Notary services
Notary for power of attorney in Dubai: where to sign yours
Finding a notary for power of attorney in Dubai starts with one question: where will the person giving the power be on the day of signing? In Dubai, they can sign before our in-house notary public at our Business Bay office, at a home visit, at a Dubai Courts service centre, or online through the official remote channels. In another emirate, the power is signed at that emirate's notary office. Outside the UAE, it is signed before a notary in that country, or at a UAE embassy or consulate that offers notarial services.
This page takes each of those places in turn, then explains what the notary checks, how to choose between a general and a special power, how a power travels abroad, and what it costs.
- Only public notaries, private notaries and accredited UAE consuls carry out notarial duties in the UAE.
- UAE law sorts powers of attorney into general and special. A power written in general terms only lets the agent carry out acts of management.
- Selling, mortgaging, settling a dispute or pleading in court needs a special power that names the act.
- On the federal fee schedule, a power of attorney costs AED 100 per party in government fees.
- A power signed outside the UAE needs attestation in that country and then by MOFAIC before a UAE office will rely on it.
Case by case
Where you can sign a power of attorney in Dubai
There are four ways to sign in Dubai. Pick the one that suits the person giving the power.
Our office in Business Bay
You sign before our in-house notary public at 707 Burj Khalifa Blvd, Marasi Drive, Business Bay. An Arab notary public sits at the office. Office appointments are Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time), and WhatsApp requests are answered 24/7. More about the office is on our Business Bay office page.
A home visit
If the person giving the power cannot travel because of illness, age or work, the notary comes to the home, office or hospital. Private notaries in Dubai may act outside their office, and the Dubai Courts fee decision sets AED 1,000 per trip for that. Our side of the visit is priced on request. See notary on call.
A Dubai Courts service centre
Dubai Courts is the government notary for Dubai. Its service page for powers of attorney, as archived in March 2023, listed centres at Wafi Mall, the Traffic Department in Al Barsha, Al Barsha Mall, Hatta Centre and Al Yalayis. Check the live Dubai Courts site before you go. Our guide to Dubai Courts notary public locations covers each one.
Online, through the official channels
The same Dubai Courts page says signatures on a power of attorney are attested through virtual or personal attendance. On the federal system, the Ministry of Justice runs an E-Notary System and a digital power of attorney service: you apply online, sign with UAE PASS and receive the power electronically. We prepare the text and set up the remote session through these channels where your document allows it.
Signing in another emirate or outside the UAE
A power of attorney is signed where the person giving it is. Each emirate's notary works under its own system:
- Abu Dhabi: the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, under Abu Dhabi Law No. 11 of 2017. Its service manual lists AED 100 for each year a power of attorney runs. See our Abu Dhabi notary guide.
- Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain: the federal system and the Ministry of Justice. See where the Sharjah notary offices are and Ajman and its neighbours.
- Ras Al Khaimah: RAK Courts, which keeps its own judicial department.
- Outside the UAE: a local notary first, then attestation by the foreign ministry of that country, by the UAE mission in that country and finally by MOFAIC. A UAE embassy or consulate that offers notarial services is the other route.
The DIFC Courts notary service is a separate, narrower service. Its published list covers oaths, affidavits, declarations and true copies, not powers of attorney. For every emirate's offices on one page, see notary offices across the UAE.
Side by side
General or special: which power do you need?
The Civil Transactions Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025), in force since 1 June 2026, sets the rules for agency in Articles 866 to 903. Article 869 allows an agency to be general, special, conditional or deferred to a future time. The difference that matters most is general against special.
| Question | General power of attorney | Special power of attorney |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Acts of management, when it is written in general terms | The acts it names, such as a sale, a mortgage or a court case |
| A typical use | Looking after a flat or a business while you are away | Selling a car or a flat, a court case, a settlement |
| What the law says | Article 871: general wording gives acts of management only | Article 870: acts beyond management need a special power that names them |
Most people need a special power, because the agent is going to sell, buy, settle or appear somewhere. Tell us what the agent has to do and we draft the power around those acts. Our pages on vehicle powers of attorney, court case powers of attorney and special power of attorney requirements go further.
What the notary checks at the signing
At every office, the notary looks at the same basic points before the seal goes on:
- Your identity, from your Emirates ID or passport. The federal notary law names the ID card, the passport or another official UAE document.
- That you understand the power and agree to it. Under the federal law, the notary reads out the content and explains its effect.
- The language. Dubai law requires the instrument in Arabic, and a document in another language needs a certified Arabic translation, signed in both versions.
- The agent's details. Dubai Courts asks for the agent's Emirates ID details, or a copy of their Emirates ID or passport.
- The document the power is about: a title deed for a property power, a vehicle ownership certificate for a car.
If you do not speak the notary's language, the federal law has the notary engage an interpreter from the Ministry's register. That is separate from translating the document.
