Verify Power of Attorney Saudi: 2026 Najiz Guide

By Fazal Hashmi — Sr. Business Consultant, Noble Core · Updated June 2026

What it means to verify power of attorney Saudi authorities have issued

A power of attorney (wakala, وكالة) in Saudi Arabia is a legal instrument registered with the Ministry of Justice that lets one person (the principal, or muwakkil) authorise another (the agent, or wakil) to act on their behalf. Since the Kingdom moved notarial services online, the vast majority of POAs are electronic deeds held in the Ministry of Justice database rather than paper documents sitting in a drawer.

That matters enormously for verification. When you verify power of attorney Saudi records, you are not checking a stamp or a signature; you are querying a live government database to confirm four things: that the deed number exists, that it was issued by the named principal, that it has not been revoked or expired, and that the specific act you are about to perform is actually inside the scope of powers granted.

For a foreign investor setting up a company, this is a routine but load-bearing step. A bank will not open a corporate account, a notary will not register a share transfer, and the Ministry of Commerce will not accept a signature from an agent whose POA cannot be validated on Najiz. Getting this right early prevents a stalled incorporation later.

Electronic POA vs legacy paper POA

Two categories exist in practice. Electronic POAs are created directly on Najiz or the Absher platform, carry a deed number, and are verifiable in seconds. Legacy paper POAs, notarised years ago at a physical notary public office, may or may not have been digitised. If a paper POA returns no result on the portal, it does not automatically mean the document is invalid; it may simply predate digitisation, in which case the holder should visit a notary office or a licensed private notary to have it registered or reissued electronically.

Who needs to verify a Saudi power of attorney

Verification is not a niche legal chore. It touches almost everyone who does business in the Kingdom at some point.

• Foreign investors and shareholders who appoint a local representative to sign incorporation documents, collect a MISA licence, or register a commercial record while they are outside Saudi Arabia.
• Banks and financial institutions, which routinely check a POA before allowing an agent to open, operate or close an account.
• Company managers and general managers receiving delegated authority from a board or from the parent company’s authorised signatory.
• Property buyers and sellers, since real estate transfers through the notary system almost always trigger a POA check.
• Government relations officers (mandoobs) who transact daily with the Ministry of Commerce, ZATCA, MHRSD, GOSI and Qiwa on behalf of an employer.
• Vehicle and asset transactions, where the agent must prove authority to sign on the owner’s behalf.
• Counterparties in any contract where the person signing is not the principal — landlords, suppliers, service providers and buyers all have a legitimate reason to check.

If you are still at the planning stage of your entry into the Kingdom, our guide to company formation in Saudi Arabia explains where in the incorporation sequence a POA is normally required and what powers it should contain.

Step-by-step: verify a POA on Najiz (Ministry of Justice)

Najiz (najiz.sa) is the Ministry of Justice’s unified digital platform for courts, notarial services and legal queries. The POA verification service sits in the public query section and does not require a login in most cases, which makes it usable by a bank clerk, a supplier or an overseas counterparty.

1. Open najiz.sa in a browser. Switch the interface language to English using the language toggle in the top-right corner if you prefer, though Arabic remains the authoritative version of the deed text.
2. Find the query services area. On the homepage, look for “Services” or the query/verification tiles. The relevant tile is usually labelled “Power of Attorney Query”, “Verify Attorney” or “Document Verification” (استعلام عن وكالة).
3. Choose the query type. The portal typically offers a query by POA number, a query by principal ID, or a query by agent ID. Choose the option matching the data you actually hold.
4. Enter the POA deed number. This is the reference printed on the POA or sent by SMS when the deed was issued. It is normally a 10-digit number.
5. Enter the identity number. Depending on the query type this is the principal’s national ID (Saudi citizens, starts with 1) or Iqama number (residents, starts with 2), or the agent’s ID.
6. Complete the captcha / verification code shown on screen.
7. Submit and read the result. A valid POA returns the issue date, expiry date (if any), the principal’s and agent’s names, the deed status, and — critically — the enumerated list of powers granted.
8. Print or screenshot the result for your file. Banks and notaries frequently ask for a dated verification printout rather than accepting a verbal assurance.

Verifying through Absher

Individuals with an Absher account (absher.sa) can also see POAs issued by them or to them under the Absher Individuals dashboard, in the justice/notarial services section. This route requires login with your national ID or Iqama and an OTP sent to your registered mobile number, so it is a self-service view rather than a third-party check. It is the fastest way to confirm what POAs currently name you as agent.

