Power of attorney
Special power of attorney for a court case at Dubai Courts
A special power of attorney for a court case lets your lawyer, or a relative you trust, act in your name in a claim at Dubai Courts. It names the case, lists each act the agent may do, and is written in Arabic. We draft it from your lawyer's list, and our in-house notary public notarises it in person at Business Bay, online, or at your home. Service is available 24/7.
Send the case number and your lawyer's list of powers on WhatsApp +971 52 947 5935.
Which powers to name
Your lawyer gives the final list. The law treats these as acts that must be named.
| What the agent must do | Name it? |
|---|---|
| File a claim or a defence | Yes |
| Attend hearings and plead | Yes, pleading is on the Article 870 list |
| Settle, or accept a settlement | Yes, settlement is on the list |
| Acknowledge a debt or a fact for you | Yes |
| Refer the dispute to arbitration | Yes |
| Take or refuse an oath | Yes |
| Receive money the court awards | Yes, and name the account if you can |
| Appoint another lawyer | Yes, or the agent cannot delegate |
| Appeal, or follow the execution file | Yes, if you want the agent to continue after judgment |
To stop the agent settling without asking you, leave settlement out or make it subject to your written approval. We write the limit in both languages.
In short
Personal status and labour cases
For divorce, custody or maintenance, the POA usually needs the family details in full: names as in the passports, the marriage certificate details and the exact relief sought. For a labour claim, name the employer or employee and the contract or labour card details. For a POA focused only on labour matters, see the labour case POA guide at poaindubai.ae.
Power of attorney
Also in Power of attorney
Who can plead with your POA
A lawyer pleads your case. A relative or friend can hold a POA for the acts it names, such as handing in papers and collecting documents. Many people give a second, narrower POA to a family member for paperwork.
Step by step
Steps
Send the lawyer's list of powers and the case number, or a short description of the dispute if nothing is filed yet.
We draft the POA with names exactly as on the IDs, the court, the case details and the powers.
We prepare the Arabic through a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice, and you approve both versions. See our legal translation page.
Our in-house notary public notarises it.
You sign at Business Bay, in an online session, or at home with our home visit service. Bring your original passport and Emirates ID.
The lawyer files it with the claim or defence.
Living abroad? You can sign before an accredited UAE consul (Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Article 3), or before a local notary followed by attestation by that country's foreign ministry, the UAE embassy there and MOFAIC. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone is not enough.
After you sign
A lawyer or the court may check that the POA is genuine. Our page on how to verify a Dubai Courts document shows how. There is no fixed number of years in UAE law. The POA ends when the work is done, when its term runs out, on the death or loss of capacity of either side, or when you revoke it (Articles 897 and 898).
If you dismiss your lawyer, tell them in writing. Under Article 902, what a litigation agent does after learning of the dismissal is their own liability, but acts done before they knew still count.
Fees
Cost
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Our service: drafting, Arabic and notarisation of a court case POA | From AED 1,500 |
| Federal fee, general or special POA | AED 100 per party |
| Private notary on the federal schedule | AED 130 per party |
| Dubai private notary route | AED 100 per party registration plus AED 100 per signature |
| Notarising a translation included in the instrument | AED 50 per page |
All service prices are starting prices and are negotiable. Government fees are paid on top, at cost, exactly as the authority charges them. We confirm your final price before you pay.
The court's own filing fees are separate and are set by the court. See the POA cost guide and the fees page.
How we help
How we help
We have an in-house notary public at our Business Bay office, and we offer in person, online and home visit notary public services in Dubai and the UAE. We turn your lawyer's list into a POA the court can read without questions, check every name against the ID, and add the Arabic. Other POA types are on the power of attorney page.
Questions
Questions about a court case POA
Can I give one POA for all my cases?
Yes, if it names each act and says which cases it covers. A POA for one case is easier for the court to read and easier for you to control.
My lawyer sent me the POA text. Do I still need you?
If the text is already in Arabic, you may only need the notarisation. We check that the names match your ID and notarise it.
Can I limit how much my lawyer can settle for?
Yes. Write a limit into the settlement power, or make it subject to your written approval. The limit must appear in the Arabic text too.
What happens to the POA when the case ends?
It ends when the work it covers is done. If you want the agent to follow the execution file, name execution in the POA.
Contact
Send us your question
Tell us the document, who signs it and where it will be used. We reply with the route, the list of what to bring and your price.
Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Civil Transactions Law, Articles 870, 871, 897, 898 and 902: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011
- Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai, Article 27: https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4)%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Article 3: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Dubai private notary fees, Dubai Courts decision: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public
- HCCH Apostille Convention status table: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41