Powers of attorney

Our process to notarise a power of attorney is very straightforward. All you need to do is book an appointment at a time and place that suits you, and then meet our Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock.

Then, Nathan will provide his seal, stamp and signature to show that your document has been notarised and is legitimate. 

After this, we can manage the process of getting your power of attorney legalised for use abroad. Different countries have different legalisation requirements. Most just accept apostilles, which we can get on your behalf. Other countries have more complex and lengthy processes which we can also manage for you, so that you avoid the stress and do not have your time taken up by trying to get your power of attorney legalised.

Yes, there are different types of power of attorney which may be better for specific situations. Types can vary by country, but in the UK we have the following:

Ordinary power of attorney – this is mainly used for financial situations, and can only be used while you have mental capacity to provide your consent. It is a more temporary form of power of attorney, and is useful if you just want someone to carry out a specific act on your behalf.

Lasting power of attorney – unlike the ordinary one, the lasting power of attorney is for the future when you no longer have the mental capacity to make your own choices; however, it can only be made whilst you have the capacity to do so. The lasting power of attorney is used for more situations, with it being mainly used for financial and medical reasons. 

When you look into making a power of attorney, you may also come across a third type called an enduring power of attorney. This was replaced by the lasting power of attorney in 2007, so new ones cannot be made, but some may still be in effect.

Here, we shall list some of the situations that you can use a power of attorney for so that you can decide if this document is what you need to make. They can be used for the following:

• Buying and selling property abroad
• Claiming pensions and benefits on the donor’s behalf
• Deciding where the donor lives
• Managing bank accounts
• What medical care is needed

There are many other financial and medical reasons that you may need a power of attorney  for as well. 

One of the most important steps is making sure that your power of attorney is drafted correctly, particularly for where you plan on using it. Different countries have different rules respecting powers of attorney, so you should check what those are first. 

For example, if you reside in the United Kingdom but own property in India and want to designate an attorney in India to manage it, your document must be structured to reflect Indian law rather than British law.

To draft your power of attorney, you can either write it yourself, use an online document generation tool, or get the assistance of a legal professional to draft it for you. Please note that we cannot draft your power of attorney; we can only notarise and legalise it.