Signing from abroad: what a Power of Attorney must actually say

I cannot fly to India for the registration. What must the POA contain, and who must accept it?

Specific beats general

A general POA invites refusal: banks and sub-registrars are wary of authority not tied to a particular asset and a particular act. A special POA that names the property, the counterparty and each power separately — execute, present for registration, receive consideration, sign affidavits — is what actually gets accepted.

Execution abroad has a chain

A POA executed outside India normally needs notarisation where it is signed, then authentication — an apostille where the Hague Convention applies, consular attestation where it does not — and then adjudication and registration in India, because a document affecting immovable property generally has to be registered where the property sits.

The attorney is a fiduciary, and the exposure is real

The holder can do exactly what the document permits and nothing more — but within that, everything. That is why powers are drafted narrowly, why the original is registered rather than circulated, and why only a certified copy travels.

Ask these, in this order

Does the draft name the property, the counterparty and each power separately?
Which authentication applies where I am — apostille or consular — and does the sub-registrar accept it?
Who will present it for registration in India, and what stamp duty applies in that state?
Is the original held by the attorney, and is a certified copy sufficient for the bank?

What this page does not cover

Drafting the document, or the stamp duty amount in your state
Formalities required by the country you are signing in
Whether a specific institution will accept a specific POA

General information, dated October 2026, not tax or legal advice. Confirm every figure with a chartered accountant before you act.

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