Special power of attorney: free, fillable, built to be apostilled.

A special (or limited) power of attorney gives your agent authority for the acts you list and nothing else. It is the document people in Florida sign when a relative abroad must sign a deed, close a sale, open or empty a bank account, register a car, collect a pension, pick up certificates from a registry or deal with an inheritance on their behalf.

It is different from a durable power of attorney, which is a broad estate-planning document meant to survive your incapacity, and from a general power of attorney, which many foreign banks and registries refuse precisely because it is unlimited. This form is deliberately narrow: it says what the agent may do, where, and until when.

Florida law requires a power of attorney to be signed by the principal in the presence of two subscribing witnesses and acknowledged before a notary (Florida Statutes chapter 709). A power of attorney with a notary but no witnesses is invalid in Florida — and the Florida Department of State will still apostille it, because the apostille only certifies the notary. The rejection then happens abroad, after you have paid for everything.

This form has both. Bring two adult witnesses to the appointment, or use online notarization: Florida online notaries can host the witnesses on the same video session (witnesses joining by video must be located in the United States), which is often easier than finding two people in person.

Before you sign, send the draft to the bank, registry or lawyer in the destination country. Many institutions want their own wording for property sales (exact legal description, price, authority to receive funds) or for inheritance matters. It is far cheaper to adjust the text now than to redo the notarization and apostille.

Once notarized, the power of attorney is a Florida notarized document and can be apostilled by the Florida Department of State. The apostille certifies the notary's commission and signature; that is what the foreign bank or registry checks. We file in person in Tallahassee and return it in 5–7 business days. For a country outside the Hague Convention, Florida issues an authentication instead, and the document then goes to that country's consulate.

Read the power of attorney apostille page for pricing and the step-by-step process, or order online.

• Mexico — a carta poder for most errands; for real estate and banking a poder notarial with exact powers. Mexican notaries often want the agent's CURP and the property's folio real. The Spanish version of this form is usually accepted for errands; for a sale, get the notary's wording. Details for Mexico.
• Spain and Italy — property sales and inheritances usually need a power drafted by, or matching the text of, the receiving notary, plus a sworn translation after the apostille. Spain · Italy.
• Brazil — foreign powers of attorney must be apostilled and then translated by a tradutor juramentado; most registries will not accept a bilingual document in place of a sworn translation. Brazil.
• Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua — the Spanish version is generally accepted once apostilled; include the agent's cédula or ID number and the property or account identifiers. Colombia · Peru.
• Philippines — a special power of attorney (SPA) is the standard document for land, SSS, PRC, bank and PSA matters. An apostilled Florida SPA replaces the old consular "red ribbon". Philippines.