GuidesPower of Attorney
General vs Special Power of Attorney in the UAE (2026)
General vs special power of attorney in the UAE: what each one covers, which one a sale needs, how long it lasts, notary fees and how to cancel.
Written byAnton PirinenFounder & CEO of Blanket
Key Takeaways
- A general power of attorney covers matters in broad terms. A special power of attorney names the exact acts and assets
- Selling needs a special authority that names the sale, so a broad grant alone is not enough to sell
- The person you appoint acts within what the POA gives them. If you do not want them to collect the sale money, write that limit into the POA
- ADJD English Bureau POAs run for at most 3 years, and DLD accepts a sale POA for 2 years from notarisation
- Blanket's preparation fee starts from AED 299. Notary fees are separate, such as AED 100 per signing party plus AED 20 at Dubai Courts
General vs special power of attorney in the UAE: the short answer
The difference is how precisely the POA names what the person you appoint can do. A general POA gives authority over a range of matters in broad terms. A special POA names the acts, and usually the asset, one by one.
The difference matters most when property or money changes hands. If the job is selling a flat or a car, the POA has to name that sale.
This guide is general information about UAE rules, not legal advice.
What does a general power of attorney cover?
A general POA lists broad areas, such as dealing with government offices or handling everyday matters while you are away. It suits people who want one trusted person to take care of routine tasks. Blanket's general power of attorney covers this kind of everyday help.
Its width is also its limit. Banks, registries and courts read a POA against the act in front of them. A broad grant that never names a sale does not give authority to sell.
What does a special power of attorney cover?
A special POA names each act and, where it applies, the asset. For a property that means the address or plot number. For a vehicle it means the plate and chassis number.
You decide exactly what goes in and where the line sits. A condition can be written in too, such as a floor price on a sale, or no sale to the person you appoint or their family. The notary reviews that wording at signing and can refuse it.
Blanket prepares a special power of attorney for one job, such as selling a car, selling or buying property, managing a property or bank tasks. For property, see our property POA guide.
Which one do you need?
Most jobs people search for are specific, so most need a special POA.
| Job | General or special | What the POA should name | Limit to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selling a property in Dubai | Special | The sale and the unit, and whether the person you appoint may collect the price | DLD accepts a sale POA for 2 years |
| Buying a property in Dubai | Special | The purchase and the unit | DLD accepts a purchase POA for 5 years |
| Property in Abu Dhabi | Special | The act and the plot | ADJD English Bureau POAs run for at most 3 years |
| Selling a car | Special | The sale, the plate and the chassis number | A broad grant alone is not enough to sell |
| Bank tasks | Either: general for everyday banking, special for one named job | The bank and how far the person you appoint can go | The bank reads it against its own requirements |
| Hospital paperwork | Either | Bills, records, insurance forms and other admin paperwork | Not for medical treatment decisions |
A general POA fits when you want broad, ongoing help with routine matters and no single big transaction is involved.
What the person you appoint can and cannot do
The person you appoint acts within the authority the POA gives them. The scope and the limits written in the POA are what count.
If you do not want the person you appoint to collect the sale money, write that limit into the POA. You can also write in where the money must be paid.
A company can grant a POA. The person signing for it needs authority under the memorandum or their appointment. An LLC manager usually has it (Commercial Companies Law Art 83). A name on the trade licence alone is not authority to sign.
How long does each one last?
A UAE POA can run for a set period, to a fixed end date, or until the job is done. How long it can run depends on the notary route and on who will receive it. If you want a POA with no end date, the route and the intended use need checking first.
Some limits are published:
- ADJD English Bureau POAs run for at most 3 years.
- Dubai Land Department accepts a sale, mortgage or grant (gift) POA for 2 years from notarisation, and a purchase POA for 5 years.
- ADGM offers a POA with no set end date only for use outside the UAE.
A POA works while you are alive and ends at death. An ordinary POA is not a promise that the authority continues if you lose legal capacity.
A POA cannot do the job of a will, because it ends at death. If you are putting your affairs in order before a move, see our guides to ADJD will registration and registering a will in Dubai.
Signing a POA from abroad
Living abroad does not by itself rule remote signing in or out. That depends on the authority, the transaction and your identity documents.
The Ministry of Justice digital service and the ADJD English Bureau both use UAE Pass. ADJD's published FAQ asks for a valid Emirates ID, with exceptions only by a court, prosecution or administrative authority decision. Having both still does not guarantee that a particular POA will be accepted.
