POA · Property
Power of Attorney for Property Gifting in the UAE
Transfer your property to family through an attorney — on the gift track.
Updated September 2026 · market data verified methodology
A property gifting power of attorney authorizes a representative to complete a gift transfer (hiba) of a UAE property to a close relative in the owner's absence: sign the gift documents before the registration trustee, obtain the developer's no-objection certificate, submit the evidence of the family relationship and receive the new title deed issued in the donee's name. Parents gifting to children and transfers between spouses are the typical use.
Land departments treat a gift between qualifying relatives as its own track, separate from a sale, with a different fee treatment — confirm the current fee position with the Dubai Land Department or the relevant emirate's authority rather than relying on older figures. That separation is also why the mandate matters: it should name the donee, identify the unit and describe the gift procedure, because the trustee office checks the document against the track it is being used on.
Where it is used
Registration trustee offices and land departments — the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and its emirate counterparts
Typical situation
The owner lives abroad and gifts the unit to a child or spouse who receives the new title deed
Language
Executed in Arabic; a bilingual draft is prepared for your review before signing
Term
Until the gift transfer registers, or the term written into the mandate
Who uses this POA
- Parents abroad transferring a UAE unit to their children
- Spouses restructuring ownership between themselves while one is overseas
- Families planning ahead so the property sits with the right relative without a sale
- Owners who cannot travel for the trustee appointment and the document collection
- Donees abroad who need a representative to accept the paperwork on their side
What the attorney can do
- Sign the gift transfer documents before the registration trustee in the owner's name
- Obtain the developer's no-objection certificate where the unit requires one
- Submit the legalized evidence of the family relationship with the transfer file
- Follow up the valuation step where the land department requires it for the gift track
- Represent the principal at the trustee office and answer procedural questions
- Receive the new title deed issued in the donee's name
Limits and practical notes
Check these before drafting — they decide whether an authority accepts your document.
- The gift track serves qualifying close relatives — typically parents, children and spouses; other relationships may be treated as an ordinary sale, so confirm the current rules for your case
- The mandate must identify the donee and the unit — a document that says only 'to gift my property' gives the trustee office nothing to verify against
- The fee treatment differs from a sale and is updated from time to time — confirm the current DLD fees before budgeting the transfer
- A mortgaged unit needs the lender's consent before any transfer, gift included
- Relationship evidence from abroad goes through legalization and Arabic translation — start that track early, it sits on the critical path
- Practice differs by emirate — confirm the steps with the office that will execute your transfer
Documents to prepare
The principal (individual)
- Passport copy of the principal
- Emirates ID and visa page, if the principal is a UAE resident
- Passport details of the appointed attorney
- Title deed details of the unit, the donee's details and the document proving the relationship
What the gift file contains
A gift transfer is proved, not just declared. The land department expects evidence that the parties are the qualifying relatives the track is reserved for — a birth or marriage certificate from the home country, legalized and translated into Arabic. The developer's no-objection certificate confirms the unit's dues are settled, and where the office asks for it, a valuation of the unit supports the fee calculation on the gift track.
With those pieces in hand, the representative signs the gift documents at the trustee office and the new title deed issues in the donee's name. The sequence is administrative but document-heavy, which is precisely why owners abroad run it through a mandate: the paperwork can be assembled and followed up while the owner stays where they are.
- Relationship evidence — birth or marriage certificate, legalized and Arabic-translated
- Developer NOC confirming settled dues, where the unit has a developer
- Valuation of the unit where the land department requires it for the gift track
- New title deed issued in the donee's name at the end of the file
Frequently asked questions
Can property be gifted in the UAE if the owner is abroad?
Yes — that is what this mandate is for. The owner issues a gifting POA to a representative, who signs the gift documents before the registration trustee and completes the file. If the owner is outside the UAE, the document can be notarized remotely where eligible, or abroad and legalized for use in the UAE.
Which relatives qualify for the gift track?
The track is reserved for close family — typically parents, children and spouses. Transfers between other relatives, such as siblings, may be treated as an ordinary sale rather than a gift. The rules are updated from time to time, so confirm the current position with the land department before drafting the mandate.
Is a gift cheaper than a sale?
For qualifying relatives the gift track carries a different fee treatment than an ordinary transfer, which is usually the reason families choose it. The exact fees change over time and depend on the unit, so confirm the current DLD fees for your case rather than budgeting on older figures.
Can the attorney also receive the new title deed?
Yes, and it should be written into the scope explicitly — collection of the new deed in the donee's name is a separate step from signing the transfer. State it at drafting so the representative can close the file end to end without a second mandate.
Can I gift a property that still has a mortgage?
Not without the lender. A mortgaged unit carries the bank's registered interest, and the transfer file needs the lender's consent or a discharge first. Settle the loan position, then run the gift transfer — the mandate can authorize the representative to handle the release paperwork where the scope includes it.
Continue in the POA section
Need this POA arranged?
Describe the task — you get a recommendation on wording, the document checklist and an itemized estimate.