Power of Attorney for Property in Tamil Nadu 2026: Format, Registration, Stamp Duty and Life Certificate

What a power of attorney is, and what it is not

A power of attorney (POA) is a deed in which the principal authorises an agent to act in their name. For property in Tamil Nadu it is used when the owner lives abroad or in another city, when one member of a family handles a joint holding, when an elderly owner hands the paperwork to a child, or when a builder is authorised to develop and sell. The agent can do only what the deed allows, and only while the principal is alive and the power stands.

It is not a transfer. The principal remains the owner, the patta and the encumbrance certificate keep the principal's name, and nothing the agent does gives the agent title. A sale happens only when a sale deed is registered, whether the principal signs it or the agent signs it as attorney.

General and special powers

• General power of attorney (GPA): authority over a class of acts on a named property, typically to manage, let, pay taxes, appear before authorities and sell. The generator on this site produces this deed.
• Special power of attorney (SPA): authority for one act, such as signing a particular sale deed or presenting one document for registration. When one act is all that is needed, give a special power and let it lapse.
• Power for consideration, or coupled with an interest: a power given in return for money, or to someone who has an interest in the property (a builder under a development agreement). It is charged as a conveyance-like instrument and cannot be revoked at will.
• Family and non-family: the Registration Department charges a fixed duty when the power to sell is given to a family member and a percentage of the market value when it is given to anyone else.

Registration is compulsory

Since 2012 a power of attorney relating to immovable property in Tamil Nadu must be registered at the sub-registrar office, and the principal's passport photograph and fingerprints are affixed to the deed at registration. An unregistered power cannot be used to sell, and the sub-registrar will not register a deed executed under one.

A power executed outside India is the exception: it need not be registered here, but it must be presented for adjudication (stamping) in India within three months of its arrival, and the life certificate rule below applies to it when it is used.

Stamp duty and registration fee

The Registration Department's fee schedule, as the stamp duty calculator on this site applies it:

The market value is the guideline value of the property or the stated value, whichever is higher. When the agent later sells, the sale deed carries its own duty (7% stamp duty and 2% registration fee on a sale in Tamil Nadu), paid by the buyer.

Selling through a power of attorney

An agent with a registered power to sell signs the sale deed "for and on behalf of" the principal, the deed is registered in the usual way, and the buyer's name enters the encumbrance certificate. That is a valid sale. What is not a sale is the "GPA sale" once common in the state: a power of attorney plus an agreement and a receipt for the price, with no sale deed. The Supreme Court held in Suraj Lamp and Industries v. State of Haryana (2011) that such an arrangement conveys no title, and registration offices treat it accordingly. If you are buying, buy by a registered sale deed and nothing less.

The life certificate

A power of attorney dies with the principal, so the Registration Department asks the agent to prove the principal is alive. Under Circular No. 189/C1/2013, in force from 4 February 2013, a document presented for registration under a power of attorney registered after 1 February 2013 must come with a life certificate of the principal that:

• was issued within the 30 days before the document is presented (an older one is refused);
• carries the principal's photograph, attested across the photograph and the paper, and the principal's signature;
• is certified and dated by a registered medical practitioner or a Group A officer of the central or state government, in the model form attached to the circular.

The registration office inspects the original, scans a copy with the document and returns the original. No life certificate is needed for a document presented within 30 days of the power's own registration, for powers granted by companies, for purchase powers, or for powers registered on or before 1 February 2013. It is needed for a power executed abroad and adjudicated here. For an NRI principal the Indian consulate can certify the form.

What a buyer should check

1. Read the registered power itself: document number, sub-registrar office, the principal's photograph and fingerprints, the property it names, and whether it allows a sale.
2. Confirm it stands: the principal is alive (the life certificate will be demanded at registration anyway) and no revocation has been registered.
3. Confirm the principal owns what is being sold: pull the encumbrance certificate and the patta in the principal's name.
4. Have the agent sign a registered sale deed as attorney for the principal, with the power's document number recited in it; pay the duty on the sale.
5. A week after registration, pull the EC again and see the sale recorded in your name; then apply for the patta transfer.

A legal opinion on the title does all of this with the documents in hand, and a seller background check covers the principal and the agent.

Revoking a power of attorney

A power is cancelled by a registered deed of revocation at the office where it was registered, with notice to the agent; the forms page has the cancellation deed in English and Tamil. A power also ends on the principal's death, when the act it was given for is done, or on the date it names. A power given for consideration, or coupled with the agent's own interest in the property, cannot be revoked at the principal's will.

