Granting Power of Attorney in Singapore

The power of attorney in Singapore  is an instrument employed to grant authorization to a person to act on behalf of another person. The person grating authority is called a donor or a principal, while the person accepting to act as a representative is called an agent, a donee or attorney-in-fact. 

Powers of attorney in Singapore are used quite often by businessmen wanting to open companies in the city-state. The power of attorney is usually drafted before a Singapore public notary and must contain the names of both donor/grantor and the agent, their signatures and the date the document was prepared. 

The document must stipulate what its purpose is and what the agent is authorized to do on behalf of the principal. For more details about granting the power of attorney in Singapore, our team is at your disposal.

Main types

Depending on the purpose of the power of attorney, one can distinguish between the following:

• general powers of attorney;
• specific powers of attorney;
• lasting powers of attorney;
• springing powers of attorney.

Specific to Singapore is also the Housing & Development Board (HDB) power of attorney which is necessary when purchasing a property with the Housing & Development Board in the city-state.

Regardless of the type of power of attorney an individual is interested in, our lawyers in Singapore can act as the agent/attorney-in-fact for a variety of legal issues, concerning individuals and businesses, therefore, you can easily rely on our team if you need to be represented by a third party. You can rely on our team for granting the power of attorney in Singapore.

The general power of attorney in Singapore

By far the most employed type of power of attorney in Singapore is the general one. The general power of attorney grants an agent the authority of representing the grantor (donor) under all circumstances. However, certain restrictions can be imposed in general powers of attorney.

The general power of attorney is usually employed when opening a company in Singapore because foreign citizens must appoint local agents to handle the registration procedures. The validity of the general power of attorney can be revoked by the grantor at any time. It is advisable to ask the services of a law firm in Singapore when drafting a general power of attorney in Singapore.

The lasting power of attorney in Singapore

This type of document is signed while a person still has mental capacity and takes effect if he or she later loses it. The power of attorney (POA) can grant the right to representation in many areas, but broadly speaking, it is signed for legal issues concerning the welfare of the individual and/or his or her financial and property matters. In the list below, our lawyers in Singapore present some key elements of a lasting POA:

• it can be signed when an individual is at least 21 years old;
• according to the Ministry of Social and Family Development, since 1 April 2026 (after a fee waiver that ran until 31 March 2026), individuals who are Singapore citizens are exempt from paying the fee for the issuance of the lasting POA;
• the POA can be signed based on the Form 1 (general powers with basic restrictions) and Form 2 (customized powers that are established with the assistance of a lawyer in Singapore);
• foreigners who have their residency in Singapore (as permanent residents) must pay a fee of $90 (for Form 1 POA) or $230 (for Form 2 POA);
• please mind that foreigners can also sign a power of attorney in Singapore for a variety of issues, including matters regulated under a lasting POA (the fees are $230 and $275 respectively).

We mention that the fee exemption granted to Singaporean citizens applies only when requesting a Form 1 POA. For the 2nd type, the statutory fee is $185.

Is it possible to cancel a POA in Singapore?

Yes, the principal has the right to revoke/cancel a power of attorney in Singapore, regardless of its type. The principal must have mental capacity at the moment when the revocation is made but, other than this, the law does not impose any other conditions.

Additionally, it is necessary for the donor to announce the donee (or donnes, if there are more parties who have the right to act on behalf of the principal) on the fact that the document will be revoked. In order to initiate the procedure, the principal must have the original POA and a completed form for the revocation of the document. Please know that this step involves the payment of a small fee ($28).

We invite you to address our team if you want to know more details about other types of POA presented in the article. Provided that you want to permanently relocate here, our immigration lawyers in Singapore can offer assistance and legal representation. You can grant us the HDB POA if you are eligible for accommodation through HDB once you complete your steps for immigration to Singapore.

If you need help in granting a power of attorney in Singapore, please feel free to contact our lawyers.