What a “valid” result actually looks like

Do not stop at a green status. Read the powers list. Saudi POAs are drafted by selecting specific powers from a controlled catalogue — “manage commercial registers”, “sign before notary”, “open and operate bank accounts”, “represent before government bodies”, “sell real estate”, and so on. A POA can be perfectly valid and still not authorise the act you need. This is the single most common reason a transaction is rejected after a successful verification.

Documents and data you need before you start

Verification itself is light on paperwork, but you cannot run the query blind. Gather the following.

• POA deed number — the primary key for the query.
• Principal’s ID — national ID (Saudi), Iqama number (resident), or the registered identity reference used at issuance for a non-resident principal.
• Agent’s ID — needed for agent-side queries and always worth having for cross-checking the name.
• Saudi mobile number registered in Absher — required only for logged-in routes, not for the public query.
• Commercial Register number — if the POA was issued by a company rather than an individual, the CR number identifies the issuing entity. Under the Commercial Register Law effective 3 April 2026, the unified national CR number begins with “7” and no longer carries an expiry date, replaced by an annual confirmation obligation.
• The original POA text — so you can compare the on-screen powers with what you were handed.

If the principal is outside Saudi Arabia

A POA executed abroad follows a different route entirely. It must be drafted (usually bilingually), notarised locally, legalised by the relevant foreign ministry or apostille authority as applicable, attested by the Saudi embassy or consulate, and then translated into Arabic by a licensed translator inside the Kingdom. Only after that does it get presented to a Saudi notary or the relevant authority. Such a POA will not appear on Najiz until it is registered domestically, so “no result found” is expected at the attestation stage. Consular attestation requirements are published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the visa and attestation platforms at visa.mofa.gov.sa are the reference point for embassy-level steps.

Fees and timelines: verify power of attorney Saudi services

Verification is free. Issuing, amending or revoking a POA carries either no fee or a modest one, and the real cost for foreign principals is usually attestation and legal translation abroad. The table below gives indicative figures; confirm current figures on the official portal before budgeting.

Service	Platform / authority	Indicative fee (SAR)	Typical timeline
Verify an existing POA (query)	Najiz — Ministry of Justice	Free	Under 2 minutes
Issue an electronic POA (individual)	Najiz / Absher	Free (indicative)	Same day, often instant
Issue POA via licensed private notary	Licensed notary	~300–1,000 (indicative, notary-set)	1–2 business days
Revoke / cancel a POA	Najiz	Free (indicative)	Instant, effective immediately
Certified Arabic translation of a foreign POA	Licensed translation office	~150–400 per page (indicative)	1–3 business days
Saudi embassy attestation of a foreign POA	MOFA / Saudi mission abroad	Varies by country (indicative)	3–10 business days
MISA investment licence issue / renew	MISA	Fees suspended in 2026 (previously 12,000 / 62,000)	~3–10 business days
Commercial Register issuance	Ministry of Commerce / Saudi Business Center	~1,200–2,000 (indicative)	1–3 business days
Chamber of Commerce membership	Chamber of Commerce	~2,000–3,000 per year (indicative)	1–2 business days
Iqama issuance / renewal (government fee)	Jawazat / Absher / Muqeem	~650 per year + applicable levies (indicative)	Same day online

Because 100% foreign ownership is permitted in most activities and MISA licence fees are suspended in 2026, the cost of entering the Saudi market is now dominated by operational items — office, staffing, GOSI contributions of roughly 21.5% total for a Saudi employee (employer and employee shares combined), and 15% VAT compliance with ZATCA — rather than licence charges. Details of the licensing route are set out in our overview of the MISA licence for Saudi Arabia.

Verifying a corporate POA issued by a company

Company-issued POAs add a layer. Before you rely on one, confirm three things in sequence.

1. The company exists and is active. Check the Commercial Register on the Ministry of Commerce / Saudi Business Center platform (business.sa or mc.gov.sa). Under the 2026 Commercial Register Law, registers are unified nationally, IDs start with “7”, there is no expiry date, and entities complete an annual confirmation instead. A five-year grace period applies for aligning existing records, and English trade names are now permitted.
2. The signatory had authority to grant the POA. The CR extract and the articles of association name the authorised manager or signatory. A POA signed by someone not listed there is a problem no verification screen will flag.
3. The POA itself is live on Najiz. Run the deed query as described above and match the company’s CR number and the agent’s ID.