Getting the format

1. Open the general power of attorney generator, enter the principal, the agent, the property and the powers given, and download the deed.
2. Or download the Word formats: general power, special power and cancellation, in English and Tamil.
3. Work out the duty with the calculator, then register the deed at the sub-registrar office for the property (find your SRO) with the principal present for the photograph and fingerprints.

Frequently asked questions

What is a power of attorney for property?

A power of attorney is a deed by which one person (the principal) authorises another (the agent, or attorney) to act for them: to manage a property, collect rent, sign at the sub-registrar office, or sell. It delegates authority. It never transfers ownership, and in Tamil Nadu a power of attorney relating to immovable property must itself be registered.

Is a power of attorney compulsorily registered in Tamil Nadu?

Yes. Since 2012 a power of attorney relating to immovable property in Tamil Nadu has to be registered at the sub-registrar office, with the principal's photograph and fingerprints on the deed. A power executed outside India is the exception: it need not be registered here, but it must be adjudicated (stamped) in India before it is used, and the life certificate rule applies to it.

What is the stamp duty on a power of attorney in Tamil Nadu?

It depends on what the power is for. A general power to sell immovable property given to a family member carries a fixed duty of Rs 1,000 and a registration fee of Rs 2,000. The same power given to someone outside the family is charged at 1% of the market value as stamp duty and 1% as registration fee. A power given for consideration is 5% of the total market value of the property plus 1% of the market value. A power for movable property or other purposes is Rs 1,000 plus Rs 500. The stamp duty calculator on this site gives the figure for any value.

Can property be sold through a power of attorney?

A registered power that authorises sale lets the agent sign the sale deed on the principal's behalf, and that registered sale deed is what transfers title to the buyer. A power of attorney by itself, even with money paid, is not a sale: the Supreme Court held in Suraj Lamp (2011) that a general power of attorney sale conveys no title. Buy only by a registered sale deed, and check that the encumbrance certificate afterwards shows the sale.

What is the life certificate for a power of attorney?

A certificate that the person who granted the power is alive, because a power of attorney ends with the principal's death. Under the Registration Department's circular of February 2013, when an agent presents a document for registration under a power registered after 1 February 2013, a life certificate of the principal, issued within the previous 30 days, signed by the principal, carrying an attested photograph, and certified by a registered medical practitioner or a Group A officer, must be produced. It is not needed for a document presented within 30 days of the power's own registration, for powers given by companies, or for purchase powers.

What is the difference between a general and a special power of attorney?

A general power covers a class of acts, such as managing and selling a named property; a special power is limited to one act, such as signing one sale deed or appearing at one registration. Both are registered the same way when they touch immovable property. Give the narrowest power that does the job, and name the property.

How do I check whether a power of attorney is genuine before buying?

Ask for the registered power and read it: the document number, the sub-registrar office, the principal's photograph and fingerprints, the property it names and the acts it allows. Confirm the principal is alive and has not revoked it (a revocation is also registered, and the agent must produce the life certificate at registration). Then insist on a registered sale deed signed by the agent as attorney for the principal, and pull the encumbrance certificate a few days later to see the sale recorded.

How is a power of attorney cancelled?

By a registered deed of revocation at the sub-registrar office where the power was registered, with notice to the agent. A power of attorney also ends when the principal dies, when its purpose is completed, or on the date it names. A power given for consideration, or coupled with an interest, is not freely revocable.

Can an NRI give a power of attorney for property in Tamil Nadu?

Yes. The power is executed before the Indian consulate or a notary abroad, sent to India, and adjudicated (stamped) here within three months of its arrival; it does not need to be registered in Tamil Nadu but the agent will need the principal's life certificate when presenting a document under it. The consulate can certify the life certificate.

Where do I get a power of attorney format?

The general power of attorney generator on this site fills a Tamil Nadu format from the parties' and property's details, and the forms page has the general power, special power and cancellation deeds as Word files in English and Tamil. Register the finished deed at the sub-registrar office of the property's district.

Related tools

• General power of attorney generator
• Deed formats in English and Tamil
• Stamp duty and registration fee calculator
• EC online
• Certified copy of a registered deed
• Find your sub-registrar office
• TNREGINET: status and services
• The 2013 life certificate circular

Disclaimer

This page explains the law and the Registration Department's practice as published; it is not legal advice on your own deed. Rates and procedures change with government orders, and the sub-registrar's requirements on the day govern. For advice on a specific transaction, take a legal opinion.