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One Job Only

Special Power of Attorney in Dubai

A general power of attorney hands over everything. A special one hands over a single job. If you only need one thing done, the second is the safer document by a wide margin.

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Narrow By Design One act, named explicitly
Notary Handled Court or digital platform
Deira Office Signed in front of us

What is a special power of attorney in Dubai?

A special power of attorney authorises one named person to carry out one defined act on your behalf, and nothing else. It is drafted in Arabic or bilingual form and signed before a UAE notary public. Because it is limited to the act it names, it carries far less risk than a general power of attorney.

Special Power of Attorney in Dubai at a glance
ScopeOne defined act, named in the document
Executed atUAE notary public, in person or via the MoJ digital platform
LanguageArabic, or bilingual Arabic and English
For use abroadUAE MOFA at AED 150, then the destination mission
Common usesSelling one asset, closing one account, one court case
EndsOn completion of the act, on any stated expiry, or on revocation

Last updated 3 August 2026 · Reviewed by Fatima Rahman, Attestation & Legal Translation Lead. Fees and timelines are set by the issuing authority and change without notice — confirm current figures before you budget.

How is it different from a general power of attorney?

Scope, and therefore exposure. A general POA gives broad authority across your affairs; a special POA gives one authority for one purpose. If the job is to sell a single car, a special POA that names that car is the correct instrument.

The narrower document is also the easier one to get accepted, because a receiving authority can see on its face that the act being attempted is the act authorised.

  • General POA: broad authority, usually until revoked
  • Special POA: one act, ending when that act is done
  • A narrow document is harder to misuse
  • Receiving authorities question narrow documents less often
Single-page legal authorisation document on a desk with a pen

What has to be in the wording?

The act, the subject of the act, and the person allowed to do it. Vagueness in any of the three is what causes rejection, whether at a Dubai counter or a foreign registrar.

It is worth stating what the attorney may not do, as well. An explicit exclusion is easier to enforce than a silence.

  • Name the attorney in full, matching their identity documents
  • Describe the asset, account or case with its identifying reference
  • State the single act being authorised, in plain terms
  • Add an expiry date where the job has a natural end
Notary seal being applied to a short legal deed

How is it executed?

The grantor signs before a notary public with passport and Emirates ID. Public attestation is provided through Notary Public Departments in the courts or through digital judicial platforms, so submission and tracking can be done remotely where that suits.

If it will be used outside the UAE, the legalisation chain follows: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the destination country's mission.

  • Grantor attends personally, with original identity documents
  • Court Notary Public Department or the Ministry of Justice platform
  • UAE MOFA attestation at AED 150 where it goes abroad
  • Destination consulate legalises last

When is a general POA the better choice?

When you genuinely cannot predict what will be needed — a long absence, a complex estate, an elderly parent's affairs. Repeatedly drafting fresh special POAs for a moving situation costs more in fees and time than one broad instrument.

The trade is real, though. Broad authority is broad authority, and it lasts until you revoke it.

  • Long absences or unpredictable needs favour a general POA
  • One transaction with a clear end favours a special POA
  • A general POA should still exclude what you do not want delegated
  • Either can be revoked, and revocation has to be notified properly

How we draft a special POA

  1. We define the single actWhat exactly must the attorney do, once. This is the whole design of the document.
  2. We identify the subjectThe asset, account, case or transaction, with the reference that identifies it.
  3. We draft bilinguallyArabic and English, narrow by construction, with exclusions stated.
  4. NotarisationSigned before a notary public with passport and Emirates ID.
  5. Legalisation, if it leaves the UAEMOFA at AED 150, then the destination mission.
  6. HandoverOriginal plus a scan, and a note of when the authority ends.

Special or general — which do you need?

Choosing between the two instruments
Your situationBetter instrumentWhy
Sell one named propertySpecialOne act, one asset, ends on completion
Close a single bank accountSpecialNarrow and easy for the bank to accept
Represent you in one court caseSpecialScope tied to the case reference
Manage affairs during a long absenceGeneralNeeds cannot be listed in advance
Handle an estate with several assetsGeneralRepeated special POAs would cost more
The mistake we see most: Asking for a special power of attorney and then describing five different jobs. It stops being special at that point, and the document either gets refused for vagueness or quietly becomes the general POA the grantor was trying to avoid. If there really are five jobs, say so and we will structure it deliberately rather than by accident.
MSM tip: Put an expiry date on it. A special POA for a sale that completes in March has no business still being live in December, and a date is the cheapest possible protection against a document you forgot to revoke.

What documents do you need?

What we need

Passport and Emirates ID of the grantor
Full identity details of the attorney
The asset, account or case reference the POA concerns
A one-line statement of the single act being authorised
Any expiry date you want written in
The country it will be used in, if not the UAE

The detail most often missing is the identifying reference for the subject of the POA — the title deed number, the account number, the case number. Without it the document is broad by default, which is the opposite of the point.

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Sources

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a general and a special POA?
A general POA gives broad authority across your affairs. A special POA authorises one named act and nothing else, and normally ends when that act is completed.
Does a special POA need to be notarised?
Yes. It is signed before a UAE notary public, at a court Notary Public Department or through the Ministry of Justice digital platform, with passport and Emirates ID.
Can I use it outside the UAE?
Yes, after legalisation: UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation at AED 150 for a personal document, then the destination country's mission in the UAE.
How long does a special POA last?
Until the act is done, until any expiry written into it, or until you revoke it. Writing in an expiry is the simplest way to keep it tight.
Can one document name two attorneys?
It can, and it should say whether they act jointly or separately. Leaving that unstated is a common source of argument later.
Can I cancel it early?
Yes, by revoking it before a notary. The revocation has to be notified to the attorney and to anyone relying on the POA, or they may keep acting on it in good faith.

One job, one document?

Tell us the single act you need covered. We will draft it narrow and get it notarised.

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Request a Special POA

Describe the one act you want authorised and who will carry it out.

Hotline: +971 52 933 0454

Email: info@msmdoc.com

Office: Deira, Dubai — serving all seven emirates.