1. Print Your Lasting Power of Attorney Forms
Print all the forms from your account area.
2. Choose Your Witnesses Carefully
For your Lasting Power of Attorney to be valid, the LPA Donor (that’s you), the LPA Attorneys’, and any LPA Replacement Attorneys need to sign the documents in front of a witness. The witness must then sign, too.
There are some rules about who can be a witness:
- They must be at least 18 years old.
- They can’t be an LPA Attorney or LPA Replacement Attorney, and if you’re an LPA Attorney, the LPA Donor can’t be your witness.
Pro Tip:
Most people ask their LPA certificate provider to be the witness—it just keeps things simple.
3. Donor signs the Lasting Power of Attorney with a Witness
Here’s what you need to do as the donor:
- Sign section 9 under ‘Donor’ (page 10 of the LP1F and LP1H forms).
- Your witness needs to sign alongside you, including section 5 for LP1H form only and section 9 of both documents.
4. LPA Certificate Provider signs the Lasting Power of Attorney
After you and your witness sign, the LPA Certificate Provider steps in. Their role is to ensure you understand what you’re signing and that no one’s pressuring you into it. Once they’re happy, they should read sections 8 & 10 of the LP1F and LP1H forms, then sign section 10 of both.
5. LPA Attorneys’ and LPA Replacement Attorneys’ sign with a Witness
The next step is for your LPA Attorneys’ and any Replacements to sign. They’ll need to:
- Sign section 11 under ‘Attorney or Replacement Attorney’ (pages 12-15). Each LPA Attorney has their own page.
- Their witness must also complete section 11, signing next to each Attorney’s signature.
6. ‘People to Notify’
If you’ve listed any ‘People to Notify’ on your Lasting Power of Attorney, you need to let them know before sending your documents to the Office of the Public Guardian. Use the LP3 form we provide for this purpose. If they have no objections, they don’t need to do anything. If they have concerns, they’ve got three weeks to object through the Office of the Public Guardian.
7. Final sign-Off
Enter your card details on section 14, if you’re paying by cheque, make it payable to ‘Office of the Public Guardian’ and write the LPA Donor’s name on the back.
Then, sign section 15 to confirm the registration. Make sure the person you’ve chosen to register the Lasting Power of Attorney is the one who signs this part.
Once everything is signed, it’s time to send the documents to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). Here’s how:
- Mail the original, signed documents to:
Office of the Public Guardian
PO Box 16185
Birmingham
B2 2WH - If you’re paying by cheque, include it with your forms.
- If you’re paying by card, the OPG will call you to take the payment over the phone once they receive your forms.
Fees Explained
The Office of the Public Guardian charges £82 per Lasting Power of Attorney. If you’ve got a low income or receive certain benefits, you might qualify for a reduced fee or even a fee waiver. You’ll find more details in form LPA120, which you can download or request. If you want to claim a reduced fee, tick the box in section 14 and send the LPA120 form with your documents.
If you are looking for an exemption (when a LPA Donor doesn’t have to pay because they get certain means-tested benefits) or remission (a 50% fee reduction based on a LPA Donor’s financial circumstances or a reduction based on the LPA Donor receiving Universal Credit) for paying, then you will need to complete the LPA 120.
How Long Does It Take?
The current wait time for registration is up to 20 weeks, if there are no mistakes in the application. This isn’t a timeline PowerofAttorneyOnline.co.uk can short cut or influence unfortunately.
What Happens Next?
Once the OPG registers your Lasting Power of Attorney, they’ll send the original, stamped document back to you. This is your official, ready-to-use LPA—keep it somewhere safe.
You can also set up an online account with the government service ‘Use a Lasting Power of Attorney’ to access a digital summary of your Lasting Power of Attorney, making it easier to show people or organizations when you need to.
Using Your Lasting Power of Attorney
When you or your LPA Attorneys need to use the Lasting Power of Attorney, you’ll need to show one of the following:
- The original stamped document (the one you get back from the Office of the Public Guardian)
- A certified copy of the original (you can get these certified by a solicitor or notary)
- The online summary available through the government’s ‘Use a Lasting Power of Attorney’ service
Setting Up the Online Account
If you want to make things easier for yourself and your LPA attorneys, you can set up an online account with the government’s service to manage and share your Lasting Power of Attorney digitally. Here’s how:
1. Create an Account
Go to https://www.gov.uk/use-lasting-power-of-attorney and sign up for an account.
You’ll need to have the Lasting Power of Attorney reference number handy.
2. Add Your Lasting Power of Attorney
Once your account is set up, add your Lasting Power of Attorney using the reference number.
3. Share Access
When you need to, you can give organizations (like your bank or healthcare providers) access to view the Lasting Power of Attorney online. It’s a simple way to keep things moving without the need for paper copies every time.
Double-Check and Post
Before you send everything off, use the checklist after section 15 in the LP1F and LP1H forms to make sure you’ve done everything right. Then, send your forms to the Office of the Public Guardian at the address provided.
Need a Hand?
If you’ve got any questions about using your LPA, or if something doesn’t seem quite right, don’t worry—we’re here to help.
- Email: hello@powerofattorneyonline.co.uk
- Chat with Us: Go to www.powerofattorneyonline.co.uk and use our online chat service
If you need help directly from the Office of the Public Guardian, you can call them on 0300 456 0300.