Signing a power of attorney in the UK for use in the UAE
The UAE Embassy in London sets out the order. A power of attorney must be signed before a UK solicitor or notary, legalised by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and then attested through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ digital service, one application that covers both the Embassy and the Ministry. GOV.UK describes the same three-part shape for any country outside the Hague Convention. Whether the finished document is enough for a particular transaction is decided by the UAE authority that receives it.
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The three steps, and who publishes each one
Each step belongs to a different body, and each publishes its own part. None of them publishes the whole journey, which is why it is laid out here side by side.
| Step | Who does it | What they publish |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Signing | A UK solicitor or notary | UAE Embassy London: "Power of attorney and similar legal documents must be signed in the presence of a UK solicitor or notary before being submitted to their respective foreign office." |
| 2. Legalisation | FCDO Legalisation Office | GOV.UK: other documents can be legalised "as long as they have been certified by a UK ‘public official’, such as a UK notary or solicitor", naming "a power of attorney" as an example. |
| 3. UAE attestation | UAE Embassy London and UAE MOFA, in one application | UAE Embassy London: "UK-issued documents: must be attested/legalised by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)" before it attests them. |
Why a UK apostille is the first leg, not the whole route
The FCDO legalises a UK document by checking the signature, stamp or seal against its records and attaching an apostille. For most countries that is the end of it. It is not the end for the UAE.
GOV.UK says that where the country asking for the document "is not one of the members of the Hague Convention, there is a 3-step process for legalisation": the Legalisation Office, then that country’s embassy in London, then approval by that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UAE is not listed among the Contracting Parties in the Hague Conference’s status table, and the UAE Embassy in London requires its own attestation after the FCDO step.
GOV.UK is also plain that "British embassies, high commissions and consulates cannot legalise documents of any kind." A British consulate in Dubai cannot stand in for the FCDO step.
How the UAE Embassy’s digital attestation works
The Embassy in London publishes a six-step online process. The physical document is still required: the Embassy states that "the physical document will be required to issue the digital attestation."
- Log in to the MOFA website with UAE Pass and select the Attestation Service.
- Choose the UK as the country the document was issued in.
- Complete the form and pay.
- A MOFA-approved service provider collects the original document.
- You receive an email with the document digitally attested by the Embassy and by MOFA, which the Embassy describes as "ready for use within UAE".
- The original is returned by the service provider.
Personal or commercial: the classification that changes the file
The Embassy states that "a power of attorney containing any commercial content will be treated as a commercial document." MOFA’s own FAQ lists a "power of attorney of personal nature" among individual documents and a "power of attorney of commercial nature – general power of attorney" among commercial ones.
A document authorising someone to sell your Dubai flat and one authorising them to sign for your company are therefore not treated alike. Settle which it is before it is drafted, not at the attestation stage.
What the UK side charges
The FCDO publishes its fee per document. The UAE Embassy’s digital attestation page does not publish its own fee, so none is quoted here.
| Service | Fee per document |
|---|---|
| Standard (paper-based) | £45, plus courier or postage costs |
| e-Apostille | £35 |
What to settle in the UAE before you sign in the UK
The UK steps authenticate a signature. They do not decide whether the powers in the document are the right ones for the transaction. That is decided in the UAE, so it is worth settling first.
- Which UAE authority or company will act on the document: Dubai Land Department, RTA, a court, a bank, a developer or a free zone.
- The exact powers your representative needs, in the wording that authority expects. RTA, for example, names the scope a vehicle transfer must carry.
- Whether the receiving authority wants Arabic. MOFA accepts a document in English or Arabic "or an official translation of it"; some receiving authorities ask for more.
- That names and passport numbers match the passports exactly, for you and for your representative.
Questions
Can I use a UK apostille in Dubai on its own?
Not on the route the UAE Embassy in London publishes. The FCDO step comes first, and the Embassy then attests the document through the MOFA digital service. GOV.UK describes an embassy step after the apostille for countries outside the Hague Convention.
Does it have to be a notary, or can a solicitor witness it?
The UAE Embassy in London says the document must be signed "in the presence of a UK solicitor or notary". The FCDO legalises documents certified by a UK public official, and names both.
Do I have to visit the UAE Embassy in London?
The Embassy’s published process is online: you apply through the MOFA website with UAE Pass and a MOFA-approved service provider collects the original. An older Embassy page states that documents "cannot be submitted or collected in person, they will be accepted only by post".
Does the power of attorney need to be in Arabic?
For attestation, MOFA asks for the original "in English or Arabic (or an official translation of it)". Whether the UAE authority receiving it also wants Arabic is that authority’s rule, and several publish one. See the translation guide before you sign.
Can The Deedbox prepare the document for me to sign in the UK?
We can prepare the wording around what the receiving UAE authority requires. You then sign it before a UK solicitor or notary, and the FCDO and the UAE Embassy carry out their own steps. We do not legalise or attest documents.
What this page does not do
- This page covers documents issued in the UK. The UAE Embassy in London states that non-UK documents "must be attested/legalised by the UAE Embassy/Consulate in their relevant country."
- The UAE Embassy’s attestation fee is not published on its digital attestation page and is not quoted here.
- Whether a document is sufficient for a particular transaction is decided by the UAE authority that receives it, not by any step on this page.
- The Deedbox is not a law firm and not a notary. It does not legalise, apostille or attest documents, and does not act for anyone before a mission, a foreign ministry or a court.