written approval from the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (Dubai) is mandatory. For Emirati minors from other emirates, a court order authorising the guardian or trustee is required. For non-national minors, a local judicial order is required. Where the minor is the transferee in a purchase or gift, the signature of the guardian, trustee, or curator is sufficient.
A client may appoint their broker as POA holder. However, the same broker cannot simultaneously act as broker — collecting commission — and as POA holder for the same client in the same transaction. This is DLD established practice. A sales progression officer or conveyancer who is not the deal broker may hold the POA without conflict.
In two steps. First, revocation is executed at the issuing notary — Dubai Courts, Ministry of Justice, or Private Notary. Second, the revocation is filed with the Dubai Land Department to remove the POA from the property record. Both steps are required for revocation to be effective on the DLD register. Article 955 of the Civil Code requires formal notice to the agent.
A copy of the Emirates ID cited in the POA must be provided, and the POA verified through the relevant portal. The Registrar cross-checks the principal’s name, Emirates ID, and passport number against DLD records. Mismatch should be resolved before lodging.
Yes, provided each authority is expressly stated using the Circular’s required wording for that transaction type. Stacking authorities into a single instrument is permissible, but each must be discrete. Generic wording covering “all property matters” is not sufficient.
For execution support, see poas.ae.
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Last reviewed: May 2026