A POA issued abroad can also go through the legalisation chain. That means a local notary, then that country's foreign ministry, then the UAE embassy there, then attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What each step needs depends on the country and on who will receive the POA.
Usually only you sign. Some POAs also need the person you appoint to sign. On the ADJD English Bureau route, for example, the person you appoint also signs when the POA includes signature authentication.
What it costs
There are two separate costs: preparing the POA, and notarising it.
Blanket's preparation fee depends on what the POA covers, and it is the same whether you start online or on a call.
| What the POA covers | Blanket preparation fee |
|---|---|
| A vehicle, inheritance authority or police clearance | AED 299 |
| General personal matters, property, personal banking, government paperwork, personal litigation or trademarks | AED 399 |
| Shares, investments or company authority | AED 499 |
One POA is charged once, at the highest bracket it covers. If one person needs separate POAs, the highest is charged once and each extra one is AED 100, so a vehicle POA plus a property POA is AED 499. The fee includes expert preparation of the POA, delivery to your account and help through notarisation. Any translation your notary route requires, including certified translation, is part of the fee. Wording is corrected free of charge until notarisation.
Notary fees are paid directly to the authority, never through Blanket.
| Notary | Published fee for a general or special POA |
|---|---|
| Dubai Courts | AED 100 per signing party plus AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee, not charged per year |
| ADJD | AED 100 per year of validity |
| ADGM, individuals | AED 100 per year of validity, plus USD 30 per year |
| ADGM, companies | AED 100 per year of validity, plus USD 100 fixed |
| ADGM, no set end date | AED 1,000 plus USD 270, only for a POA used outside the UAE |
These are the published bases, not a guaranteed total for every case. The Dubai Courts figure is for the court's own service. A private notary or typing centre may charge more.
How do you cancel a POA?
An ordinary POA can generally be cancelled. Rights of third parties, the interest of the person you appoint, the POA's own terms and the authority's procedure can all affect this. What a cancellation means for a deal already signed is a question for a lawyer on your facts.
Cancellation uses the relevant authority's process:
- Dubai Land Department publishes a service to cancel a property POA. It is free, takes about 20 minutes at DLD's main building, and needs a copy of the Emirates ID of you and the person you appointed, or a passport for non-residents.
- At ADGM, cancelling costs AED 100 plus USD 15 for individuals, and AED 100 plus USD 100 for companies.
A cancellation form that asks for the ID of the person you appointed does not by itself mean they have been told. Check how notice is given with the authority handling your cancellation.
How Blanket helps
Blanket prepares POAs for use in the UAE and is trusted by thousands of clients. You tell us the job, you choose what goes in, and an expert prepares the wording before you sign. Where the recipient has written requirements, the POA is prepared to them. No POA is guaranteed to be accepted by every bank or authority, because the recipient decides.
Prepare a POA that names exactly what you choose
Start your POAFrequently Asked Questions
Can a general power of attorney be used to sell property in Dubai?
No. A broad grant that does not name the sale is not enough. Dubai Land Department accepts a sale POA for 2 years from notarisation.
How long is a power of attorney valid in the UAE?
It runs for the period you set, within the limits of the notary route and the recipient. ADJD English Bureau POAs run for at most 3 years.
Can I make a power of attorney from outside the UAE?
Often, yes, but it depends on the authority and your documents. The UAE Pass routes need a valid Emirates ID. A POA issued abroad can instead go through the legalisation chain, ending with UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation.
How much does a power of attorney cost in the UAE?
Blanket's preparation fee starts from AED 299 and depends on what the POA covers. Notary fees are separate and paid to the authority, for example AED 100 per signing party plus AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee at Dubai Courts.
How do I cancel a power of attorney in Dubai?
Use the cancellation process of the relevant authority. For a property POA, Dubai Land Department publishes a free cancellation service that takes about 20 minutes, with ID for both you and the person you appointed.
Does the person I appoint need to attend the notary?
Usually only you sign. On the ADJD English Bureau route, the person you appoint also signs when the POA includes signature authentication.
Can a POA cover medical decisions?
No. A Blanket POA can cover hospital paperwork, such as bills, records and insurance forms, but not medical treatment decisions.
Official Sources
- ADGM Courts Notary Public
- Dubai Courts: Powers of Attorney Ratification
- Dubai Land Department: Request for Revocation of Power of Attorney
- Dubai Land Department: Frequently Asked Questions
- UAE Ministry of Justice: digital power of attorney service
- Abu Dhabi Judicial Department: Frequently Asked Questions