Chris Langridge, Notary Public
Kent — Surrey — Sussex
South East Notary Services
Kent — Surrey — Sussex

Corporate Powers of Attorney

Corporate Powers of Attorney

Authorising an attorney to act on your behalf in another country

Limited companies often need to appoint an attorney in another country to represent the company in that jurisdiction as well as sign legal documentation on behalf of the company.

In this situation the company frequently needs to sign a corporate Power of Attorney. Usually, the power of attorney will be prepared by overseas lawyers and will need to be signed in front of a notary public.

The power of attorney will be prepared either in a foreign language or in a bilingual form, e.g. in English on one side of a page and the foreign language on the other side of the page. The formal requirements for the execution of a power of attorney will vary between different countries.

Part of the notary’s role will be to ensure that the power of attorney is executed in a manner which is acceptable to the jurisdiction, where it is ultimately going to be sent.

The notary will need to:

  • Identify the director or directors signing on behalf of the company.
  • Obtain evidence that the director is authorised by the company to execute the documentation e.g. by a board resolution.
  • Make a search at Companies House of the Company and obtain to check that the director is officially recorded as a director of the company.

Many countries will require legalisation by the UK Foreign Office and/or a Consulate of the notarised documents.