Powers of attorney

Notaries are often involved in authenticating the signature to powers of attorney for use in foreign jurisdictions. 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.

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