General power of attorney for financial affairs (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
The German Federal Ministry of Justice publishes a free model only for the lasting power of attorney, which also covers health and residence; this general power of attorney (Generalvollmacht) is our own wording for your property alone. It takes effect on signature, without conditions: your attorney represents you with banks, contracting parties, authorities and courts in all financial matters, and it continues if you later lose capacity. You choose whether it outlasts your death and whether self-dealing (§ 181 of the German Civil Code, BGB) and sub-delegation are allowed. In German, to sign by hand.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Principal
- Principal's date of birth
- Principal's address
- Agent
- Agent's date of birth
- Agent's address
- Effect of the power after death
- Dealings of the agent with themselves (§ 181 BGB)
- Sub-delegation by the agent
- City
- Date
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- How does a general power of attorney differ from a lasting power of attorney in Germany?
- This general power covers only your property and works at once: your attorney may use it straight away, for instance while you live abroad or want to hand over your banking. A lasting power of attorney (Vorsorgevollmacht) also covers health, care and residence, whose high-risk measures must be named expressly under § 1820(2) BGB, and by agreement is used only once you can no longer act yourself. The German Federal Ministry of Justice publishes a free model of the lasting power.
- Does a German general power of attorney survive incapacity or death?
- As worded, it stays in force if you lose capacity, so for your property it can make a court-appointed carer unnecessary. Whether it outlasts your death you choose in the document itself, because without an express rule it would be a matter of interpretation (§§ 168, 672 BGB). If it continues, your attorney then acts for your heirs, who can revoke it at any time (§ 168, second sentence, BGB).
- Must a German general power of attorney be certified or notarised?
- Not as a rule: a power of attorney need not take the form of the transaction it is for (§ 167(2) BGB). But the land registry requires at least a publicly certified power for land transactions (§ 29 GBO), a power for a consumer loan must contain the loan details or be notarially recorded (§ 492(4) BGB), and an attorney can disclaim an inheritance only with a certified power (§ 1945(3) BGB). The care authority certifies only lasting powers of attorney and carer directives (§ 7 BtOG), so here a notary is the safe route. Banks often want their own forms.
- What does releasing the attorney from § 181 BGB mean in a German general power of attorney?
- § 181 BGB forbids an attorney to conclude a transaction in your name with themselves, or while also representing someone else — selling your car to themselves, for example. If you release them from it, they may. That is practical when you trust them fully or joint dealings are coming up, with your spouse for instance, but it also opens the door to abuse. Without the release they need your consent for such dealings.
- How do I revoke a general power of attorney in Germany?
- At any time, by a declaration to the attorney (§ 168, second sentence, BGB); in writing it is easier to prove. Ask for the original back — they must hand it over (§ 175 BGB). Inform banks and anyone else who was shown the power yourself, in writing, because towards them it can keep working until they learn of the revocation or the document is returned (§§ 170, 172(2) BGB). If you cannot get the original back, the local court (Amtsgericht) can declare it void (§ 176 BGB).
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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