# Power of Attorney for Dubai Courts and Court Cases > Need a power of attorney for Dubai Courts, a lawsuit or a divorce case? What it must say, who it should name, and how we handle notarisation. Source: https://notaryservicesdubai.com/power-of-attorney-for-court-case/ Last updated: 29 September 2026 Publisher: Notary Services Dubai, Business Bay, Dubai (+971 54 380 1094) If you cannot attend a hearing yourself, a power of attorney lets you name a lawyer or another person to act for you in a Dubai Courts case. Our in-house notary public notarises it at our Business Bay office, online, or on a home visit. Most people need one for one of these: a civil claim, a labour dispute, a rental case or a divorce. The document covers filing papers, attending sessions and, if you name a lawyer, pleading on your behalf. This page covers what a power of attorney for a Dubai Courts case needs to say, the difference between a general and a special power of attorney for litigation, how signing works if you are outside the UAE, and how we prepare and notarise the document. Quick answer ## At a glance - A power of attorney names an agent, often a lawyer, to act for you in litigation before the court. - Litigation is one of the acts that the law says needs a special power of attorney, not a general one written in vague terms. - The document is signed before a notary in Dubai, or abroad followed by attestation, then MOFAIC attestation in the UAE. - Foreign-language documents need a legal translation into Arabic by a translator registered with the Ministry of Justice. - There is no general statutory validity period. The POA lasts for the term stated in the document or until it ends by law. - Only a lawyer may plead a case before the court. ## What a court power of attorney does A power of attorney for a court case, sometimes searched as power of attorney dubai courts or dubai court power of attorney, authorizes your agent, usually a lawyer, to act for you in a specific case or in legal proceedings generally. Once notarised, the agent can file the claim or defence, submit documents, attend sessions and, where they are a licensed lawyer, plead the case in front of the judge. The document does not replace legal advice. It gives someone the authority to act in your place. What they can do with that authority still depends on the powers you write into the document and, for pleading in court itself, on whether they are a licensed lawyer. ## General power of attorney or special power of attorney for a court case UAE law splits agency into two statutory categories: general and special. This distinction matters more than most people expect. A power of attorney written in general terms only grants the agent authority to manage and preserve, not to take specific legal actions. Litigation, along with acts such as selling property, settling a dispute or accepting an oath, needs a special power of attorney that names the act and what it covers. In practice, this means a court POA should say plainly that it covers litigation, name the case or the type of case if known, and set out what the agent can do: file claims, respond to claims, attend hearings, appoint or change lawyers, settle, appeal, or accept judgment. A special power of attorney written for one case is narrower and easier for the court and the other side to verify. A wider litigation power of attorney, covering court matters generally rather than one named case, is useful if you expect more than one dispute or an ongoing relationship with a lawyer, but it should still spell out what "litigation" includes rather than relying on general wording. ## Wording for specific types of case The court and the other party will read the power of attorney to check what it authorizes, so the wording should match the case: - **Civil claims and commercial disputes:** name the type of claim, the authority to file, respond, settle and appeal. - **Labour disputes:** authority to file or respond to a labour claim, attend the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation conciliation stage where relevant, and continue to Dubai Courts if the case proceeds. - **Rental and tenancy cases:** authority to appear before the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre or the relevant court, including eviction or rent claims. - **Divorce and Personal Status cases:** authority for the specific Personal Status Court matter, for example filing for divorce, responding to a claim, or attending custody or alimony hearings. Personal Status matters are sensitive, so the wording should be specific to what you are authorising your agent to do, not a blanket "family matters" clause. Do not copy a generic template and assume it covers your case. A POA that is too vague can be rejected or challenged by the other side. ## Steps to get a court power of attorney in Dubai 1. **Work out the scope.** Decide whether it is a special power of attorney for one case or a wider litigation power of attorney, and list exactly what the agent should be able to do. 2. **Draft the document.** We prepare the draft, usually bilingual in Arabic and English, matched to your case type. 3. **Notarise it.** You sign before a notary public in Dubai, who checks your ID and the agent's details and applies the seal. If you are outside the UAE, see the section below. 4. **Translate it if needed.** A document not already in Arabic needs a legal translation by a translator registered with the Ministry of Justice before it can be filed. 5. **File it with the case.** The POA is submitted with the claim, defence or other court filing so your lawyer or agent is recognised as acting for you. ## Signing from outside the UAE If you are abroad when the case starts, you can still give a power of attorney for a Dubai Courts case. Sign it before a notary public, or an accredited UAE consul, in the country you are in. From there, the document needs to be attested by the foreign ministry of that country, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by MOFAIC once it reaches the UAE. Only after that chain is complete, and the document is translated into Arabic if it was not drafted in Arabic, can it be filed with the court. There is no apostille route into a UAE court case. