Certifying a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)

A Lasting Power of Attorney, or LPA for short, is the document that will allow your trusted attorneys to manage your affairs if you cannot do this for yourself.  You may be the donor or one of the attorneys.  You will probably have to get certified copies of the LPA if you need to manage the affairs of someone for whom you are the attorney.  It is likely that banks and building societies, pension companies and services providers will need to see the original or a certified copy so you may need to get several.  It’s never a good idea to part with the original LPA so send certified copies if you can.   

If you are the donor, but you are still managing your own affairs, you can certify copies of your own LPA.  This can save your attorneys a lot of time and money if they need to use the LPA for you in the future.  GOV.UK tells you how to do this.  Keep the certified copies safe with your original LPA so the attorneys know where to find them.