POWER OF ATTORNEY (POA) – AUTHORIZATIONS? ONLINE! WE GET YOUR HANDS OFF!

As you are well aware the Coronavirus era had and still will lead to many consequences in all aspects of our lives. One of the consequences was that consulates around the world could not meet the demands of the citizens. That was understandable but that didn’t keep other obligations keeping their pace.

As such the question was redefined on how authorisations could be done quickly yet in a reliable manner.

Thus, the question arose of how authorizations will be made reliably and quickly such as authorisations, applications, and power of attorney. Similar inquiries are presented to our office daily.

The Greek government – fortunately – made it possible for Greek citizens to perform several operations online through the gov.gr platform.

Despite that, there are many of our fellow citizens who either need legal help or do not know how to use the available technology.

To take this step by step:

A. Citizens often need power of attorney, (Power of Attorney or a proxy letter), Statutory Declaration, Authorisation, etc. to enable a relative or friend to aid them in Greece or elsewhere. The issues that can be resolved in this way cover almost all the spectrum of digital services. From tax matters to the military to Declarations to Registries, and naturally to real estate sales.

B. A basic condition for a citizen (principal) to authorize another (principal or proxy) is that the principal has legal capacity, meaning an adult (over 18) has awareness and demonstrates the ability to fully understand the text and the consequences of said authorization. If a principal does not fully understand the language, then they can and should have an interpreter of their absolute trust with them. If the principal does not read and/or write Greek or English respectively, they must have two witnesses with them who are not related to them (to the principal) or to each other and who have all the necessary qualifications (are off age – ability to fully understand the language of the document, etc.) and the necessary documents (passports identification documents, etc.).

C. Attention should be drawn to the details (names, addresses, etc.) that will be included in the power of attorney of both the principal and the proxy. That is why you must first consult the matter with us so that your appointment to be prepared in full and your work to be done completely and flawlessly without any precious time being lost in the process.

D. Usually a power of attorney requires the physical presence of the principal, or in other words live contact (live appointment) between the principal and a lawyer or notary public.

At this point, you should remember that in England RFL/Solicitors have full notarial rights.

Our office is fully certified and often, due to COVID-19, we hold online sessions for signing power of attorney. Ask us about it (info@status-london.com). We have already offered our services to dozens of our customers with online video calls following all the conditions indicated to us by the relevant U.K. public services.

E. All administrative and state agencies everywhere accept power of attorney and of course, the simplest documents such as declarations etc can be prepared by a lawyer. In fact, in the U.K. one can confirm that at gov.uk while in Greece that can be confirmed via the website dikaiologitika.gr / gov.gr but also from relevant provisions and circulars: Eng. 63/2006 and General Documents E99/54/30-10-2008, E99/10/12-4-2010, E99/6/21.10.2011 & E99/4/23.5.2012 and many others)

F. Finally, it goes without saying that the simple documents that someone prepares through gov.gr are free, while through consulates they carry a small cost, but patience is required due to the long wait. Of course, drawing up a power of attorney or other documents by a lawyer or a notary has a somewhat higher cost, but the services we offer are immediate and we also provide responsible legal guidance.

For more information and to solve any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@status-london.com

We are ready to help you either at our office or online maintaining in both cases the needed absolute safety, responsibility, and swiftness.