Send your POA document to powerofattorney@natwest.com
Add the donor’s sort code and account number in the email subject line. If these are missing, we can't process your request

Other documents you may need to give us:

Photo of all attorneys’ signatures if they:

act together (jointly), or
act in a professional role

Proof of lack of mental capacity

If the POA says the attorney can act only if the donor loses mental capacity, we need proof
This can be a statement signed by the attorney
If the POA document asks for a specific type of proof, like a certificate from a doctor, we will need that exact type of proof

Signed letter from the other joint account holder
If you’re being added to a joint account, we need a signed letter from the other person on the account.

The letter must confirm they agree for you to be added as an attorney

You don’t need this if:

you are the other joint account holder, or
you already have Power of Attorney for both account holders

Important:

We can't accept General Power of Attorney documents online

File rules:

Images must be 10 MB or less
Save documents as PDF

Step 3: Confirm your identity

Once we get your eForm and POA document, you'll get an email from our trusted security partner, Mitek

To confirm your identity:

Take a selfie
Upload photo ID
Upload proof of address (if asked)

Proof of identity we accept when applying online

Valid passport
Full UK driving licence
EU/EEA driving licence
EU/EEA national identity card
UK provisional driving licence

Proof of address we can accept when applying online

Full UK driving licence (if not being used for proof of identity)
UK provisional driving licence (if not being used for proof of identity)
Bank statement (if using a NatWest Group statement, must be different from brand you're applying for -dated within last 6 months)
Credit Union statement (dated within last 6 months)
Mortgage statement/Solicitor mortgage correspondence (dated within last 12 months)
HMRC letter (notice of tax code or national insurance confirmation letter)
Benefit agency documents (dated within last 12 months)
Utility bill (dated within last 6 months)
Council tax bill (dated within last 12 months)

See more details on proof of identification and proof of address on our Caring for someone vulnerable page.

Registering a Power of Attorney in a branch

Here's what you need to know

Before you visit

No appointment needed
The account holder (donor) does not need to come with you
The branch can register your POA as long as you bring the right documents

What to bring

The original POA document registered with the Office of Public Guardian or your LPA code
Proof of identity
Proof of address

Other documents you may need to give us:

Proof of lack of mental capacity

If the POA says the attorney can act only if the donor loses mental capacity, we need proof
This can be a statement signed by the attorney
If the POA document asks for a specific type of proof, like a certificate from a doctor, we will need that exact type of proof

Signed letter from the other joint account holder
If you’re being added to a joint account, we need a signed letter from the other person on the account.

The letter must confirm they agree for you to be added as an attorney

You don’t need this if:

you are the other joint account holder, or
you already have Power of Attorney for both account holders

Proof of identity we accept when applying in branch

Valid passport
Full UK driving licence
UK provisional driving licence
Military ID card
EU/EEA national ID card
EU/EEA driving licence
Biometric residence permit
e-Visa

If you don’t have any of the documents listed above, we can accept these instead:

Benefits letter from the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), Jobcentre Plus or Universal Credit
- Must be dated within the last 12 months and show the benefit is still valid
- If it doesn’t confirm ongoing benefit, it must be dated within the last 3 months
- Can only be used if not already used as proof of address
NI electoral office ID Card
OAP / Concessionary travel pass (only accepted with certain address documents)
HMRC letter: notice of tax coding for previous or current tax year, or national insurance confirmation letter

Proof of address we accept when applying in branch

Bank statement (if using a NatWest Group statement, must be different from brand you're applying for -dated within last 6 months)
Council tax bill (dated within last 12 months)
Utility bill/statement (dated within last 6 months)
Mortgage statement/Solicitor mortgage correspondence (dated within last 12 months)
Local council/ Housing authority tenancy agreement
Credit Union statement (dated within last 6 months)
Full UK driving licence (if not being used for proof of identity)
UK provisional driving licence (if not being used for proof of identity)
HMRC letter (notice of tax code or national insurance confirmation letter)

If you don’t have any of the documents listed above, we can accept a benefits letter from the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), Jobcentre Plus or Universal Credit.

The letter must be dated within the last 12 months and show that the benefit is still valid.
If the letter does not confirm ongoing benefit, it must be dated within the last 3 months.
This can only be used if it is not already being used as proof of identity.

See more details on proof of identification and proof of address on our Caring for someone vulnerable page.

Find a branch near you

Use our Branch locator to find your nearest branch

Registering a Power of Attorney whilst living abroad

If you live outside the UK and have a valid UK Power of Attorney, you can register it with us.

