A Power of Attorney drafted in the wrong country, in the wrong language, or on the wrong template will stop a Dubai transfer at the trustee office door.
A POA in UAE real estate is a legal document authorising one person (the attorney) to act on behalf of another (the principal) in property transactions. Buyers living abroad use them constantly. The POA must be specific to the property and transaction, notarised at a UAE Notary Public or, if executed overseas, fully legalised through the UAE embassy and translated into Arabic by a sworn translator. A generic “general POA” rarely works for DLD transfers. The trustee office will reject it.
I had a client in 2024 buying a townhouse in Dubai Hills who executed a POA in London three weeks before transfer date. The document was notarised correctly but skipped the Apostille step and the UAE embassy attestation. The transfer was delayed by 11 days while the document flew back through the chain. The seller threatened forfeiture.
If you are buying remotely, get the POA drafted specifically for the transaction, attested through every required step, a minimum of 30 days before the target transfer. Do not rush this one.
Related: Transfer, Trustee Office, Conveyancing, Title Deed.
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