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Power of attorney for a single matter (Scotland)
Scotland · in English
€2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
10 questions · about 4 min
Made for use in Scotland
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For someone in Scotland who needs another person to act for them in one matter only — selling a car, signing a contract, dealing with a bank account or a property sale while they are abroad. The power names the matter, what the attorney may sign and when it ends, and is signed before one witness so that it is self-proving. Like every power that is not a registered continuing power, it has no effect while you are incapable (Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, s 18). If a letter of authority or the organisation’s own free form will do, use that first.
- Made for use in Scotland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- You live abroad and someone in Scotland needs to sell your car for you.
- You cannot be there to sign a contract and want someone else to sign it in your name.
- A bank account has to be closed while you are out of the country.
- You want a power of attorney for one job only, not a general one.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Principal
- Principal's address
- Town or city
- Principal's postcode
- Attorney (the person you appoint)
- Attorney's address, with postcode
- Powers granted
- Valid until
- Town where you sign
- Date
Common questions
- Is a letter of authority enough in Scotland, or do I need a power of attorney?
- To let someone talk to an organisation, receive information or collect something for you, a letter of authority is usually enough, and many bodies have their own free form — a bank’s third-party mandate, or HMRC’s online service for authorising a friend or relative. A power of attorney is for when the person must sign a contract or other document in your name, or when the other side asks for one.
- How precisely should I describe the matter in a Scottish power of attorney?
- As precisely as you can: name the car with its registration number, the property with its address, the account with its bank and number, the contract and the other party. The attorney may do that matter and nothing else, so a vague description can leave them unable to finish, and a wide one gives away more than you meant. A property sale in Scotland is handled by a solicitor, who may ask for a power in their own wording.
- Can a member of my family witness my power of attorney in Scotland?
- The law asks for one witness aged 16 or over who is not a party to the document, who sees you sign or hears you acknowledge your signature, and who signs straight after, adding their name and address. Choose someone other than your attorney; an independent adult is the safer choice if the power is ever questioned. No solicitor or notary is needed for use in Scotland; for use abroad, ask the other country what it requires.
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.
Related documents
- General power of attorney that ends on incapacity (Scotland)
For an adult in Scotland who wants someone they trust to handle their money and affairs while they can still decide for themselves — when abroad, in hospital or simply needing help. It ends if you become incapable: under section 18 of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, a power that is not a continuing or welfare power has no effect while you are incapable. For that, a continuing or welfare power of attorney is certified and registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland), whose guidance is the first place to look. Signed on paper before one witness.
- Revocation of a power of attorney (Scotland)
For someone in Scotland who gave a general or one-off power of attorney and wants to end it — they no longer need it, or no longer trust the attorney. The revocation ends the power from the day you sign it, and is signed before one witness so that it is self-proving. Give a copy to the attorney and to every bank or organisation that has dealt with them, so that no one goes on relying on the power. Not for a registered continuing or welfare power of attorney: the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) explains how to end one.
- Statutory declaration of change of name for an adult (Scotland)
For anyone in Scotland aged 16 or over who is changing their first name, surname or both — after marriage, divorce or by choice — and needs proof for their bank, employer, HM Passport Office or DVLA. In Scotland no deed poll is needed: a statutory declaration, declared before a notary public or a justice of the peace, records the change, and HM Passport Office accepts one. If you were born or adopted in Scotland, National Records of Scotland can also record the change against your birth record, by post, for a fee; its form is the official route for the register.
- Statutory declaration to confirm facts in writing (Scotland)
For anyone in Scotland asked by a bank, employer, council, DVLA or another organisation to confirm facts by statutory declaration — a lost document, living together, a name used, an address or a family link. You write the facts in numbered paragraphs; the document adds the closing words of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. In Scotland you declare it in person before a notary public or a justice of the peace — a solicitor only if they are also a notary — and no fee is set by law, so ask the charge first.
- Letter of consent for a child to travel abroad (Scotland)
For a parent or anyone else with parental responsibilities and rights who is not going on the trip: a signed letter consenting to a child travelling abroad with the other parent, grandparents or a school. In Scotland no one may take a child under 16 who lives here habitually out of the United Kingdom without the consent of a person who has the right to have the child living with them or to keep in contact — of both parents, where both have it (Children (Scotland) Act 1995, s 2(3) and (6)). There is no official form. The letter names the child, the trip and the dates, and gives your telephone number so that border staff or an airline can check it.
- Letter telling a bank or organisation that a power of attorney has been revoked (Scotland)
For someone in Scotland who has revoked a general or one-off power of attorney: a letter to a bank, building society, utility, landlord or any organisation the attorney has dealt with, saying the power has been revoked, asking them to stop accepting the attorney’s instructions and to confirm it in writing. It encloses a copy of the signed revocation and goes by recorded delivery, or by hand. Not for a continuing or welfare power registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland), which is ended through the OPG.