A bank power of attorney in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE lets someone you trust run your account for you: deposits, withdrawals, cheques, statements, loan papers or closing the account. Banks act only on powers written in the POA, never on assumptions. Wordcraft drafts bank-ready POAs in Arabic and English, checks your bank's own rules first and books the notary.
What Banks Look For in a POA
- The bank named: its full name and, ideally, the branch.
- The accounts identified: account numbers or IBANs, or clear wording that covers every account with that bank.
- Each power listed: deposit, withdraw, transfer, sign and collect cheques, request statements, apply for or cancel a card, sign loan or restructuring documents, close the account.
- Money powers in plain words: the power to receive or transfer funds is never assumed, and some banks want limits or a named destination account.
- Names that match: principal and agent exactly as on their passports and Emirates IDs.
- The notarized original: most banks keep a copy and want to see the original, and some also confirm that it is still in force.
Some banks insist on their own POA form or on the account holder signing at the branch. We check this first, so you do not notarize a document the bank will set aside.
Personal vs Company Account POA
| Point | Personal account | Company account |
|---|---|---|
| Who grants it | The account holder | The company, through its authorized signatory |
| Proof of authority | Passport or Emirates ID | Trade license, MOA and a board or shareholder resolution |
| Typical powers | Deposits, withdrawals, cheques, loan and card matters | Payments, transfers, signing mandates, loan and facility documents |
| Bank checks | ID match and wording | ID match, wording and the company's own mandate rules |
For a company account, the POA usually sits alongside a board resolution, and many companies combine banking powers with wider management powers in a company power of attorney. Opening a new account? See opening a company bank account.
Account Holder Abroad? Two Ways to Sign
From outside the UAE, you can sign on a video call with a UAE e-notary platform where the document qualifies. Otherwise you sign at a notary where you live; the POA is then authenticated in that country, legalized by the UAE embassy or consulate (a step that now covers MOFA attestation electronically) and translated into Arabic by an MOJ-certified translator here. See POA from abroad for use in the UAE.
Ending the Agent's Access
Bank POAs are where end dates are most common. A POA notarized at Dubai Courts or through the MOJ has no expiry unless one is written in, yet many account holders set one anyway (ADJD POAs are limited to three years; the full picture is in our validity guide). To stop the agent sooner, sign a notarized revocation and hand the bank a copy at once, because the bank may keep honoring the POA until it hears from you. See cancel a power of attorney.
Details the Bank Will Expect on Paper
- Your ID for the notary: a valid Emirates ID (Dubai Courts requires one), or your passport if you have no Emirates ID, in which case we arrange MOJ notarization
- The agent's passport or Emirates ID, with the name spelled as the bank has it
- Bank name, branch and account numbers or IBANs
- The powers you want to give, and any limits on amounts or accounts
- For company accounts: trade license, MOA and the board or shareholder resolution
- The bank's own POA form, if it uses one
How We Get the POA Past the Bank's Review
We start by asking which bank and which accounts. Your free written quote follows within 10–30 minutes and tells you whether that bank uses its own form. After payment by secure link, you approve a bilingual draft listing the exact banking powers, sign before the notary in person, by video or abroad, and receive the notarized POA online. We are neither the bank nor the notary: the notary authenticates your signature, and the bank alone decides whether to act on the POA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone operate my bank account in the UAE with a POA?
Yes, if the POA names the bank and account, lists each power, and the bank accepts it. Each bank decides for itself, which is why we check its requirements first.
Will a general POA work at the bank?
Sometimes. Many banks, though, want the bank and the specific banking powers named, and a bank-specific POA avoids a refusal at the counter.
Can a bank POA be signed from abroad?
Yes, by video with a UAE e-notary where eligible, or at a notary abroad followed by UAE embassy legalization and Arabic legal translation.
Does a bank POA need to be in Arabic?
UAE notaries work in Arabic, so the POA is drafted in both languages or translated by an MOJ-certified legal translator.
Can I limit what the agent can do?
Yes. The POA can be restricted to certain accounts, amounts, acts or an end date, and we write those limits into the text.
Last updated: September 2026
