Power of Attorney for Property UAE: Sell, Buy or Manage

Power of attorney for property in the UAE: the short answer

A power of attorney for property in the UAE lets a person you choose sign and file property paperwork while you are alive, whether you are here or abroad. It works within what it lists. Selling needs a special authority that names the sale, so a broad grant that never mentions a sale does not let anyone sell your flat. If you do not want the person you appoint to collect the sale money, write that limit into the POA.

You also need to watch the clock. Dubai Land Department accepts a sale, mortgage or grant (gift) POA for 2 years from notarisation and a purchase POA for 5 years.

ADJD English Notary Bureau POAs run for at most 3 years.

Blanket's preparation fee for a property POA is AED 299, with expert review. Notary fees are separate and paid at the authority. Dubai Courts charges AED 100 per party plus AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation. No POA is guaranteed to be accepted by every registry or bank, because the recipient decides.

This guide is general information about UAE rules, not legal advice.

What a property POA can cover

The document is built around the job in front of you. Most people need one of these.

• Sale. Signing the sale, the transfer at the registry and handover. Whether the person you appoint may receive the price is your decision, so say it in the POA.
• Purchase. Signing with the seller or developer, the payment steps and registration for one identified unit.
• Management. Leases, services, utility accounts and the day to day for one property.
• Mortgage. Either releasing an existing mortgage or registering a new one. These are different powers. Choose the one you actually need rather than taking both by default.
• Gift. Transfer and registration to the person you name.

You decide what goes in and where the line sits. A condition can be written in too, such as a floor price on a sale, or a rule against a sale to the person you appoint or to their family. The notary reviews that wording at signing, so it can be written in but it is not guaranteed to pass.

Name the act and the property

Registries read a POA against the exact act and the exact asset in front of them. So the document should carry both: the act, and the property by address or plot number. Whether it is accepted is still the recipient's decision.

Selling needs a special authority naming that act. A general POA that never names the sale is not enough to sell. Dubai Land Department describes the person you appoint as acting within the authority granted, so the scope and the limits you write in are what count.

Selling a property with a POA

For a sale, the POA should name the sale, the unit, the registration of the transfer and the handover. Then decide, on purpose, whether the person you appoint may receive the price.

• Dubai Land Department's published limit for a sale, mortgage or grant (gift) POA is 2 years from notarisation, so an older POA falls outside it. Check the current requirement with Dubai Land Department before you rely on it.
• 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 floor price or another limit can be written into the document. A written limit states the authority you give. Blanket cannot promise how a recipient or a court will treat a deal outside it.

If you will not be in the UAE to sign, the section on signing from outside the UAE below covers your options.

Buying a property with a POA

Dubai Land Department accepts a purchase POA for 5 years. That suits a purchase that runs over several payment stages.

Name the unit and the terms the person you appoint may sign at, such as the price and the payment plan. The developer and the registry set their own requirements for the wording they want to see. The POA is prepared to those requirements and checked against them. The decision to accept it still sits with them.

Which authority notarises it, and what it costs

There are two separate costs: preparing the document, and notarising it.

Blanket's preparation fee for a property POA is AED 299. That includes preparing the POA, expert review, delivery to your account and help through notarisation. Any translation your notary route requires, including certified translation, is part of the preparation fee, never an extra Blanket charge. Wording is corrected free of charge until notarisation.

One POA is charged once, at the highest bracket it covers. Separate POAs add up. Two property POAs are AED 598. A vehicle POA plus a property POA is AED 498.

Notary, legalisation and registry fees are paid by you directly to the authority, never through Blanket.

These are 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.

ADGM service notice, checked 31 October 2026: ADGM has suspended new submissions through 6 November 2026 and says submissions reopen on 9 November 2026 at 9am UAE time. Check the current ADGM notice before making arrangements.

Language differs by route. ADGM requires Arabic and English documents translated and certified by a Ministry of Justice licensed translator, unless the receiving entity requires Arabic only. ADJD has an English Notary Bureau route, so not every ADJD POA needs Arabic translation.

Sharjah Law 8 of 2025 regulates judicial fees, including notarial transactions, and took effect on 1 January 2026. Blanket prepares POAs for use in the UAE.

Using a Dubai POA in Abu Dhabi and the other way round

If your POA was notarised by Dubai Courts, you can upload it to Dari for use in Abu Dhabi. Dari reviews the document before registering it. In Dubai, you can attach a POA from another emirate when registering a tenancy through Ejari.

For a sale or purchase, have the registry handling the transfer check your POA before you make arrangements. It needs to cover the right powers and be recent enough for that transaction.

Signing from outside the UAE

Being abroad does not decide whether you can sign remotely. That depends on the authority, the transaction and your identity credentials.

