Power of Attorney for Dubai Property

Buying property in Dubai without being physically present is entirely normal. A large share of the city's buyers are overseas investors, and with around 90,700 residential transactions recorded so far in 2026 — over roughly the first six months of the year — a meaningful number of those deals are signed by someone other than the buyer standing at the counter. The legal instrument that makes this possible is a Power of Attorney, or POA. This guide explains, in plain terms, what a POA is, how it is notarised and attested, how it is used at the Dubai Land Department (DLD), and how to protect yourself when you grant one.

This is legal-process education, not legal advice. Every POA carries real financial and legal exposure. Before you sign one, have it drafted or reviewed by a UAE-licensed lawyer or a registered legal translator, and confirm the current requirements with the relevant notary and the DLD.

What a Power of Attorney is

A Power of Attorney is a formal legal document in which one person — the principal (you, the buyer) — authorises another person — the attorney or agent — to act on their behalf. In a Dubai property context, the attorney can do things such as sign the sale and purchase agreement, pay fees, collect the title deed, and appear at the DLD to complete the transfer, all without the principal being in the room.

A POA does not transfer ownership of anything to the attorney. It transfers authority to act, within whatever limits the document sets. Ownership stays registered in the principal's name; the attorney is simply a legally recognised stand-in for specific tasks.

When overseas and remote buyers use a POA

• You live abroad and cannot travel to Dubai for the signing or transfer date.
• You are buying off-plan and want a trusted representative to handle staged milestones over time. (Off-plan is a large part of the market — around 72% of current listings, roughly 65,300 off-plan against 25,400 secondary.)
• You want a UAE-based family member, lawyer, or property manager to handle registration, utility connections, and Ejari registration for you.
• Health, mobility, or scheduling reasons make in-person attendance impractical.

General POA versus specific POA

Choosing the right *type* of POA is the single most important decision you will make, because it defines how much power you are handing over.

A general POA grants wide authority — it can cover buying, selling, mortgaging, managing, and dealing with authorities across your affairs. It is convenient, but it is also the riskier instrument, because it hands your attorney sweeping discretion.

A specific (or "special") POA is limited to clearly named acts — for example, "to purchase and register in my name the apartment at [address/unit], and to sign and pay all fees connected to that purchase only." For most single-property buyers, a specific POA is the safer and more appropriate choice. It gives the attorney exactly the powers needed to close your deal and nothing more.

What powers to grant — and what limits to set

Draft the POA around the actual steps of your purchase. Powers commonly included are:

1. Signing the reservation form and the sale and purchase agreement.
2. Paying the deposit, the balance, the DLD transfer fee, and agency commission on your behalf.
3. Representing you before the DLD, the developer, and the trustee office to complete registration.
4. Collecting the title deed (for ready property) or the Oqood registration (for off-plan).
5. Handling utility connections, service-charge accounts, and Ejari tenancy registration if you plan to let the property.

Equally important are the limits you build in to protect yourself:

• Name the property. Tie the POA to a specific unit or a defined transaction rather than "any property."
• Cap the purchase price or set a ceiling the attorney cannot exceed without your written consent.
• Exclude the power to sell, mortgage, or re-assign the property unless you genuinely intend the attorney to have it. Many buyers deliberately grant a *purchase-only* POA.
• Exclude the power to receive sale proceeds into the attorney's own account.
• Add an expiry date. A POA that lapses after your deal closes cannot be misused a year later.
• Forbid delegation. Block the attorney from passing your authority to a third person ("substitution").

A worked example — illustrative only: suppose you are buying a ready apartment listed at AED 2,000,000. You might grant a specific POA authorising your attorney to sign the contract, pay up to AED 2,000,000 plus standard fees, register the title in your name, and collect the deed — while expressly prohibiting any sale, mortgage, or onward transfer.

How a POA is notarised and attested

A Dubai property POA must be in a form the notary and the DLD will accept. It generally has to be notarised, and — if signed outside the UAE — attested/legalised and translated into Arabic. The exact chain depends on where you sign.

If you are inside the UAE

You and your attorney (or at least you, the principal) attend a Notary Public in Dubai. UAE notarisation is handled through the Dubai Courts / notary public system, including licensed private notaries. The POA is drafted in Arabic, or as a bilingual Arabic-English document, because Arabic is the official language of the courts and the notary. The notary verifies your identity (passport/Emirates ID), confirms you understand the document, and notarises it. A notarised UAE POA is then ready to use locally.

