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Legal Information, Awareness & Public Resources
Complete guide to Power of Attorney - General POA, Special POA, registration process, stamp duty, and sample formats for legal use.
A Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal document that authorizes one person (the "agent" or "attorney-in-fact") to act on behalf of another person (the "principal"). The agent can make decisions and take actions as specified in the document. POA can be general (broad powers) or special (specific actions).
Authorizes the agent to handle all affairs of the principal - property management, financial transactions, legal matters, business operations. Valid until revoked or death of principal.
Authorizes the agent for specific actions only - selling a particular property, filing a specific case, signing a particular document. Limited in scope and duration.
Remains valid even if the principal becomes mentally incapacitated. Must explicitly state "durable" in the document.
Becomes effective only upon a specified future event (e.g., principal's incapacity). Often used for medical decisions.
A Power of Attorney can be revoked by the principal at any time before it is acted upon. The revocation must be in writing and communicated to the attorney and any third parties who may rely on the POA.
NRIs often need to execute a Power of Attorney to authorize someone in India to manage their property, bank accounts, or legal matters. The process includes: