Power of attorney

A power of attorney (POA) lets an overseas buyer or seller complete a transaction without travelling. The attorney, often a lawyer or a trusted relative, can sign contracts, attend the trustee office, collect a title deed, take handover or deal with a bank, within the limits the document sets.

To be accepted by a UAE land department a POA must be in the right form. If you sign it in the UAE, it is done before a notary public, in Arabic or in both languages. If you sign abroad, it must be notarised locally and then legalised through the full attestation chain: the foreign ministry of the country of issue, the UAE embassy there, and finally the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed by a certified Arabic translation. From the UK this takes a few weeks, so start early.

The Dubai Land Department applies time limits: a POA is accepted for a sale or mortgage for two years from notarisation, and for a purchase for five years.

Draft it narrowly. A POA for a property deal should name the property, list the specific acts permitted and, for a sale, state how the proceeds are to be paid, ideally only by manager's cheque in your name. General powers over all your assets are unnecessary and risky.

You may not need one at all. Most off-plan purchases from developers are signed electronically from abroad.