Power of attorney to sell property (委托售房公证)

What this notarization certifies

The notary office certifies the authenticity and legality of your act of authorizing another person to sell your property. Owners living abroad use it so a relative in China can list, sign and transfer title. Shanghai practice adds real safeguards: the attorney-in-fact must normally be a close family member, and elderly or disabled applicants are accompanied by a relative.

Who can apply in Shanghai

Applicants whose registered residence, habitual residence, or place of signing the POA is in Shanghai. The attorney-in-fact must normally be a close relative (spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent); exceptions need the notary office director's approval.

Documents to prepare

• Notarization application form (filled in and signed at the notary office)
• Resident ID card or another valid ID — Chinese or foreign passport, or a Taiwan / Hong Kong / Macao travel permit and ID
• Household register or registration certificate (not required of active-service military or overseas residents)
• Proof of living in Shanghai, if your hukou is registered elsewhere — Shanghai residence permit, a property deed or lease in your or a close relative's name, or an employer letter
• Proof of your marital status — marriage certificate; divorce or widowhood papers as applicable (the notary office can run record searches if papers are lost)
• Proof of the family relationship between you and the attorney-in-fact — household certificate or personnel-file record
• For corporate owners: business license, resolution approving the sale, articles of association, and the signatory's ID
• The property title documents — deed and purchase contract (variants exist for privatized public housing and relocation housing); the notary office can run a title search on Shanghai property
• The POA text, one copy more than the number of certificates needed — the handling notary can draft or revise it
• The attorney-in-fact's ID (a copy is accepted)

Requirements vary case by case — the coordinator confirms your personal checklist before you visit the notary office.

Fee and timeline

• Notary fee: ¥300 (about $46) per deed for individuals; ¥500 (about $77) for companies
• Extra certificate copies: ¥10 (about $1.50) each
• Acceptance review: up to 3 working days; the certificate is normally issued within 15 working days of acceptance

Fees follow Shanghai's published government price standard (2017/2018). The coordinator confirms the current fee and the certified-translation cost before you commit to anything.

Using it abroad

China joined the Hague Apostille Convention in November 2023. For use in a member country — the US, Japan, most of Europe and many others — the notarial certificate receives an apostille and needs no embassy legalization. For non-member countries, consular legalization still applies. Tell the coordinator the destination country and we arrange the correct chain, including a certified translation into the language the receiving authority requires.

Applicants aged 70 or over, or with a hearing, speech or sight disability, are accompanied by at least one close relative (other than the attorney-in-fact) when signing.