Power of Attorney for Buying a Car in the UAE: What Your Agent Can Do

When You Need a Power of Attorney for Buying a Car

You need one when someone else will complete the purchase while you are not there. Common cases:

• You found a car in the UAE but you are outside the country.
• You cannot take time off to attend the transfer.
• A family member or friend will handle the deal while you are unwell or travelling.

If you can attend yourself, you do not need a power of attorney. Our page on the vehicle power of attorney in the UAE covers the wider picture, including selling and renewing.

What the POA Should Let Your Agent Do

Under Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, agency is covered in Articles 866 to 903, and general and special agency are in Articles 869 to 871. For one car purchase, a special, limited power is the sensible choice. A limited power of attorney to buy a car names one task and one vehicle, or a clear class of vehicle.

Write down each act you want your agent to perform:

1. Inspect the car and agree the price you set.
2. Sign the sale and transfer papers.
3. Pay the seller, if you allow it.
4. Register the car in your name.
5. Take delivery of the car and its documents.

Leave out anything you do not want your agent to do. If you do not want the agent to pay the seller, say so in plain words. There is no general legal validity period for a power of attorney. The term is whatever the document says, so add an end date if you want one.

Name the car and the buyer clearly

Give the agent’s full name as in the passport or Emirates ID, and describe the car by make, model and chassis number where you have it. A document with blank fields is a common reason a file gets turned away.

Selling or Buying a Car in the UAE From Abroad

If you are outside the UAE, you can sign before a notary in your own country and have the document attested. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so a foreign document is attested in the issuing country, including the UAE embassy there, and then by MOFAIC in the UAE. MOFAIC’s fee is AED 150 for a personal document.

The same applies if you want to sell a car in Dubai while you are away. The procedure to sell a car in Dubai needs an agent with a document that names the sale. Ask us for the right wording before you sign.

If you prefer, you can sign from abroad through the Ministry of Justice E-Notary system, which is a government service and separate from us. Our guide to a UAE power of attorney from abroad shows the steps.

Getting the Car POA Notarised in Person, Online or at Home

You can sign with us in three ways: at our in-house notary public office in Business Bay, through our online notary public services, or with our home visit notary services.

1. Send us the agent’s details, the car details and the acts you want to allow.
2. We draft the document and translate it where needed.
3. You review it and sign before the notary.
4. We handle your notarisation and tell you the next step.

Read more about online notary in Dubai and mobile notary services at your home.

What it costs

Under Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, notarising a general or special power of attorney is AED 100 per party. A private notary may add up to 30%, so a power of attorney done that way is AED 130 per party. A notarised translation is AED 50 per page. Translation, MOFAIC and embassy fees are separate. Our own fee is confirmed when you send the details. See our notary fees page.

Mistakes That Stop the Registration

• Writing “all matters” instead of naming the car purchase.
• Leaving the agent’s name, ID number or the car details blank.
• Signing before the notary appointment.
• Using a foreign document without its full attestation chain.
• Not asking the registering authority what it accepts before you sign.