Guide · updated 02.09.2026 · 13 min read · Lucent Legal team

Power of Attorney in Dubai: Cost, Where to Get One, and Using It Back Home — 2026

Search "power of attorney Dubai cost" and you're probably in one of two spots: closing a property deal without sitting in a notary queue, or needing someone back home to handle your affairs while you're in the Emirates. It's one document with wildly different procedures and prices, depending on its purpose and which country it has to work in. This covers the POA types, where to get one in Dubai, the Arabic translation rule, and — separately — how to make a POA that actually holds up back home.

Types of POA: general vs special

A general POA grants broad powers; a special POA is locked to one named action. General covers managing bank accounts, property, a business, or representing you in court and with government bodies. A special POA (also called specific POA) does one thing: sell one specific apartment, collect one specific document, represent you in one specific case.

For property deals, the choice is already made for you. Since 2026 the Dubai Land Department accepts only a special POA that names the Title Deed number and describes the specific transaction, valid for no more than two years. A general POA won't push a property sale through DLD.

Where to get a POA in Dubai: Dubai Courts notary

The cheapest baseline is a government notary (Public Notary) under Dubai Courts. It runs in two formats:

1. In person — at a Dubai Courts notary office, with your passport and Emirates ID (or the equivalent for a non-resident).
2. Online via e-Notary — a Dubai Courts service where notarization happens over video call with OTP confirmation through UAE Pass; the document is issued digitally and carries the same legal weight as an in-person notarization.

The official notary fee schedule comes from UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024: from AED 100 up to a cap of AED 15,000 per document, and for documents valued at AED 100,000 or more, 0.5% of the transaction value within that same cap. In practice, sources put a standard personal POA at around AED 100–300 for a government-notary signature. Agencies offering a full "turnkey" package (drafting, translation, notarization) charge noticeably more — from AED 500 up to AED 1,000–1,200 for a corporate POA. Sources disagree meaningfully here — confirm the exact fee for your case with the notary or a lawyer before you file.

Private notaries — paying for speed and convenience

A private notary charges the same official POA fee, plus a premium for speed. These are independent specialists licensed by the UAE Ministry of Justice, working alongside Dubai Courts. The premium buys extended hours, a visit to your location, consultation, and faster turnaround with no queue. For a time-sensitive deal — closing a property transaction on a tight deadline, for instance — that can add another AED 100–300 or more, depending on the office.

Getting a POA without flying to the UAE

Full remote notarization runs through e-Notary, but registration needs a UAE identifier. Dubai's Resolution No. (137) of 2022 on digital notary processes sets the rule: a resident signs up with an Emirates ID, a non-resident with the unified number of a UAE entry permit. The notary's video call runs from 07:00 to 21:00.

So if you have never entered the UAE, there is nothing to register with. Agencies advertise POAs "from anywhere in the world" — ask which number they will register you under before you pay.

The second route needs no travel at all. A notary in your country certifies the POA, then it goes through your foreign ministry, the UAE embassy, MOFA attestation, and a translation by a UAE-accredited legal translator. Budget one to three weeks. The full chain is in the document legalisation guide.

Arabic translation is mandatory

If your POA isn't in Arabic, courts, the DLD, and most authorities require an official translation. Arabic is the official language of UAE courts, the Land Department, and government departments. And not just any translation: it must come from a translator accredited by the UAE Ministry of Justice (a legal/certified translator). A DIY version or one from an unaccredited agency won't be accepted. For DLD property deals, the document is usually required in bilingual format (Arabic/English) — an English-only version isn't accepted.

This is the same logic behind document legalisation and the apostille question: an apostille simply doesn't work in the UAE (it isn't a Hague Convention member), so a POA moving between the UAE and another country always runs through the chain of notary → MOFA attestation → the destination country's consulate — no apostille step at any stage.

Using a UAE power of attorney back in your home country

For a POA that lets someone back home act for you — sell a property, collect documents, represent you in court — you generally have two routes, and they differ sharply in time, cost, and final status.

Route 1 — your home country's consulate in Dubai. Many consulates in Dubai issue powers of attorney directly, under their own consular fee schedule. The advantage: a consular POA is an act of your own country's consul, so it needs no further legalisation to be used back home — it's valid immediately. Turnaround and fees vary by country and by what the POA covers, so check with your specific consulate. (The Russian version of this guide has the exact figures and process for the Russian consulate in Dubai, since that route is well documented: roughly $40–70 depending on the type of POA, with processing in about 5 business days.)

Route 2 — a local UAE notary plus consular legalisation. The POA is notarized at Dubai Courts or a private notary as above, then runs through MOFA attestation (the UAE foreign ministry — roughly AED 2,000 for a commercial-type document like a POA) and then legalisation at your home country's consulate in the UAE. This route is longer (MOFA attestation alone can take days to a couple of weeks, plus a consulate appointment) and almost always costs more in total than going straight to the consulate. It's sometimes unavoidable, though, when you need the POA to work in both the UAE and your home country at once, in English/Arabic.

How long a POA stays valid

There is no single term — it depends on the emirate and the document. In Dubai, a POA for a property sale runs for two years. Abu Dhabi caps most POAs at three years, and five for a POA to a lawyer. Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah set no fixed expiry unless the document states one.

A special POA also dies on its own the moment the task is done. Sources disagree on property POAs in Dubai — some say one year, some two. Write the term into the document and confirm it with the notary before signing.

How to revoke a power of attorney

You can revoke a POA at any time while you remain legally competent. Draft and notarize a revocation notice (sometimes called an Acknowledgement of Cancellation) at the same type of notary that issued the original, then notify everyone who relied on it — the bank, the DLD, the person holding the POA. The fee for notarizing a revocation is usually lower than for the original — sources put it around AED 100–200 to certify the signature on the notice. If the POA was already presented to a specific institution (a bank, the Land Department), notify that institution directly too — revoking at the notary doesn't automatically block a copy already submitted somewhere.

Watch out: fake powers of attorney as an asset-grab scheme

A forged or fraudulently obtained POA can be turned into a tool to seize someone else's assets. According to media reports, 2026 has seen a rise in such cases in the UAE, with property owners and holders of large bank balances the most common targets. The scheme is dangerous because, to a bank or broker, the transaction looks routine: the POA has passed formal notarization and legalisation, and without prior knowledge of the victim, spotting a forgery on the spot is close to impossible.

So if you didn't sign a power of attorney but learn one exists in your name, don't wait for it to be used in a transaction. Contact your bank to freeze activity on the account, and go to the police in parallel. For where to report fraud in the UAE and what you can realistically recover, see the guide on reporting fraud in Dubai.

When to bring in a lawyer

A POA for a certificate or a one-off errand is something plenty of people handle themselves in a single notary visit. Bring in a lawyer if the POA grants control over property or a large sum, if you need the document to work in two jurisdictions at once, if you're revoking an earlier POA in a hurry over suspected fraud, or if the English and Arabic wording has to match exactly without losing legal meaning. A mistake here doesn't cost a lost day — it can hand a stranger access to your assets.

Topic: Document Legalisation & Notary in the UAE 2026

This material is for information only and is not legal advice. UAE law changes — a lawyer will assess how it applies to your situation.