Taking a power of attorney abroad, or bringing one in
A power signed in Dubai for use in another country is attested by MOFAIC, then by that country's embassy or consulate in the UAE. MOFAIC charges AED 150 for an individual document and AED 2,000 for a commercial one. Its lists put a power of attorney of a personal nature with individual documents, and a general or commercial power with commercial documents, so the wording of your power can change the fee.
A power signed abroad for use in Dubai goes the other way: a notary there, the foreign ministry of that country, the UAE mission there, and last MOFAIC here. Because the UAE is not a member of the Apostille Convention, an apostille on its own is not accepted in place of this chain. Our page on consulate notary and foreign documents explains when your own consulate is the better office.
Power of attorney
Prices
Cost
| What | Fee |
|---|---|
| Government fee, federal schedule | AED 100 per party |
| Private notary on the federal schedule | AED 130 per party |
| Dubai private notary | AED 100 per party registration plus AED 100 per signature |
| Notarising a translation in the instrument, federal schedule | AED 50 per page |
| MOFAIC attestation, if the power goes abroad | AED 150 individual, AED 2,000 commercial |
| A power of attorney prepared by us | From AED 1,500 |
All service prices are starting prices and are negotiable. Government fees are paid on top, at cost, exactly as the authority charges them. We confirm your final price before you pay.
Dubai Courts sets its own fees for the government notary, so check the current figure on its site before you go. The full lists are on notary public charges and our services.
Step by step
How we prepare your power of attorney
1
Tell us the acts
Send the names, the passports and what the agent must do, on WhatsApp or by email.
2
We draft it
We write the power in Arabic and English, name each act, and check every detail against the passports and the supporting document.
3
You sign
Before our in-house notary public in Business Bay, at a home visit, or online through the official channels where your document allows it.
4
It goes where it is needed
We take it through MOFAIC if it travels, and courier the original within Dubai from AED 80.
02
When a power of attorney ends
A power ends when the work is done, when the term written in it runs out, or on the death or loss of capacity of either side (Article 897). The law sets no fixed number of years; the term is whatever the power says. An office that receives the power can still set its own rule on how recent it must be, so ask that office first.
Article 898 lets you withdraw or limit the agent's authority whenever you choose. The exceptions are a power that protects another person's right and a power given in the agent's own interest. Tell the agent and anyone who deals with them. Our page on the notice of revocation of a power of attorney shows how that is done through a notary.
Can I sign a power of attorney in Dubai without visiting an office?
Yes. The notary can come to you on a home visit, or you can sign online through the official remote channels where the document allows it, such as the Ministry of Justice digital power of attorney service.
Does the agent have to come to the signing?
Usually not. The person giving the power signs it. The notary needs the agent's details, such as their Emirates ID number or passport, to write them into the power.
Is a general power of attorney enough to sell a property or a car?
Not if it is written in general terms. Under Article 871 such a power covers acts of management only, and Article 870 requires a special power that names a sale. Ask us to check the wording before you rely on an old power.
Does a power of attorney expire in the UAE?
Yes, when the term written in it ends, when the work is done, or when it is revoked. The law sets no fixed number of years, but an office that receives a power can set its own rule on how recent it must be.
Can a power of attorney signed in Dubai be used in India or another country?
Yes, once it is attested by MOFAIC and by that country's embassy or consulate in the UAE. Some countries have their own forms, so check with the embassy first.
Contact
Talk to us
Tell us who is giving the power, who receives it and what they must do. We will tell you where to sign and send you a starting price.
Phone and WhatsApp
Office
707 Burj Khalifa Blvd, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time)
Notary services
More in this section
Hub
Notarization services in Dubai: in-house notary public at our Business Bay office, online notary through the official channels, and home visits.
Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Civil Transactions Law, Articles 866 to 903: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the notary profession, Articles 3, 5, 7 and 8: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai: https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4)%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, Article 2 and items 9 and 11: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Dubai Courts private notary fee decision, Dubai Media Office: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public
- Dubai Courts, Power of Attorneys Ratification service page (archived 16 March 2023): https://web.archive.org/web/20230316055912/https://www.dc.gov.ae/PublicServices/GessServiceDetails.aspx?lang=en&ServiceCode=G4
- Ministry of Justice, writing and authentication of contracts and deeds (digital power of attorney): https://www.moj.gov.ae/en/services/services-categories/notary-public-and-authentication/writing-and-authentication-of-contracts-and-deeds.aspx
- Ministry of Justice E-Notary System: https://www.moj.gov.ae/en/services/esystems/e-notary.aspx
- Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, notary public: https://www.adjd.gov.ae/EN/Pages/notarypublics.aspx
- The federal judiciary and the local judicial departments: https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/the-uae-government/the-federal-judiciary
- DIFC Courts Notary Service: https://www.difccourts.ae/difc-courts/services/notary-service
- MOFAIC attestation FAQ: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- HCCH Apostille Convention status table: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41