If you are signing abroad

When you cannot come to the UAE, the POA is prepared and signed in your home country and then run through a legalisation chain so the UAE will recognise it. There are two broad routes:

• Apostille route (Hague Convention countries). If your country is party to the Hague Apostille Convention, the document is notarised locally and then given an apostille by the designated authority. Note that the UAE has its own recognition rules, so always confirm whether an apostille alone is accepted or whether further UAE steps are needed.
• Legalisation route (non-apostille countries). The POA is notarised locally, then attested by your country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then attested by the UAE Embassy/Consulate in that country, and finally attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs once it reaches the Emirates.

After the document arrives in the UAE, it must be translated into Arabic by a UAE-licensed legal translator, and the translation itself is typically attested. Only then will a notary and the DLD accept it.

A convenient alternative for many overseas buyers is to sign the POA at a UAE Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence, which can notarise it directly under UAE authority — often simplifying the chain. Requirements vary by mission, so check ahead.

Using a POA at the DLD

When your attorney completes the purchase, the DLD (or its authorised trustee office) will want to see the original notarised and legalised POA, together with the attorney's ID and your identification documents. Practical points to expect:

• The DLD checks that the POA actually grants the power being exercised. A purchase-only POA will not let the attorney mortgage or sell.
• POAs can have a validity limit for property dealings, and an older POA may be questioned. Keep yours recent and clearly dated.
• The standard costs still apply and are usually settled at transfer: the DLD transfer fee of 4% of the purchase price, the agency commission of around 2% (+ 5% VAT), and any trustee/registration fees. Your attorney pays these on your behalf if the POA authorises it.
• For off-plan, registration is via an Oqood with the DLD; for ready property, the attorney collects the title deed. Buyer funds for off-plan are protected through developer escrow accounts.

The property is registered in your name, the principal — not the attorney's. The attorney's role ends at completing the acts you authorised.

Risks and safeguards

A POA is powerful precisely because it lets someone act as you. The main risks:

• Overbroad powers an attorney could misuse — selling, mortgaging, or transferring the property.
• Diverted funds if the attorney is authorised to receive money into their own account.
• A POA that outlives its purpose and is used long after your deal closed.
• Delegation to an unknown third party if substitution is allowed.

Safeguards that materially reduce your exposure:

• Choose a specific, purchase-only POA over a general one.
• Name the attorney carefully — ideally a licensed lawyer or a genuinely trusted individual, not a casual acquaintance.
• Route funds through escrow and your own name, never the attorney's personal account.
• Build in a price cap, an expiry date, and a no-substitution clause.
• Ask for copies of every document the attorney signs and every payment receipt.
• Have the POA drafted or reviewed by a UAE-licensed lawyer before you sign.

How to revoke a POA

A POA can be revoked (cancelled) by the principal. Because a Dubai property POA is notarised, revocation is also a formal, notarised act — you generally cannot simply tear up your copy and consider it gone. To revoke:

1. Prepare a deed of revocation and have it notarised in the same manner as the original POA.
2. Notify the attorney in writing that their authority has ended.
3. Notify relevant third parties — the DLD, the developer, banks, or trustee offices that may have relied on the POA — so they stop accepting it.
4. Keep proof of the revocation and of the notifications.

A POA can also end automatically — for example on its expiry date, on completion of the specific task it was granted for, or by operation of law (such as the death of the principal). Building an expiry date into the POA from the start is the simplest safeguard of all.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Granting a general POA when a specific one would do. Convenience today can become exposure tomorrow.
• Leaving powers open-ended — no price cap, no expiry, no property named.
• Allowing substitution, so your authority can be handed to a stranger.
• Skipping the Arabic translation or a legalisation step, so the DLD rejects the document on the day of transfer.
• Using a stale POA the authorities may refuse as too old.
• Letting the attorney receive funds personally instead of through escrow and accounts in your name.
• Not revoking formally once the purchase is done.
• Never having a lawyer read it. A POA is one of the few documents where a small drafting review prevents a large loss.

Conclusion

A Power of Attorney is what lets thousands of overseas buyers own Dubai property without stepping off a plane. Used well, it is safe, routine, and efficient: a specific, purchase-only POA, properly notarised, legalised, and translated into Arabic, that names the property, caps the price, sets an expiry, and forbids sale, mortgage, and substitution. Used carelessly — as a broad, open-ended grant to someone you do not fully trust — it is one of the riskiest documents you will ever sign.

Get the type right, keep the powers tight, route money through escrow and your own name, and revoke it formally when the job is done. And because the details of notarisation, attestation, and DLD acceptance change and depend on your home country, treat this guide as education, not legal advice, and have a UAE-licensed lawyer prepare or review your POA before you sign. At Binayah, our RERA-certified team can point you to trusted legal professionals and walk your representative through every step at the DLD.