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille stamped in another country does not replace this attestation chain. See our guide on [notarising a UAE power of attorney from abroad](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/how-to-notarize-a-uae-power-of-attorney-poa-from-abroad/) for the full process. ## Arabic translation Dubai Courts works in Arabic. If your power of attorney is drafted in English or another language, it needs a certified translation into Arabic by a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice before it can be relied on in the case. Bilingual drafting, Arabic alongside English, is common practice and makes the document easier for everyone to check, though it is the certified Arabic version that the court works from. ## How long is it valid There is no general statutory validity period fixed by law for a power of attorney. It lasts for whatever term the document states, or until it ends through one of the events the law recognises, such as completion of the case, the principal or agent losing legal capacity, or revocation. Check the wording of your own document, and note that some authorities apply their own acceptance rules on top of this. Fees ## Fees Notarisation of a power of attorney has an official cost, and it differs depending on whether you use the federal Ministry of Justice notary system or a private notary in Dubai. We will confirm the exact cost for your document before you commit to anything. ## Get help with your court power of attorney Call or WhatsApp us at +971 54 380 1094, or email support@notaryservicesdubai.com, and we will talk you through what your power of attorney for Dubai Courts needs to say and notarise it with our in-house notary public. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7. Related reading: our guide to a [special power of attorney in Dubai](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/special-power-of-attorney-dubai/), what to do if you need to [cancel a power of attorney in Dubai](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/cancel-power-of-attorney-in-dubai/), our page on [power of attorney for inheritance](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/power-of-attorney-for-inheritance/), and our main [power of attorney in Dubai](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/power-of-attorney-in-dubai/) page for an overview of every type. How we help ## How we help There are three ways to get it notarised with us: in person at our Business Bay office with our in-house notary public, through our online notary public services, or on a home visit. We prepare the power of attorney for your court case, matched to whether it is a civil claim, a labour dispute, a rental matter or a Personal Status case, working with your lawyer on the wording where needed. Our in-house notary public checks your ID, witnesses your signature and applies the seal, and we take care of the Arabic translation where the document needs one, and manage the paperwork if you are signing from abroad, including the attestation steps. You review and sign; we take care of the rest. FAQ ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I represent someone in court with a power of attorney? A power of attorney lets you act as someone's agent in a case, but pleading before Dubai Courts is generally reserved for licensed lawyers. Most people give a power of attorney to their lawyer rather than to a friend or relative for this reason. ### How do I file a power of attorney with the court? The notarised power of attorney, translated into Arabic if it was not already in Arabic, is submitted together with the claim or defence so the agent named in it is recognised as acting for you. ### What is the difference between a general and a special power of attorney for a court case? A general power of attorney written in vague terms only covers acts of management, not litigation. A special power of attorney names the act, in this case going to court, and sets out what the agent can do, which is what a court case needs. ### Does a power of attorney for Dubai Courts need to be notarised? Yes. It is signed before a notary public, who checks the identities of the parties and applies the seal, and then filed with the case. ### Can I give a power of attorney for a divorce case in Dubai? Yes, for the specific Personal Status matter, such as filing for divorce or attending a hearing, with the powers written to match what you are authorising your agent to do. ### Can I sign a court power of attorney from outside the UAE? Yes. Sign before a notary or accredited UAE consul abroad, then have the document attested by the foreign ministry of that country, the UAE embassy or consulate there, and MOFAIC in the UAE, with an Arabic translation if it was not drafted in Arabic. ### How long is a Dubai Courts power of attorney valid? There is no fixed statutory validity period. It runs for the term written into the document, or until it ends by law, for example when the case it covers is complete. ### How much does a court power of attorney cost in Dubai? The cost depends on the notary route and the document. More answers, grouped by topic, are on our [questions and answers page](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/faq/). Keep reading ## Related services Services ### [Power of attorney](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/power-of-attorney-in-dubai/) How a power of attorney works in Dubai: general or special, what to prepare, notarisation in person or online, and cost, in one guide. 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About this page Prepared by the Notary Services Dubai team in Business Bay, Dubai. Last reviewed . ### Official sources we checked (5) - Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the Regulation of the Notary Profession, [https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563) - Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Civil Transactions Law, Articles 869 to 871, 897 to 903, [https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011) - MOFAIC attestation service, [https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation](https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation) - HCCH Apostille Convention status table, [https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41](https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41) - DIFC Courts Notary Service, [https://www.difccourts.ae/difc-courts/services/notary-service](https://www.difccourts.ae/difc-courts/services/notary-service) Get started ## Talk to us about your document Call or WhatsApp +971 54 380 1094, or email support@notaryservicesdubai.com, and tell us what document you have and where it needs to be used. We are at Empire Heights Tower B, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai.