Inheritance Power of Attorney for Iran
A generic power of attorney may be too narrow for an Iranian inheritance case—or dangerously broader than the work requires. Dadparvaran maps the estate tasks first, then helps heirs abroad prepare authority that fits the Iranian procedure and consular route.
An inheritance power of attorney (vekalatnameh) authorizes another person to perform specified acts; it does not itself prove that the principal is an heir or transfer ownership of estate property. The heir may still need a registered death, a final Iranian succession certificate and asset-specific documents before a court, registry, bank or tax authority will act.
Iranian Civil Code Article 656 defines agency, while Articles 663 and 667 require the agent to stay within the granted authority and protect the principal's interests. A useful inheritance power should therefore be drafted around the actual file: obtaining records, applying or objecting in the heirship process, appearing in proceedings, handling tax steps, registering inherited shares, dividing property, receiving documents or funds, or conducting a sale. Authority for one of these acts should not be assumed to include the others.
Overseas Iranians commonly submit consular powers of attorney through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Mikhak system and then follow the instructions of the competent Iranian mission. Official consular guidance stresses precise text and sufficient identifying details. The draft should be settled before submission because later corrections, missing asset information or an unsuitable appointment can delay the estate work.
Broad sale language deserves particular caution. Supreme Court Unification Judgment No. 847 confirms that an instruction allowing sale “at any price” does not remove the agent's legal duty to protect the principal's interests. Clauses on self-dealing, settlement, waiver, receipt of money, substitution of another agent and irrevocability should be used only after the consequences are explained and the principal's informed instructions are documented.
Start with an authority map
The safest draft begins with a list of institutions, assets and intended acts. This avoids both a document that cannot complete the work and a document that gives unnecessary control.
- Civil-registration and succession-certificate actions
- Court, dispute and settlement actions
- Tax, registry, bank and company-share actions
- Estate inventory, division and possession actions
- Receipt of documents, funds or property
- Sale, price, payment and deed-signing authority
Powers that require deliberate instructions
Sale, compromise, waiver, admission, receipt of money, delegation and transactions involving the agent can have lasting consequences. These should not be inserted as boilerplate merely because a standard form offers them.
Consular execution through Mikhak
The principal generally creates the request in Mikhak and follows the selected mission's identity and execution instructions. Appointment availability, attendance, mailing, witness and delivery requirements can differ by mission and should be checked before relying on a timetable.
- Confirm the principal's Iranian identity details
- Use the correct agent identity and address information
- Enter the final approved Persian authority text
- Retain the tracking information and final certified document
- Arrange lawful delivery and use of any required original
Existing powers should be reviewed, not guessed at
A prior family or property power may cover part of the inheritance work but omit heirship, litigation, tax or receipt authority. It may also contain powers that are no longer appropriate. The full document and any revocation history should be checked before use.
How Dadparvaran structures the drafting file
- Conflict and identity check for principal and proposed agent
- Estate, asset and procedure map
- Clause-by-clause authority and risk instructions
- Persian draft with an English explanation of material powers
- Consular execution checklist and handover plan
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Documents useful for an initial review
A missing document is not a reason to wait — a short description and whatever records you have is enough to begin. Please send legible copies rather than originals.
Identity and estate information useful for drafting
- Principal's Iranian passport, national ID and shenasnameh details
- Proposed agent's full Iranian identity and contact details
- Death record and any succession certificate
- List of heirs, estate assets and known disputes
Transaction and procedure information useful for drafting
- Property registry details, bank or company information
- Court, tax or administrative file numbers
- Any proposed sale, division or settlement terms
- Existing powers of attorney and revocation documents
The right power of attorney is a controlled authority map—not a substitute for the inheritance process and not a blank cheque.
Send the estate task list, available records and proposed agent details for a precise Persian draft and an English explanation of the material powers.
Submitting an enquiry does not create a lawyer-client relationship or guarantee any outcome. Whether a legal route is available, and which one fits, is determined after the documents and the position of the case have been reviewed.
Relevant legal framework
These sources are listed for orientation. Article numbers and wording should be checked against the official consolidated text before being relied on.
- Presidential Deputy for Legal Affairs, Iranian Civil Code, including Articles 656–683 on agency and Articles 663 and 667 on scope and the agent's duties, consolidated text reviewed 28 July 2026 — https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/?IDS=12021850837713548188
- Supreme Court of Iran, Unification Judgment No. 847 dated 15 May 2024 on the agent's duty to protect the principal's interests despite broad sale-price wording, reviewed 28 July 2026 — https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/?IDS=9946113928045020372
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Mikhak integrated consular-services platform, reviewed 28 July 2026 — https://mikhak.mfa.gov.ir/
- Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sweden, official power-of-attorney guidance, reviewed 28 July 2026 — https://sweden.mfa.gov.ir/portal/GeneralCategoryServices/11886
- Council of Ministers, Implementing Regulation for Article 113(c) of the Seventh Development Plan on succession certificates, approved 16 March 2025, reviewed 28 July 2026 — https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/?IDS=11601969832959494070
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions in this specialty
Can I use a general power of attorney for an inheritance in Iran?
Does the power of attorney make me an heir?
Can the agent sell inherited property?
Should the agent be allowed to receive the sale money?
Can I sign the inheritance power of attorney abroad?
Does making a power of attorney guarantee the inheritance work can be completed remotely?
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Legal Document Preparation
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Service of Foreign Legal and Judicial Documents in Iran
Sending papers to an address in Iran is not necessarily legally valid service. Dadparvaran helps foreign parties and counsel identify the available judicial-assistance route, prepare Persian documents and obtain a usable record of delivery or non-service.
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