Revoking a Power of Attorney in the UAE

Why you can't just "cancel" a POA informally

A notarised POA is a formal official instrument, and simply destroying your copy of it doesn't remove your attorney's authority, the record still exists with the notary. Revoking a POA properly means formally notifying the relevant authority and, where relevant, the attorney and any third parties who may rely on it, so nobody continues acting on an outdated authorisation.

Common reasons people revoke a POA

• The task the POA covered has been completed
• A change in relationship or trust with the attorney
• Replacing an old POA with a new, updated one
• You're now able to handle the matter yourself

What the process generally involves

Revocation typically requires a formal notification through the same notary system that issued the original POA, so the cancellation is properly recorded. If third parties (like a bank or land department) were relying on the POA, they may also need to be notified directly that it no longer applies. As covered in our overview on Power of Attorney in the UAE, this is standard practice, a POA can be revoked, it just needs to be done through the right channel.

If you're replacing rather than simply cancelling

Many people revoke an old POA at the same time as issuing a new one, for example if the original was a general POA and a more specific special POA (see our guide on POA for a property sale in Dubai) now suits the situation better. Doing both together avoids any gap or overlap in authority.

What to have ready

To revoke a POA, you'll generally need your Emirates ID and passport, and the details of the original POA (date, notary, and who it was granted to). Message us with these details and we'll confirm the exact process and any fees involved for your specific case.

Key takeaways

A note on scope: DocuGulf is a documentation facilitation service. All kinds of work is performed by licensed notaries, translators and approved typing centres. Reach us at info@docugulf.com or +971 58 569 3628.