Power of Attorney

Considering obtaining a Power of Attorney? While we can't give any legal advice, we can provide you with some guidance and support.

The person who appoints others to act for them by executing a Power of Attorney is referred to as the 'Donor'; while the person so appointed is referred to as an 'Attorney'.

The first step you'll need to take is deciding which type of Power of Attorney will meet your needs.

Types of Power of Attorney

What an Attorney / Delegate can do

Registering a Power of Attorney with HSBC

When you're ready to register a Power of Attorney with us, visit us at a branch and bring the documents required. Both the Donor and the Attorneys will need to be there.

What to prepare and expect

Check that you have all the pages of your Power of Attorney document. We will need to see either the original document or a copy certified by a qualified solicitor in Hong Kong.

Each Attorney will also need to provide:

Their identification documents. In some cases, we may ask to see multiple identification documents (eg we will need to see the Attorney's passport if they do not hold an HKID). For more details, please refer to 'Points to note for Power of Attorney set up'
Proof of their permanent residential address (if applicable)*. Please see 'Points to note for Power of Attorney set up' for examples of proof that we accept

Once these documents are ready, bring them with you when you visit us at one of our branches. Both the Donor and the Attorneys will need to be there.

If you want to register an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPOA) with us, it must first be registered with the High Court in Hong Kong. You'll also need to provide a medical certificate confirming the mental incapacity of the Donor.

You can find more information about different types of Power of Attorney here.

* If the Attorneys are appointed 'jointly', we will ask to see the identification documents and proof of address for each Attorney.

What the next steps are

Our branch staff will check the documents you brought. If there are any restrictions or conditions in the documents, we may ask for additional information or documents.

Once the Power of Attorney has been registered with us and we've updated our records, we will send confirmation:

By text message, if the Donor has a registered mobile number
By post, if the Donor has a registered correspondence address but no registered mobile number

Important documents to prepare

Your Power of Attorney document

We will need to see either the original document or a copy certified by a qualified solicitor in Hong Kong, in full.

Any restrictions and conditions

If your Power of Attorney contains any restrictions or conditions, we may ask you for additional information. For example, if the restriction requires medical confirmation of the Donor's mental capacity, we may ask to see this.

Identification and proof of address

We will need to see acceptable forms of identification and proof of address for each Attorney. If multiple Attorneys have been appointed, we will ask to see the identification documents and proof of address for each Attorney. Please see 'Points to note for Power of Attorney set up' for examples of documents that we accept.

Attorney: a person appointed to look after the finances/property and affairs/health and welfare of another person.

Delegate: a third party appointed by a customer via a Letter of Delegation (an internal process offered by HSBC, unlike the legal process of Power of Attorney) who will have the power to make financial decisions or transactions on the customer's behalf in respect of the customer's HSBC accounts.

Donor: an individual who wishes to give another person/persons the authority to act or make decisions on the their behalf.

'Jointly' / 'jointly and severally' / jointly and individually': this applies when multiple Attorneys are appointed.

'Jointly' means that all of the Attorneys must act together at all times.
'Jointly and severally' / jointly and individually' means that the Attorneys can either act together or individually.

The information relating to Powers of Attorney and third-party access on this website is only intended to provide you with a general guide to the options available to you and does not constitute legal advice. We suggest that you seek legal advice before you decide which type of third-party access is right for your individual circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

It is a legal document that appoints one or more persons (your Attorney or Attorneys) to make decisions for you (the Donor).

A Donor is an individual who wishes to give another person/persons the authority to act or make decisions on the Donor's behalf.

An Attorney is a person appointed to look after the finances/property and affairs/health and welfare of another person (the Donor). An Attorney may be appointed under a Power of Attorney or an Enduring Power of Attorney.

We will need to see:

The full Power of Attorney document, either the original or a copy certified by a qualified solicitor in Hong Kong
Identification documents and proof of address for each Attorney (please see 'Points to note for Power of Attorney set up' for examples of documents we accept)

If you're registering an Enduring Power of Attorney, it must be registered with the High Court in Hong Kong before you visit us. You'll also need to bring a medical certificate confirming the mental incapacity of the Donor on your visit.