Translation of a Power of Attorney Sent from Abroad

A foreign power of attorney used in Georgia usually has three layers: the text of the power of attorney itself, the foreign notary's certificate, and an apostille or consular legalization. A Georgian authority needs all three in Georgian, as a notarized translation.

On this page we explain how a power of attorney has to be certified to be used in Georgia, what the Public Registry checks, and why the registry or a bank often asks for a new power of attorney. The translation is ready the same or next day, with notarization.

Who needs a foreign power of attorney translated

• Georgians living abroad who sell, buy, rent out or gift an apartment in Georgia through a relative;
• Foreign investors who buy real estate and sign the contract through a local representative;
• Founders who register a company, join one as a partner or sell a share;
• Heirs who accept or renounce an inheritance through a representative;
• Bank customers - for opening or closing an account, a loan or a deposit;
• Parties to court cases who are represented by a lawyer in Georgia.

Apostille, legalization or a consulate

Before we translate a power of attorney, we need to be sure it is properly certified for use in Georgia. The route depends on the country where the power of attorney was signed:

• A country that is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention - after the power of attorney is signed before a foreign notary, the competent authority of the same country places an apostille on it. Georgia is a party to the Convention, so no further legalization is needed;
• A country that is not a party to the Convention - consular legalization is needed, which takes more steps and more time;
• A country with which Georgia has a legal assistance treaty - in some cases the document is exempt even from the apostille. This has to be checked in advance for each country and with the receiving authority;
• A Georgian consulate - a power of attorney signed at a consulate is drawn up in Georgian, so in Georgia it needs neither a translation nor an apostille.

A comparison of the two routes, the timing and practical tips are in a separate article: how to send a power of attorney from abroad to Georgia. On the difference between an apostille and legalization: apostille or legalization.

What is translated: the text, the notary's certificate and the apostille

A translation for a Georgian authority covers the whole document, down to the last stamp:

• The text of the power of attorney - the parties, the powers, the term, the right of substitution and any additional conditions;
• The foreign notary's certificate - in the US this is often an acknowledgment, by which the notary confirms that the signer appeared before them and acknowledged the signature as their own. In some countries the notary issues the certification on a separate sheet, and that is translated too;
• The apostille - a standard form with 10 numbered fields: the country, the signer, their capacity, the seal, the place, the date, the issuing authority, the number, the seal and the signature. Every field is translated;
• Attachments - a passport copy, a registry extract or company documents, if they form part of the power of attorney.

Even in a bilingual power of attorney, where the text is written in two columns, the Georgian part has to match the foreign-language part. If the Georgian column in such a document was prepared by the foreign notary and does not match the original, we tell you as soon as you order, because this is exactly the mismatch an authority will refuse the document for.

What the Public Registry checks

A foreign power of attorney relating to real estate most often goes to the Public Registry. What holds up registration is not the language but a mismatch between the Georgian translation of the power of attorney and the registry record:

• The cadastral code - it has to appear in the power of attorney and in the translation exactly as in the registry extract, with every dot;
• The owner's name in Georgian - if a foreign owner is already registered in the registry, their name has to be written in the translation in the same Georgian form as in the registry record. That is why we ask for the extract before translating;
• The scope of the powers - the right to "manage the property" does not include selling it. If the representative is to sell, set the price, sign the contract and receive the money, each of these powers has to be written in the power of attorney;
• The term - a transaction is not registered under an expired power of attorney, and the term can only be extended by a new power of attorney;
• The original - the authority usually needs the original power of attorney with the apostille, not a scan. The original is attached to the translation at notarization.

Company registration and banks

The Registry of Entrepreneurs is part of the Public Registry, so the same rule applies to a power of attorney sent for registering a company, transferring a share or changing the director: an apostille or legalization and a notarized Georgian translation. If the power of attorney is issued by a foreign company, its registration extract or a document confirming the director's authority is often translated as well.

Banks often have requirements of their own: some banks accept a foreign power of attorney only if it describes the specific transaction, while others ask for their own form. Before you go to the bank, get its requirements in writing and send them to us.

Why an authority asks for a new power of attorney

A rejected foreign power of attorney is the costliest mistake: a new signature abroad, a new apostille, a new courier and lost weeks. In our experience the reasons are almost always the same:

• The apostille was placed on a copy or on another document, and the original power of attorney was left without one;
• The name in Latin letters in the power of attorney differs from the passport, or the representative's personal number differs by one digit;
• The powers are described in terms of foreign law that have no direct equivalent in Georgian law, and the specific action, for example signing a purchase agreement, is not named separately;
• The right of substitution is missing, while the representative needs to hand the matter over to a lawyer;
• The founder acts on behalf of a company, but no document confirming their authority has been submitted;
• The power of attorney is so old that the recipient doubts it is still in force, or its term has already expired.

A translation cannot fix these flaws, because it reflects the original. But we can spot them as soon as we start translating and tell you before you submit the document to the authority - or, better still, in the draft of the power of attorney before it is signed.

For law firms and developers

Lawyers, developers and real estate agencies receive foreign powers of attorney regularly. What matters most to them is that the name, the address and the terminology are written the same way in every document of one client. That is why we keep a single terminology list for each client, which applies to all of their later documents: the power of attorney, the purchase agreement, the extract and the correspondence.

We work with companies under a contract and an invoice, with a confidentiality agreement. No AI is used on the content of the documents. More details: services for companies and for law firms.

Timing

A foreign power of attorney translation is ready the same or next day, including notarization. We can start translating from a scan before the courier brings the original, and the notarization takes place as soon as we receive the original.

How to order

Frequently asked questions

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