Why might I use a General Power of Attorney?

Last verified: June 2026 (England & Wales)

Quick-read summary

A General Power of Attorney (GPA), sometimes called an Ordinary Power of Attorney (OPA), lets you appoint someone to deal with property or financial matters for you straight away. Unlike a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), it does not need to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) before it can be used.

This can make a GPA useful for short-term financial authority, urgent transactions, travel, hospital stays, business continuity, or as a temporary bridge while an LPA is being registered.

The important limit is capacity. A GPA only works while you still have mental capacity. It cannot authorise health and welfare decisions, and it stops if mental capacity is lost. An LPA takes longer because it must be registered, but it is the long-term protection document.

Practical checklist: when might a General Power of Attorney help?

• You’re working or living abroad but need someone in the UK to manage property, accounts, or sales.
• You want a trusted person to carry out a specific transaction (such as selling a car or a property).
• You’re going into hospital or travelling for an extended period and need business or personal affairs handled temporarily.
• You need immediate property or financial authority while the donor still has mental capacity, for example while an LPA is being prepared or registered.
• You want a stop-gap measure while waiting for a Lasting Power of Attorney to be registered.
• You run a business and need continuity if you’re unavailable for a time.

General Power of Attorney or Lasting Power of Attorney: the practical difference

A GPA and an LPA are not competing documents. They do different jobs.

General Power of Attorney (GPA)

A GPA can help where the donor still has mental capacity and needs someone to act quickly for property or financial matters.

It can be useful for:

• a specific transaction
• temporary travel or absence
• urgent financial administration
• short-term business continuity
• a bridge while an LPA is being registered

It does not cover health and welfare decisions, and it ends if the donor loses mental capacity.

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)An LPA is the long-term planning document. It must be registered with the OPG before it can be used.

A Property and Financial Affairs LPA can cover money, bills, investments and property. A Health and Welfare LPA can cover care, treatment and where you live, but only when you cannot make that decision yourself.

GOV.UK currently says LPA registration usually takes 8 to 10 weeks if there are no mistakes. The current OPG registration fee is £92 per LPA unless a reduction or exemption applies.

A simple way to think about it:

Use a GPA for short-term authority while capacity remains. Use an LPA for long-term protection if capacity may be lost.

A General or Ordinary Power of Attorney is currently a £350 professional fee, with no OPG registration fee. Lasting Power of Attorney professional fees start from £350, with fixed package fees depending on whether you need one LPA, both LPAs for one person, or a couples’ package. The £92 OPG registration fee applies to each LPA unless a reduction or exemption applies.

Working together: GPA and LPA

A General Power of Attorney can be the perfect companion to a Lasting Power of Attorney. A GPA allows your chosen attorney to act immediately, covering urgent needs or transactions while you still have capacity. The LPA, once registered, ensures continuity if capacity is later lost.

When combined with a well-drafted Will and, where appropriate, trust planning, a GPA and LPA can form part of a wider protection plan. The GPA can help with immediate authority while you still have capacity. The LPA gives longer-term protection if capacity is later lost.

Supporting documents

A clear covering note can sometimes help explain the purpose and limits of a GPA to banks, solicitors, foreign authorities or other organisations. This is especially useful where the GPA is narrow, time-limited or being used for a specific transaction.

Where needed, Fern Wills & LPAs can prepare practical supporting notes for institutions. For overseas use, we can also suggest appropriate routes for notarisation and apostille certification

How this works in real life

• Selling a vehicle in the US
  A client had returned to the UK but still owned a car in America. A GPA helped his relative deal with the sale process without him needing to fly back, subject to the relevant local requirements being accepted.
• Managing property from Dubai
  Another client, a landlord with several buy-to-let properties, spent long periods working in Dubai. He gave his sons a GPA to manage and, if needed, sell properties in his absence.
• Supporting someone with early dementia
  A client recently diagnosed with early-onset dementia still had full capacity to make a new Will and LPA. However, their attorneys needed to act immediately. A GPA provided short-term access straight away, while the LPA was being prepared and registered for longer-term use.
• An urgent hospital update
  On one occasion, a client in hospital needed their will updated urgently. Alongside the emergency will, we prepared a GPA so that a trusted relative could handle immediate affairs during the uncertain period ahead.
• Resolving a business stand-off
  In a family-owned company, two director-siblings stopped communicating. To keep the business running, their accountant was given a time-limited GPA covering certain negotiations. This allowed progress without either director needing direct contact.

How is a General Power of Attorney different from a Lasting Power of Attorney?

A GPA can be used straight away, but only while you have mental capacity. An LPA must be registered before it can be used, but it can continue if you later lose capacity.

Can a GPA be used for long-term planning?

No. A GPA is designed for temporary or specific property and financial matters. For long-term protection, an LPA is normally the right document.

Will banks and organisations accept a GPA?

Often, but not always without questions. Some organisations are less familiar with GPAs than LPAs, so a clear covering note can help explain the purpose and limits of the document.

Can I use a GPA abroad?

A GPA is made under the law of England and Wales, so it does not automatically force an overseas organisation to accept it. In practice, overseas organisations will often accept a properly prepared GPA, especially where it has been notarised, apostilled, translated or locally validated. There is never a guarantee, so it is sensible to check what the receiving organisation or country will require before relying on it.

Can I cancel a GPA?

Yes. As long as you have mental capacity, you can revoke a GPA by notifying your attorney and any institutions involved.

Are GPAs only valid for 12 months?

No. A GPA does not automatically expire after 12 months unless the document itself says so. The 12-month limit is a common misunderstanding, including among some professionals. A GPA can continue until it is revoked, reaches a stated end date, or the donor loses mental capacity.

Does a GPA cover health and welfare matters?

No. A GPA only applies to property and financial matters. For health and welfare decisions, you need a Health and Welfare LPA.

Does a GPA continue if I lose capacity?

No. A GPA ends if the donor loses mental capacity. Only an LPA can continue beyond that point.

Can you change the terms of a General Power of Attorney?

You cannot simply amend the signed document. In practice, you would usually revoke the old GPA and make a new one with the correct wording. Fern Wills & LPAs can guide you through that process.

Optional technical notes

• A General Power of Attorney is governed by the Powers of Attorney Act 1971.
• It is valid only while the donor has mental capacity.
• It does not need OPG registration, so there is no OPG registration fee.
• Apostille certification is handled by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
• GPAs are different from Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs), which can no longer be made but may still be valid if created before October 2007.
• GPAs are also different from Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs), which are designed for longer-term protection and can continue after capacity is lost.

Related Fern pages

Lasting Powers of Attorney fees

What is the best way to activate and use your LPA online?

What gifts can attorneys make?

Next steps

A General Power of Attorney can be a very useful tool when you need something handled quickly, or while you’re away or unavailable. But it’s not a substitute for long-term planning with an LPA.

Together with a Will and, where appropriate, trust planning, these documents can form a strong foundation for practical short-term authority and longer-term protection.

If you’d like to explore whether a GPA is right for you, or how it can work alongside an LPA, contact Fern Wills & LPAs for a clear, no-obligation chat.