Buying property with a power of attorney

When a POA makes sense

A POA lets a trusted person — a family member, lawyer or other representative — act for you at stages where your presence or signature is needed: signing Form F or the SPA, applying for the NOC, opening accounts, and attending the trustee office for transfer. It is useful if you live abroad or cannot be in Dubai on the transfer date. It also concentrates risk in one person, so choose carefully and keep the powers narrow.

What the POA should say

• Your full name and passport details, and the attorney's
• The specific property: community, building, unit number or plot (or a clear description if not yet chosen)
• The specific acts allowed: sign Form F, pay the price and fees, sign transfer documents, receive the title deed, deal with the developer, DEWA and building management
• Whether the attorney may sign mortgage documents (banks often have their own requirements)
• Validity period

Many trustee offices and banks reject general or vague POAs. Ask the trustee office and your bank to approve the draft wording before you sign it.

Signing in the UAE vs abroad

In the UAE

Sign before a UAE notary public; Dubai notarisation services are available in person and online through official channels. The notary usually prepares a bilingual Arabic/English document.

Abroad

Sign before a notary in your country, then legalise the document through the relevant authorities and the UAE embassy or consulate there. On arrival it is attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translated into Arabic by a legal translator. Procedures differ by country and change, so check the current steps with the UAE mission before you start.

Using the POA at transfer

The attorney brings the original attested POA, its Arabic translation, their own ID and a copy of your passport to the trustee office. The trustee checks the POA's validity, wording and attestation before proceeding. Payments still come from your funds — usually manager's cheques drawn from your UAE account. See conveyancing in Dubai and sending money for a purchase.

Who does what

You choose the attorney, approve the wording and sign before the notary. The notary and embassy/ministry authenticate it. The translator produces the Arabic version. Your agent coordinates timings so the POA is ready before Form F deadlines. The trustee office and bank accept or reject it. Your attorney attends and signs.

Common mistakes

• Using a template POA without checking trustee and bank requirements
• Forgetting the Arabic translation
• Leaving the POA open-ended in scope and duration
• Starting attestation too late, so the Form F completion date is missed
• Not revoking the POA formally once it is no longer needed

How to check the attorney's actions

Ask for copies of everything the attorney signs on your behalf, the same day. Insist that all payments come from your own account and that you approve each cheque amount and payee in advance. After transfer, verify the new title deed in your name on DLD channels yourself rather than relying on a forwarded image. If the attorney also handles the developer, DEWA and building management, ask for confirmation of each account change. These simple controls protect you and the person acting for you.