An Indian national in the UAE usually signs a power of attorney before a consular officer of the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General in Dubai, submitted through the mission's service centre. A non-Indian signs before a UAE notary and has it attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian mission. In India the power is stamped within three months of arrival and, for property transfers, registered or authenticated as the state requires.
- Document route
- UAE notary, MOFA attestation, then Indian Embassy or Consulate attestation
- Time difference
- IST is 1h30 ahead of UAE time all year (no daylight saving)
- Recognition
- Section 33, Registration Act 1908
- Authentication
- Indian mission, or notary plus apostille
Power of Attorney from the UAE: how it works
We draft the power around the specific job: one named property, one court case or one bank account. You print it, attach passport-size photographs and copies of your passport and Emirates ID, and visit the service centre to sign before the consular officer, who attests the signature. If you are not an Indian citizen, the UAE notary, then MOFA, then the mission is the chain. Keep a scan of every page, including the attestation stamp, before you courier the original to India.
In India the attorney holder takes the original to the collector of stamps or the sub-registrar for adjudication and stamping within three months. For a sale or gift of immovable property, many states require the power itself to be registered, or authenticated under section 33 of the Registration Act, before the sub-registrar will act on it. Mistakes we often fix include names spelt differently from the title deed, missing property descriptions and powers too general for a registrar to accept.
What clients in the UAE should know
- The mission attests only the signature; it does not check whether the power is legally sufficient in India, so the drafting matters more than the stamp.
- Electronic or remote UAE notarisation is generally not accepted for powers used to transfer Indian property; sign in person.
- Revoking a power signed in the UAE is done by a revocation deed attested in the same way and notified to the attorney and to any office holding the original.
Step by step from the UAE
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits the UAE, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in the UAE
UAE notary, MOFA attestation, then Indian Embassy or Consulate attestation
Work in India
Our team files, appears and follows up in India, and shares scans of everything filed.
Result and handover
Certified copies and originals are couriered to you in the UAE where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in the UAE. For the law, the documents and the step-by-step procedure, read our main page on Power of Attorney, or see all services for clients in the UAE and the Inheritance & Documents practice area.
Questions from clients in the UAE
Do I need my Emirates ID at the mission?
Bring your passport and Emirates ID; the service centre usually takes a copy of both along with the document and photographs.
Can my wife, who holds a British passport, sign at the Indian Consulate in Dubai?
Consular signing is primarily for Indian nationals. A foreign national normally signs before a UAE notary, then MOFA and mission attestation follow.
How quickly must the power be stamped in India?
Within three months of its first receipt in India. After that, stamping attracts penalties and some offices refuse to accept it.