DOHA — The Intellectual Property Rights Protection Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (the Department) issued new guidelines regarding the validation of the power of attorney (PoA) used for IP matters.
The new guidelines stipulate the following:
- The PoA must contain the seal and stamp of the issuing notary;
- PoAs are valid for three (3) years only. To ensure their validity, older PoAs must be stamped by the Ministry of Justice in Qatar;
- If the PoA is not drafted in Arabic, then a certified Arabic translation is required by a certified translator;
- PoAs issued by the Qatari Embassies/Consulates abroad must be attested to by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and
- PoAs issued by foreign notaries abroad must be stamped by the Embassy/Consulate of the issuing country in Qatar and then attested to by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
If you require more information, please contact qatar@qumsieh.com.