Why This Is a Distinct Procedure

A cancellation executed inside the UAE is presented directly to a notary, who registers the deed against the original Power of Attorney in the local register. A non-resident principal cannot, in most cases, attend a UAE notary in person. The cancellation must therefore be executed in the country of residence and brought into UAE legal effect through the same attestation chain that admits other foreign legal documents into UAE registers. The procedure is more involved than the domestic one, but it is well established and proceeds in defined steps.

Step One: Drafting the Revocation Deed

The deed contains the same elements as a UAE-issued cancellation: the principal’s full details, the agent’s full details, the original Power of Attorney’s reference number and date, the issuing UAE notary, and a clear statement of revocation. The deed may be drafted in English or in the local language of the country of execution, but it must ultimately be presented in the UAE in Arabic translation. Drafting in English with a view to subsequent certified translation is the most common route.

Step Two: Notarisation in the Country of Residence

The deed is signed before a notary public, or an officer with equivalent authority, in the country where the principal resides. The notary’s seal and signature are placed on the document. Some jurisdictions require additional in-country authentication of the notary’s signature before the document can be sent for foreign affairs attestation; that step depends on local rules.

Step Three: Foreign Affairs Attestation

The notarised deed is presented to the foreign affairs ministry of the country of execution, which attests to the authenticity of the notary’s seal and signature. This attestation is the bridge between the local notarial system and the international legalisation chain.

Step Four: UAE Embassy Legalisation

The attested deed is presented to the UAE Embassy or Consulate in the country of execution, which legalises it for use in the UAE. Embassy legalisation places a UAE-recognised stamp on the document, allowing it to be received by UAE authorities.

Step Five: MOFAIC Authentication

Once the legalised deed arrives in the UAE, it is submitted to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for authentication. MOFAIC authentication is the final formality before the document can be registered locally.

Step Six: Arabic Translation and Local Registration

The authenticated deed is translated into Arabic by a sworn legal translator, and the translation is certified. The certified Arabic deed is then submitted to the relevant UAE notary or registering authority — ordinarily the same notary or channel that registered the original Power of Attorney — for the cancellation to be entered against the original document in the register. Where the underlying Power of Attorney is property-related, the cancellation is also filed with the Dubai Land Department.

A Note on the Apostille Convention

The United Arab Emirates acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention, which entered into force for the UAE in February 2026. For documents executed in a Convention member state, an apostille issued by the competent authority in the issuing country may replace the former full consular legalisation chain. Operational acceptance of apostilled cancellation deeds at the receiving UAE notary and at the Dubai Land Department should be confirmed before relying on apostille-only attestation, as institutional rollout may lag the treaty’s entry into force. For documents executed in a non-member state, the full consular legalisation chain — foreign affairs attestation, UAE Embassy legalisation, and MOFAIC authentication — remains required. Sworn Arabic translation continues to be required in both cases.

Practical Timeframes

The procedure typically spans several weeks, in some cases longer where embassy or foreign affairs queues are extended. Translation, MOFAIC authentication, and final registration add further time within the UAE. Where the cancellation is connected to a deadline — a property transaction, a corporate filing, a court date — it should be initiated well in advance. The combined chain is rarely completed in days.

Notification

Once registered locally, the cancellation must still be notified to the agent and to relevant third parties under Article 955 of the Civil Code.

More about notification doctrine

Notification can be carried out from abroad through the same channels available to a resident principal, including service through Tableegh and through the relevant UAE notary.

Execution

Coordination of the foreign-side and UAE-side steps for a cancellation issued from abroad is handled operationally at poas.ae.