What is Power of Attorney in Qatar?

What is Power of Attorney in Qatar?

In general, the Power of Attorney or the POA is an official document that provides one individual the power to act as the agent or the attorney-in-fact for another individual. This person is called the principal, and he or she grants the agent all the necessary rights needed for a particular situation. Because the assigned agent can dutifully make all kinds of decisions regarding the property, financial, or even medical care of the principal, assigning a POA is a serious matter, whether the agent has broad or limited authority.

There are two kinds of categories for the POA, namely, the general POA and the limited POA. The general POA allows an agent to make decisions in all matters allowed by the state regarding the principal’s affairs, while the limited POA only grants authorization in very specific matters. The general POA, for instance, allows an agent to act regarding the principal’s bank accounts, when signing checks, when handling the sale of properties, in filing taxes, and so on. With a limited POA, an agent can only act with regard to, say, managing the retirement accounts of the principal, and only limited to a certain duration.

When is a POA needed? If the principal is ever affected by any illness, or becomes in any way disabled, he or she may not function regularly in his daily operational tasks. As such, an agent may be assigned with a POA in order to handle any legal matters. The agent may be a trusted family member or a close friend and not necessarily an attorney.

When it comes to all kinds of legal, financial, and commercial matters in Qatar, your Power of Attorney must be duly attested by a trusted business consultancy partner in order to ensure its full validity and authenticity. The relevant bodies of authority and government departments will only accept duly attested POAs for business use or any other purpose, and to save yourself from the trouble and time-consuming hassle of falling in line and queuing endlessly at the offices with back and forth requirements, making sure that your documents are properly authenticated and translated is the smartest way to go.

It is mandatory that you have your POA attested before submission lest your paperwork get denied, or worse, be subject to costly penalties and other financial consequences. Attestation means that your document is verified by an authorised person or relevant authority with their genuine seal and signature. For attestation, you will need both your original passport and a photocopy of it, proof of your address, your original visa, two sets of the POA,  and a copy of your most recent bank statement. The POA must be signed by the principal, attorney, and the witnesses.

With a reliable and professional business consultancy expert partner, you can rest assured that your POAs are in good hands, and that everything can be facilitated efficiently and on time.