For groups operating in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, a common failure is assuming a UAE-issued POA covers Saudi acts. It does not, unless separately attested and registered in the Kingdom.

How to revoke or amend a power of attorney

Revocation is as important as verification. A principal can cancel a POA at any time through Najiz or Absher, and the cancellation takes effect in the Ministry of Justice database immediately — which is precisely why counterparties should verify on the day of the transaction rather than relying on a printout from last month.

1. Log in to najiz.sa or absher.sa with the principal’s credentials and OTP.
2. Open the notarial services / powers of attorney section and select “Issued POAs”.
3. Select the deed and choose “Cancel” (إلغاء الوكالة).
4. Confirm with the OTP sent to the registered mobile number.
5. Notify the agent and any bank, government body or counterparty relying on the POA. The system records the cancellation, but affected parties will not be alerted automatically.

Amendment usually means cancelling and reissuing rather than editing in place, because the powers list is generated from a fixed catalogue at issuance. Plan the powers carefully the first time.

Where POA verification fits in the wider government-platform stack

A Saudi entity touches several platforms, and an agent acting under POA will meet most of them. Knowing which platform governs which act helps you scope the POA correctly.

• najiz.sa — Ministry of Justice. POAs, notarial deeds, court filings, document verification.
• absher.sa — Ministry of Interior. Individual identity services, OTP-based authentication, personal POA view.
• mc.gov.sa and the Saudi Business Center (business.sa) — Ministry of Commerce. Commercial Register, trade names, articles of association.
• qiwa.sa — MHRSD. Employment contracts, work permits, establishment files, Saudisation indicators.
• muqeem.sa — resident services, Iqama and exit/re-entry transactions for company staff.
• gosi.gov.sa — GOSI. Social insurance registration and contributions, around 21.5% total for a Saudi employee.
• zatca.gov.sa — ZATCA. VAT at 15%, corporate tax/zakat, customs, and Fatoora e-invoicing rolled out in waves.
• balady.gov.sa — municipal licences for premises and signage.
• etimad.sa — government procurement and tendering, where authority to bid is frequently evidenced by POA.
• monshaat.gov.sa — Monsha’at. SME support programmes and enablement services.

Scope your POA to the platforms you actually need. A POA granting “representation before government bodies” is broad, but banks in particular tend to insist on an explicit banking power rather than accepting a general clause.

Troubleshooting: common verification errors and what they mean

“No record found”

Usually one of four causes: a mistyped deed number (transposed digits are the classic), a legacy paper POA that was never digitised, a POA issued abroad and not yet registered in the Kingdom, or a deed that has been cancelled and purged from the active view. Re-key the number carefully before assuming the worst.

“Expired”

Many Saudi POAs carry a validity period chosen at issuance, often one year. An expired POA cannot be renewed in place; the principal must issue a new one. If the principal has since left the country, this can add weeks, so track expiry dates in your compliance calendar.

“Cancelled”

The principal revoked it. Stop the transaction and request a fresh deed. Do not accept an explanation that the cancellation was “administrative”.

Identity mismatch

The name on the ID does not match the name on the POA — frequently a transliteration difference between passport, Iqama and deed for non-Arabic names. This is fixable but must be fixed at source, because banks and notaries will not accept a manual reconciliation.

Powers do not cover the act

The commonest and most avoidable failure. Read the powers list against the exact act — signing articles of association is not the same power as opening a bank account, and neither covers selling real estate.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Relying on an old printout. POAs can be cancelled instantly; verify on the day of the transaction, not the week before.
• Checking status but not scope. A valid POA that omits the needed power is useless for that act.
• Assuming a foreign POA works as-is. Without notarisation, legalisation or apostille, Saudi consular attestation and licensed Arabic translation, it will not be accepted.
• Drafting the POA too narrowly. Missing a single power means a second round of attestation from overseas — often four to six weeks lost.
• Drafting it too broadly. Granting sweeping powers including asset disposal to a third party you barely know creates avoidable risk. Grant only what the task requires.
• Ignoring expiry dates. Diarise the expiry the day the POA is issued.
• Transliteration inconsistency. Use exactly the same spelling of names across passport, Iqama, CR and POA.
• Forgetting to notify counterparties after revocation. The database updates; your bank does not get a phone call.
• Using a personal POA for corporate acts. A POA from an individual does not bind the company; corporate acts need a POA issued by the entity through its authorised signatory.
• Skipping verification because the agent “is known to us”. Familiarity is not authority, and auditors will ask for the check.