1. Check the route. The Ministry of Justice digital path and the ADJD English Notary Bureau both use UAE Pass. ADJD's published FAQ requires a valid Emirates ID, with exceptions only by a decision of a court, prosecution or the relevant administrative authority.
2. Book the appointment. A confirmed ADJD Bureau remote appointment can include a video call.
3. Sign. Usually only you sign. Some POAs also need the person you appoint to sign, such as an ADJD English Bureau POA that includes signature authentication.

Another published route for a POA issued abroad is the legalisation chain: a local notary, that country's foreign ministry, the UAE embassy there, then UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation. What each step needs depends on the issuing country and on the authority that will receive the POA.

A valid Emirates ID and UAE Pass still do not by themselves guarantee that a particular POA is accepted.

How long it lasts and when it ends

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:

• Dubai Land Department accepts a sale, mortgage or grant (gift) POA for 2 years from notarisation.
• Dubai Land Department accepts a purchase POA for 5 years.
• ADJD English Notary Bureau POAs run for at most 3 years.
• ADGM offers a POA with no set end date only for use outside the UAE.

An ordinary POA generally ends on death or loss of legal capacity. Narrow statutory exceptions exist, so do not assume a particular POA continues after either event.

That is why a POA cannot do the job of a will. If your UAE property should pass to the people you choose, the will is the separate document. See our guides to registering a will in Dubai, the routes compared for wills in Dubai and ADJD will registration. ADJD lists AED 950 for standard will registration and AED 2,500 for special will registration. Confirm which service applies before paying.

Cancelling a property 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.

• 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.

Companies that own property

A company can be the grantor of a property POA. The person signing for the company needs authority under the memorandum of association or their appointment, and an LLC manager usually has it (Commercial Companies Law Art 83). A name on the trade licence alone is not authority to sign.

A company grantor on its own does not add a Blanket charge. The price follows what the POA covers. At ADGM, a company pays the company notary rate shown above.

How Blanket helps

Blanket prepares POAs online for use in the UAE, from the team behind more than 2,000 UAE wills. You tell us the property job, you choose what goes in and where the line sits, and an expert reviews the wording before you sign. Where the registry, lender or developer has written requirements, the POA is prepared to them and checked against them. Wording is corrected free of charge until notarisation. Blanket Care is included, free for the first year and then AED 149 a year.

No POA is guaranteed to be accepted by every registry, bank or authority, because the recipient decides. Blanket is an estate-planning technology platform. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a general power of attorney be used to sell property in the UAE?

Not unless it names the sale. Selling needs a special authority naming that act. A broad document that lists general property matters, with no mention of a sale, does not give the power to sell your flat.

How long is a property power of attorney valid in Dubai?

You set the period, and the recipient applies its own limit. Dubai Land Department accepts a sale, mortgage or grant (gift) POA for 2 years from notarisation, and a purchase POA for 5 years.

Can the person I appoint receive the sale money?

Decide this on purpose and write it into the POA. If you do not want the person you appoint to collect the money, write that limit into the POA. If you do want them to handle it, say where it must go.

Can I make a property power of attorney while I am outside the UAE?

Often, yes, but it depends on the authority, the transaction and your documents. The Ministry of Justice digital path and the ADJD English Notary Bureau use UAE Pass, and ADJD's published FAQ requires 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 property power of attorney cost in the UAE?

Blanket's preparation fee for a property POA is AED 299, including expert review and any translation your route requires. Notary fees are separate and paid at the authority. Dubai Courts charges AED 100 per party plus AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation. ADJD lists AED 100 per year of validity, plus AED 500 if signature authorisation is added.

Can I use a Dubai power of attorney for a property in Abu Dhabi?

Yes, you can submit a Dubai Courts POA to Dari for review and registration. Check it with the registry before arranging the transfer, especially if it was signed some time ago.

How do I cancel a property power of attorney?

Use the cancellation process of the relevant authority. Dubai Land Department publishes a free cancellation service for a property POA that takes about 20 minutes, with ID for both you and the person you appointed. At ADGM it costs AED 100 plus USD 15 for individuals.

Does the person I appoint have to attend the signing?

Usually only you sign. Some POAs also need the person you appoint to sign, such as an ADJD English Bureau POA that includes signature authentication. Check the requirements for your appointment.

Official Sources

• Dubai Land Department: Request for Revocation of Power of Attorney
• Dubai Land Department: Frequently Asked Questions
• Dubai Courts: Powers of Attorney Ratification
• Dari: Register Power of Attorney (Third Party)
• ADGM Courts Notary Public
• ADJD Notary Public and Authentication Service Guide
• ADJD frequently asked questions
• UAE Ministry of Justice: digital power of attorney service
• Sharjah Official Gazette: Law 8 of 2025 on judicial fees
• Dubai Land Department: Register or Renew Ejari Contract
• Dubai Legislation Portal: public notary fee schedule
• ADJD Civil Family Court: will registration fees
• UAE Civil Transactions Law: Federal Decree-Law 25 of 2025