Welcome back to the POA’s desk.
In the last episode we covered the Corporate POA. In this episode we cover the Bank Account POA — the document for authorising someone to operate your UAE bank accounts on your behalf.
A Bank Account POA is one of the most regulated POA types in the UAE. Banks are conservative about who can access customer accounts, for obvious reasons. So the document must meet not just the general POA requirements, but also the specific requirements of the bank where the account is held.
This is the part most people miss. Different banks have different POA requirements. Emirates NBD has its preferred wording. ADCB has its preferred wording. Mashreq, FAB, ENBD, HSBC, Standard Chartered — each has its own template or its own list of acceptable terms. A generic Bank Account POA that works for one bank may be rejected by another. So before drafting, the bank where the account is held must be confirmed, and the POA must be drafted to meet that bank’s requirements.
What the document includes. The principal must be identified clearly, with full name as it appears on the bank account, identification details, and account number or details. The attorney must be identified with full name and identification. The bank and specific account or accounts must be named. And the powers must be specified.
Standard powers in a Bank Account POA include depositing funds into the account, withdrawing funds from the account, writing and signing cheques, requesting bank drafts and manager’s cheques, operating online banking on behalf of the principal, requesting statements and balance information, transferring funds within the UAE, and in some cases transferring funds internationally.
Specific powers that are often excluded by default. Closing the account. Adding new signatories. Linking new products. Taking out loans or credit cards. These can be added if the principal wants them, but most Bank Account POAs are deliberately limited to operating, not restructuring, the account.
The bank’s verification process is its own step. After the POA is drafted and notarised, it must be presented to the bank. The bank will verify the document against its internal requirements, may require the attorney to sign a specimen signature card, and may require the principal to confirm the authorisation through the bank’s own channels. This adds time. So a Bank Account POA is not finished when it leaves the notary. It is finished when the bank accepts it.
A common mistake we see. Principals draft a Bank Account POA before checking with the bank. The bank then refuses the document because it doesn’t match their requirements. The POA must be redrafted, re-notarised, and re-submitted. This is avoidable. Confirm the bank’s requirements before drafting.
Another common mistake. Joint accounts. If the account is held jointly by two principals, both must usually sign the POA. A POA from only one joint account holder may not be accepted, depending on the account’s signing structure. This needs to be checked at the start.
A specific scenario we handle often. Overseas owners with UAE accounts who need someone in Dubai to operate the account. The owner is abroad, the funds are here, and someone needs to write cheques, withdraw cash, or manage transfers. The Bank Account POA is the document. It must be drafted in the home country if the owner is overseas, attested through the consular chain, translated to Arabic, and presented to the bank with all supporting documents. This takes weeks if not started early.
At POAS, the Bank Account POA fixed fee is AED 1,999. The fee includes confirming the bank’s requirements, bilingual drafting tailored to the bank, notarisation, and digital delivery. We do not handle the bank’s own verification step on your behalf — that is between you and the bank — but we ensure the document meets the bank’s requirements so the verification is straightforward.
In Episode 12 we cover remote notarisation. How POAs can now be issued without the principal being physically present at a UAE notary, and what that means for overseas clients.
I’m Patrick. Thanks for joining me at the POA’s desk.