Guide to Power of Attorney Attestation from UK to Use in UAE

If you are currently in the United Kingdom (UK) and wondering how to issue a Power of Attorney to someone to complete certain tasks on your behalf in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) whilst you’re in the UK, then please keep on reading.

Issuing a POA or any document from UK to use in UAE often seems too complicated and lengthy process. However, with the right approach and knowledge, things can be simplified. Depending on your circumstances, you may either sign a POA in the UK and legalize it through the standard legalization which involves multiple steps or you may issue a POA online through online notarization with UAE notaries.

Although the UK is a party to the Apostille Convention, the UAE is not a party to it, therefore, the apostille document is not valid for usage in the UAE. Therefore, the document issued in the UK has to go through full authentication and legalization process, to be valid in UAE.

Standard Legalization Process:

1. POA Preparation in English (preferably with Arabic translation) – The first step is to get your POA drafted by an expert. It is very crucial to use the correct Power of Attorney content that is acceptable in the UAE, as redoing the document will be costly and time-consuming. The POA content that is acceptable in UK may not necessarily be accepted in the UAE because they follow different rules and requirements. For instance, a POA for property sale in Dubai has to specify the property details clearly to be valid.
2. Notarization – The next step is to get your POA notarized at a notary public office or by a solicitor in the UK.
3. Attestation by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) – This is the part of the legalization process where it confirms the signature of the UK official who conducted the certification. It confirms the authenticity of the signature, seal, or stamp on the attached UK public document. Authentication Certificate will be attached.
4. Attestation by the UAE Embassy in London – This attestation confirms that document has been legalized correctly, following the standard procedure. Official sticker of UAE Embassy-London Consular Section will be placed.
5. Attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) UAE – As the last and final step, this is where the document is fully & completely verified. Another UAE official sticker will be placed. Once done POA is ready & legal to use, unless the following step is applicable.
6. Attestation by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) of UAE (if applicable) – If your POA is going to be used in the court, Arabic translation and attestation by the Ministry of Justice would be required too.

Online Notarization:

Alternatively, instead of signing the POA in UK and having it legalized through the above steps, you can also sign a Power of Attorney online directly with the notary public in UAE. The online notarization removes the hassle of legalization and saves a lot of time. For individuals who are currently located outside the UAE, the online notarization can be the ideal option which eliminates the need to travel and saves a lot of time.

The steps of issuing a Power of Attorney through online notary in Dubai involves following steps:

1. Preparation of the Draft. Prior to the online notarization, the Power of Attorney has to be prepared in accordance with acceptable standards of the UAE.
2. Collection of Documentation. Depending on the Power of Attorney, the notaries require various documents including IDs and ownership documents in relation to assets.
3. Securing an Appointment with the Notary. Notarizing the document through online notarization requires attending a video call with original passport or Emirates ID by the person who will issue the Power of Attorney.
4. Authentication through OTP. As part of the authentication process the person issuing a POA receives one time password to sign the POA, which serves as electronic verification. Once the documents and identities are verified, the notary public officials notarize the Power of Attorney and issue digital POA, which can be used directly in UAE without any additional attestation.

Our company provides assistance with drafting a POA that is acceptable in UAE, reviewing and verifying the required documentation, securing an appointment with the notary, and with authentication process. To know more about online notarization service, please click here.

How POA.ae can help you? 

Whether you need a document attested from overseas for use in the UAE or vice versa, POA.ae can manage the whole attestation process so you don’t have to visit numerous authorities and embassies in different countries to get your documents legalized. We can even arrange to have your documents collected from, and delivered to, anywhere within or outside the UAE.
We’re able to attest a range of documents for use in the UAE from overseas or vice versa. The most common documents we can help with attesting include (but are not limited to):

• Power of Attorneys
• Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates
• Educational Qualifications
• Identification Documents
• Financial and Tax Documents
• Police Clearance Documents
• Company Documents (License, MOA, Certificate of Incorporation, Share Certificate, etc.)

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for general information purposes only and does not constitute as legal advice nor should it be used as a basis for any specific action or decision. Nothing on this page is to be considered as creating a lawyer-client relationship or as rendering of legal advice or legal services for any specific matter. Users of this website are advised to seek specific legal advice from their lawyer or a legal counsel regarding any specific legal issues.