What is the difference between a general and a special power of attorney in Lebanon?

Key facts#

Selling property

Needs an express special mandate to sell^[1], according to Kallas Law Firm

Fees at US missions

USD 50 special, USD 100 general^[2,3,4], per signature

Fees in the Netherlands

EUR 44 special, EUR 88 general^[12]

Fees in Dubai

AED 184 special, AED 368 general^[13]

Fees in Sydney

$145 general, $72.50 special (cash)^[14]; the page does not name the currency

What the POA must name

the property number and location, plus a copy of the deed or a Land Registry extract^[2,4,12]

How long it lasts

no expiry unless a term is written in^[1], per Kallas Law Firm; an ordinary POA used for registration must be no more than 5 years old^[1,15]

Cancelling

At a mission: AED 276 per signature^[13] in Dubai, or by email request in the Netherlands^[12]

How to choose and get the right POA from abroad#

1. 1
   List what your agent must do. Write down each task, then ask the notary or lawyer in Lebanon who will use the POA which type each one needs. For a sale, Kallas Law Firm says it must be a special mandate^[1].
2. 2
   Get the official Land Registry extract. Someone in Lebanon requests it in person at the Land Registry office for the property's area^[17,21], giving the governorate, district, real estate zone and property number, plus the section and block where they apply^[11,17]. Read the owner, mortgages and restrictions before anything else^[8,9].
3. 3
   Have the POA drafted around the property and the named acts. Copy the identifiers from the extract and give each party's full names, parents' names, date of birth and registry number^[4,19]. If anyone suggests making it irrevocable, have a lawyer read the wording first, because Kallas says irrevocability depends on what the text actually says^[1].
4. 4
   Sign at a Lebanese mission or before a local notary. Either sign in person at the mission, or before a local notary followed by local authentication and Lebanese legalisation^[2,3,12,19]. An apostille is not enough, because Lebanon is not a member of the Apostille Convention^[22]. US missions take fees only by money order or cashier's cheque only^[2,3,4], and for a property POA signed before a local notary, New York and Detroit require two witnesses who are not relatives^[3,4]. Kallas Law Firm says a POA signed abroad generally also passes through Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the US, UAE and Belgian mission pages stop at consular legalisation, so this is unsettled and the notary who will use the POA can confirm it^[16,23]. Bring your ID and the property papers, and check your mission's page for its document list and its fee for the type you chose; more in giving a power of attorney from abroad.
5. 5
   Get it to your agent and keep a copy. The agent signs the sale before a notary or the assistant head of the Land Registry office^[15,24], then registers it, and ownership passes only on registration^[9]. An ordinary POA must be no more than five years old when it is used for registration^[1,15].
6. 6
   Revoke it when the job is done. Do it at a mission^[12,13], then tell the agent and the notary in writing and keep proof that you did.

It depends on#

• What the agent must do. A sale needs a special mandate, according to Kallas Law Firm^[1]. For buying, renting or bank matters we found no published rule, so ask the notary who will use the POA.
• The mission you sign at. Sydney charges $145 general, $72.50 special (cash)^[14] without naming the currency. Under Law 10/2022, consular fees are set and collected in USD or EUR^[25], so ask the consulate whether its figure means US or Australian dollars. Detroit wants the original deed or registry certificate, not a judge's document^[4]. Read your own mission's page and ask it to confirm the fee and documents.
• Whether the POA is irrevocable. A truly irrevocable POA is not held to the five-year limit at the registry, according to Kallas Law Firm^[1,15]. Have a lawyer check what you are signing.
• Your age. A medical certificate is needed from 70 (Washington, Dubai) or 80 (Netherlands)^[2,12,13]. In Sydney, over-70s bring a doctor's letter no more than 7 days old^[14].
• Company or commercial use. The embassy in the Netherlands lists a separate fee of EUR 198 for a POA for a company or commercial purposes^[12].

Common questions#