RIYADH — The Ministry of Justice has announced the activation of electronic powers of attorney (PoAs) in Saudi embassies and consulates in Kuwait, the United States and Britain in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The service was first launched in the Saudi Embassy and Consulate in Egypt, followed by the embassies and consulates in the UAE and Jordan. The ministry revealed that 520 electronic PoAs have been issued, 393 of which were in Egypt, 57 in the UAE through the Saudi Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai, 19 in Jordan, six in Kuwait, and 45 in the US through the Saudi Embassy in Washington and the consulate generals in New York and Houston. Dr. Walid Al-Samaani, justice minister and president of the Supreme Judicial Council, had given his directives to launch the system for the issuance of electronic PoAs through the Kingdom's embassies and consulates abroad so that Saudi nationals can immediately use them. Previously, the issuance of PoAs through embassies and consulates was done on paper and cost grantors time and money, especially as they were required to send the PoA after its issuance by traditional mail to Saudi Arabia to be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then the Ministry of Justice without the option to cancel it electronically. Now, grantors and attorneys can work under the PoA as soon as it is issued electronically by the Saudi embassy or consulate.