How Noble Core helps you verify and use POAs correctly

Most POA problems are scoping problems discovered too late — usually at a bank counter, with the principal eleven time zones away. We prevent that by working backwards from the transactions you actually need to complete.

• POA drafting to fit the workflow. We map the acts your incorporation requires — MISA licence collection, Commercial Register issuance at the Saudi Business Center, Chamber of Commerce registration, national address, GOSI and Qiwa file opening, ZATCA VAT registration, bank account opening — and specify the exact powers each one needs before anything is signed abroad.
• Attestation routing. We tell you the correct order of notarisation, legalisation or apostille, Saudi consular attestation and certified Arabic translation for your specific country, so nothing is rejected on a technicality.
• Verification on the day. Our team runs the Najiz check immediately before each transaction and keeps the dated printout on file.
• Day-to-day government representation. Noble Core’s PRO and mandoob service handles the counter work across the Ministry of Commerce, MHRSD, GOSI, Muqeem and Balady under a properly scoped POA, so your team is not filing forms.
• Ongoing compliance calendar. POA expiry, annual CR confirmation under the 2026 law, Chamber renewal, VAT returns and Iqama renewals in one tracker.

Our full market-entry package starts from SAR 36,999 and includes the POA workstream end to end. With MISA licence fees suspended in 2026 and 100% foreign ownership available across most activities, the practical barrier to entering the Kingdom is now sequencing and documentation — exactly the part a POA either unlocks or blocks.

Whichever route you take, the discipline is the same: verify the deed on Najiz, read the powers line by line, match every name character for character, and confirm current figures on the official portal before you commit a budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I verify power of attorney Saudi records online?

Open najiz.sa, the Ministry of Justice platform, and select the power of attorney query or document verification service. Enter the 10-digit POA deed number and the principal’s national ID or Iqama number, complete the on-screen verification code, and submit. The result shows issue date, status, both parties’ names and the full list of granted powers in under two minutes, free of charge.

Is there a fee to verify a Saudi power of attorney?

No. Verification through Najiz is a free public query service and requires no login for the standard deed check. Costs arise only when issuing or amending a POA, or when a foreign POA needs certified Arabic translation at roughly SAR 150 to 400 per page and Saudi consular attestation. These figures are indicative, so confirm current figures on the official portal.

Can I check a power of attorney through Absher instead of Najiz?

Yes, for POAs that name you personally. Log in to absher.sa with your national ID or Iqama plus the OTP sent to your registered mobile number, then open the justice or notarial services section to see POAs you issued and POAs issued to you. Absher is a self-service view; third parties checking someone else’s deed should use the public Najiz query instead.

Why does Najiz say no record found for my power of attorney?

There are four usual causes. The deed number was mistyped, often with transposed digits. The POA is a legacy paper deed that was never digitised. The POA was executed abroad and has not yet been attested and registered inside the Kingdom. Or the deed was cancelled by the principal. Re-key the number carefully before concluding the document is invalid.

Does a power of attorney issued outside Saudi Arabia need verification too?

A foreign POA will not appear on Najiz until it is registered domestically. It must first be notarised in the issuing country, legalised or apostilled as applicable, attested by the Saudi embassy or consulate, and translated into Arabic by a licensed translator in the Kingdom. Allow roughly three to ten business days for embassy attestation and one to three days for translation.

How long is a Saudi power of attorney valid?

Validity is chosen at issuance, and one year is common. Najiz shows the expiry date on the verification result. An expired POA cannot be extended in place; the principal must issue a new deed, which can take weeks if they have left Saudi Arabia. Diarise the expiry date the day the POA is issued so incorporation steps are never blocked.

How do I cancel a power of attorney in Saudi Arabia?

Log in to najiz.sa or absher.sa with the principal’s credentials, open the powers of attorney section, select issued POAs, choose the deed and select cancel, then confirm with the OTP sent to your registered mobile. Cancellation takes effect immediately in the Ministry of Justice database, but you must separately notify the agent, your bank and any counterparty.

Do I need a power of attorney to set up a company in Saudi Arabia?

You need one whenever a shareholder cannot be physically present to sign. A properly scoped POA lets a representative collect the MISA licence, register the Commercial Register at the Saudi Business Center, join the Chamber of Commerce and open GOSI, Qiwa and ZATCA files. MISA licensing typically takes three to ten business days once documentation is complete.