Here's what you need to know:

What to do

Complete the form
Fill in the Add Power of Attorney to an Account (PDF, 105 KB)
Post your documents
Send the form and documents to:

NatWest
1 Hardman Boulevard
Manchester
M3 3AQ
United Kingdom

What you need to include

Send certified copies of:

Your full POA document
Proof of identity (valid passport)
Proof of address

Other documents you may need to give us:

Proof of lack of mental capacity

If the POA says the attorney can act only if the donor loses mental capacity, we need proof
This can be a statement signed by the attorney
If the POA document asks for a specific type of proof, like a certificate from a doctor, we will need that exact type of proof

Signed letter from the other joint account holder
If you’re being added to a joint account, we need a signed letter from the other person on the account.

The letter must confirm they agree for you to be added as an attorney

You don’t need this if:

you are the other joint account holder, or
you already have Power of Attorney for both account holders

Consent to share your documents with our translation partner, Language Line.

Include written consent if your documents are not in English.

Important:

Each copy must be certified by a bank or solicitor in the country you are living in.
Each document must show the certifier’s name, job title, address, phone number, and email.
POA documents must follow UK law. Include all parts of the document, including certificates.

How long it takes

It can take up to six weeks after we receive your documents. Extra checks may be needed.

Proof of identity we accept whilst living abroad

Valid passport (temporary passports are not acceptable)

Proof of address we accept whilst living abroad

Bank statement (dated within 6 months)
Utility bill (dated within 6 months)

We cannot accept:

Mobile phone or mobile internet bills
TV licence
Delivery bills for oil, coal, logs, etc.

What is a Power of Attorney?

A Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal document that lets someone make decisions for you if you cannot or do not want to make them yourself. The person who gives this permission is called the donor. The person who receives it is called an attorney.

Attorneys are often family members or close friends. However, professionals such as solicitors or local authorities can also act as attorneys.

You can set up a POA for a short time, such as when you are in hospital, or for the long term, for example if you become ill and cannot make decisions.

To learn more about Power of Attorney, visit Age UK using the link below.

Visit Age UK Open in new window

Types of Power of Attorney

Depending on what you need and where you live, there are different types of Power of Attorney you should think about. Details on these different types are shown below.

General or specific Power of Attorney

A general Power of Attorney (GPA) gives an attorney the legal authority to act for someone while they are mentally capable. This might include:

Selling their home.
Paying the mortgage.
Making investments.
Paying bills.
Arranging repairs to their home.

The donor may be in hospital or away from home for a while. They can limit the attorney's power to only deal with certain things like their bank account. Usually, if someone loses mental capacity a GPA will no longer be accepted, except if the GPA was registered between the 1st of January 1991 and the 1st of April 2001.

For GPA documents that are more than a year old we will need to check with the donor that they are still valid.

When registering a GPA with us, we need you to come to a branch with the correct documents. More information on this can be found in the registration section of this page.

Lasting Power of Attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is set up to allow an attorney to take care of a donor's health and/or financial needs when the time is right for them. There are two different kinds of LPA:

A health and welfare LPA allows an attorney to make decisions on medical care, living arrangements, and the daily routine of the donor. This can only be put in place if the donor is no longer mentally capable.
A property and finance LPA allows an attorney to manage the donor’s bank accounts, pension, benefits, and any property owned by the donor. This can be put in place whether the donor is mentally capable or not.

You only need to register an LPA with us when the donor needs help with managing their finances. If you don't currently have an LPA set up with the Office of the Public Guardian and would like to register please visit this GOV.UK page.

Enduring Power of Attorney

An enduring POA (EPA) allows an attorney to manage the finances of a donor.

EPA has now been replaced with Lasting Power of Attorney but we are still able to accept existing EPA documents that were registered before the 1st of October 2007.

Continuing Power of Attorney (Scotland)

A person making a continuing POA (the donor) must have mental capacity to do so. A continuing POA gives powers over the donor’s property and financial affairs and must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) before it is valid and can be used. The donor will decide the powers given to the attorney. This may include things like:

Selling property.
Mortgages.
Paying bills.
Investments.
Dealing with and managing bank accounts.
Arranging and paying for repairs to property.

For more information on Scottish Power of Attorney visit the Scottish Office of the Public Guardian site.

