Guide

Dubai Courts guides: guide

Dubai Courts document verification: checking a notarised POA or document

Dubai Courts document verification means confirming two separate things about a notarised paper someone has handed you: that it really was issued by a notary, and that it still has effect today. A POA can be perfectly genuine and still be useless because the principal revoked it last month. Checking only the first question is the most common mistake.

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At a glance

Genuine is not the same as in force. Check both.
Documents notarised on the federal Ministry of Justice E-Notary System can be searched on the Ministry's verification page, enotary.moj.gov.ae/search.
For Dubai Courts documents, use the verification channel Dubai Courts provides.
A POA ends when its work is done, its term expires, the principal or agent dies or loses capacity, or the principal revokes it (Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Articles 897 and 898).
A document from outside the UAE is checked through its attestation chain, which ends with MOFAIC.

This guide is for the person on the receiving end: a buyer handed a POA by the seller's agent, a landlord shown a company's authority letter, a bank officer, a family member abroad. It explains where to check, what to read on the document itself, and what to do if the answers do not add up. NotaryPublicInDubai.com can run these checks with you before you rely on the document.

In this guide

Which system issued the document?
How to verify a POA in Dubai, step by step
What to read on the paper itself
Documents from outside the UAE
If the check fails
Certificates from the notary's records
How we help

Side by side

Which system issued the document?

Before you can check a document, you need to know where it came from. Look at the stamp, the certificate and the header.

Where it was notarised	How to recognise it	Where to check it
Dubai Courts notary public	Dubai Courts name and notary certificate on the document	Dubai Courts verification channel
Private notary in Dubai	The private notary's name, office and seal, under Dubai Courts supervision	Dubai Courts verification channel, or the private notary's office
Ministry of Justice E-Notary System	Ministry of Justice header, electronic signature	The Ministry's search page at enotary.moj.gov.ae/search
DIFC Courts notary	DIFC Courts name and seal	DIFC Courts. It is a separate service, and the receiving authority decides whether to accept its documents
A notary or consul outside the UAE	Foreign notary seal, plus attestation stamps	The attestation chain, ending with MOFAIC

Many people search "dubai courts verify document" when their paper actually came from another system. Identify the issuer first, then pick the checking channel.

Step by step

How to verify a POA in Dubai, step by step

Get a clear copy of every page, including the notary certificate and any page with a code or number.

Identify the issuer using the table above.

Run the online check on the issuer's channel. Enter the document number or scan the code, and compare the result with the paper: names, ID numbers, date, and the powers listed.

Read the powers.

A genuine POA only helps you if it covers the act in front of you. A POA to manage a property does not give the power to sell it (Article 871).

Check the term.

If the POA states an end date or a single task, is it still inside that date, and is the task still open?

Ask about revocation.

A revoked POA can still look perfect on paper. Where the issuing channel shows status, check it. If it does not, ask the agent to confirm in writing that the POA has not been revoked, and for a large transaction ask the principal directly.

Keep a record of what you checked and when.

For a POA used in a property deal, the Dubai Land Department sits in the chain too. It publishes a POA cancellation notarisation service, with Dubai Court named as its partner, which is free. So a principal can revoke a property POA easily, and a buyer should always check for revocation. The poaindubai.ae guide on how to verify a Dubai power of attorney goes further into property and banking POAs.

What to read on the paper itself

An online check tells you the document exists. Reading it carefully tells you whether it fits your case.

Names and ID numbers.

They must match the IDs of the people in front of you, letter for letter. The Dubai Courts POA service takes the agent's details from their Emirates ID or passport, so the numbers should be there.

The Arabic text.

In Dubai the notarised instrument is in Arabic (Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, Article 27). If the English and Arabic differ, the Arabic is the one the notary attested. Have it read if you do not read Arabic.

The powers.

Pleading, settlement, sale and mortgage must be named expressly to be given (Article 870).

Sub-agency.

If someone is acting under a POA given to another agent, check that the first POA allows delegation, and remember that revoking the first POA revokes every sub-agency made under it (Article 903).

The date.

Some authorities will only accept a POA issued within a recent period, under their own rules. There is no general expiry in UAE law.

Documents from outside the UAE

A POA or declaration signed abroad for use in Dubai should carry a chain of attestations: the foreign ministry of the issuing country, the UAE embassy or consulate in that country, and MOFAIC in the UAE. MOFAIC describes its attestation as certifying the authenticity of the signatures and seals on the document. If a link in the chain is missing, the document is not ready for use in Dubai, however genuine the original signature. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille does not stand in for that chain.

Watch for

If the check fails

The online check finds nothing. Recheck the number and the issuer. Some older paper documents may not be in an online system.
The details do not match. Do not rely on the document. Ask the person presenting it for an explanation in writing.
You suspect forgery. Stop the transaction and report it to the police or to the issuing authority. A notary cannot decide a forgery question; that is for the authorities and, if needed, the court.
The POA was revoked. The agent can no longer act. If a litigation agent acted after learning of their dismissal, they are liable for it (Article 902).

In short

Certificates from the notary's records

If you need official proof of a notarised instrument, rather than an online check, the federal fee schedule includes an application for a certificate from the notary's registers or files (Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, item 15).

How we help

Send us the document and tell us what the other side wants to do with it. We identify the issuer, run the check on the right channel with you, read the Arabic and English side by side, and tell you in plain words whether the powers cover the act, whether the term has run out, and what is left to confirm with the principal. If the document fails, we explain what a replacement would need. If you are the one issuing a POA, see our power of attorney services, and for how Dubai Courts notarisation works, our Dubai Courts notary guide.

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Call +971 52 947 5935

Questions

Questions about verifying a Dubai Courts document

Can I verify a Dubai Courts POA online?

Dubai Courts provides a channel for this. For documents on the Ministry of Justice E-Notary System, the Ministry's search page is enotary.moj.gov.ae/search.

Does a QR code prove the document is valid?

A code that opens a matching record on the official channel shows the document was issued. It does not prove the POA is still in force, so check the term and ask about revocation too.

How do I know if a POA has been cancelled?

Check the status on the issuing channel if it shows one, and ask the agent and, for large transactions, the principal. For property POAs, the Dubai Land Department handles cancellation notarisation.

Can a lawyer check a POA for me?

Yes. A lawyer or a notary services provider can run the check and read the powers. The decision to rely on the document is still yours or your bank's.

Is a POA from the DIFC Courts checked the same way?

No. DIFC Courts runs its own notary service, and its documents are checked with DIFC Courts. Whether an onshore Dubai office accepts them is up to that office.

What if I only have a photo of the POA?

A photo lets you run the online check and read the powers. Before you complete a transaction, see the original or an official copy.

Father on a laptop at home with his toddler beside him

Next step

Check a document with us

Send a clear copy and a line on what it will be used for. Call or WhatsApp +971 52 947 5935, or email support@notarypublicindubai.com with the copy attached. Our office is in Business Bay, Dubai. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time). If you need to reach Dubai Courts directly, our Dubai Courts contact guide lists the channels, and for online notarisation see our remote notarisation guide.

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