Non-UK Power of Attorney

If POA documents are drawn up in another country, we are unable to register these on a NatWest account. This is because the bank account is held in the UK and the laws of other countries do not apply within the UK; meaning the attorney does not have legal authority to manage the donor's account.

What can an attorney do?

If the donor lacks capacity the Attorney can operate the account as if they were the account holder themselves. Donors can choose to have more than one Attorney on their account but they must make it clear whether the Attorneys will act 'jointly' or 'joint and severally'.

An attorney can

Have a debit card, register for online or telephone banking, and make payments and transfers as long as they are acting solely, or "jointly and severally" in the case of multiple attorneys.
Close accounts that are no longer needed.
Open new accounts on behalf of the donor depending on the type of POA document held, and this needs to be done in a branch.
Manage the donor's mortgage, including applying for a new mortgage or changing the rates.
Order a cheque book for the donor's account as long as they are "acting in a professional capacity", or "jointly" in the case of multiple attorneys.

Information Message

An attorney cannot

Have access to online or telephone banking or have a debit card if several attorneys are acting "Jointly".
Apply for certain forms of borrowing, for example loans or overdrafts on behalf of the account holder.
Act outside the terms set out by the account holder in the Power of Attorney document.
Change ownership of the account or add new parties to the account.

Information Message

Additional support

If something in your life has changed like your money situation or your health you might need a little more support with your banking. Visit our Banking My Way page where you can tell us what's going on, and we'll find ways to make things easier for you.
If you're looking after someone who needs extra support, there's help out there for you too. We've listed some organisations below that offer advice, tools and support to make things a bit easier.

NHS Social care and support guide Open in new window

Government services and benefits for carers Open in new window

Citizens Advice Open in new window

Carers UK information and support Open in new window

Money Helper information and support Open in new window

Age UK help for carers Open in new window

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take for an attorney to be added to an account?

A Power of Attorney will be added within 10 working days once we have received your documents.

For overseas POA registrations, it can take up to six weeks for an attorney to be added onto an account once we have received your documents.

Additional checks may be required for some Power of Attorney applications which can lengthen timescales.

Once I am added to an account as an attorney, how do I register for Online Banking?

Once you are added as an attorney you will receive your customer number and you can use this to register for online access to the donor's accounts. For more information check out our guide to Online Banking. You can find out how to register and make the most of the services available.

What happens to a Power of Attorney if the account holder has passed away?

A Power of Attorney will no longer apply on sole accounts once the account holder has passed away. The executor of the will, will look after the account holder's estate.

For joint accounts, the Power of Attorney would remain in place. However, as Power of Attorney is held for named individuals, it would only remain in place if the donor was the surviving party.

Can I be added as an attorney to a joint account?

Yes, you can be added as an attorney to a joint account. However, you will need to get written permission from the other joint account holder, unless you hold POA for both account holders.

Can a Power of Attorney open an account on behalf of the donor?

Yes, as a Power of Attorney it's possible to open an account on behalf of the donor. You can't apply online, you'd need to visit your local branch so they can help set this up. Remember to take along your Power of Attorney document.

If the donor is an existing customer and you have already registered the POA document with us, you can call our customer services team on 03457 888 444 (Relay UK 18001 03457 888 444) who can help you open an additional account.

How do I contact the Power of Attorney team?

If you have a question or problem on the POA registration process you can contact our application team via our webchat. This can be done by clicking chat to Cora at the bottom right of your screen, typing in Power of Attorney and answering some questions.

Webchat is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

How can I remove a Power of Attorney from my account?

To have a Power of Attorney removed from an account, you would need to send us a signed letter with details of the request to the address below:

NatWest
1 Hardman Boulevard
Manchester
M3 3AQ
United Kingdom

The Donor can request the removal of an Attorney from their account, if they still have mental capacity. This also needs a signed letter to be sent in.

The POA document will remain valid and could still be used by an Attorney, so to avoid this, we recommend that you revoke this with the Office of Public Guardian.

What happens to a Travel Account when an attorney is added to the linked Current Account?

If a Travel Account is linked to a current account held by a donor it will be closed when the attorney is added, and any EUR funds will be moved back to the Current Account.

Funds returned to the Current Account will be based on the live bank exchange rate.

Can more then one person be an attorney on a Power of Attorney (POA)?

Yes, sometimes more than one person is chosen to help as attorneys.

If you're one of those attorneys, here's what you need to do:

Each person needs to fill in and send us their own POA registration form.
If the POA document says you must act jointly (which means you all make decisions together), we'll need everyone's registration before we can go ahead with anything.