🖊️ Power of Attorney Builder
We help you state the scope narrowly. Blanket authority is risky.
| Principal name | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | |
| Principal address | |
| Principal tel |
| Agent name | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | |
| Agent address | |
| Agent tel | |
| Relationship to principal |
■ Scope of authority The Principal delegates the following matters to the Agent and grants agency within that scope. 1. Delegated matters 2. Subject (property, account, case, etc.) 3. Submitted to / counterparty ※ No authority is granted for any act beyond the items listed above.
■ Term From to . The authority under this instrument ends when the period expires.
■ Attachments 1. Principal's seal certificate (issued ), 1 copy 2. Copy of the Principal's ID, 1 copy 3. ※ Public offices and banks commonly require both a registered seal impression and the seal certificate, and some accept only certificates issued within three months (an institutional rule, not a statutory period). Confirm before submitting.
| Date | Principal (registered seal or signature) | Agent acknowledgement |
|---|---|---|
| Date: (Sign) | Date: (Sign) | Date: (Sign) |
Paste into ChatGPT or Claude to tailor it to your situation
🖨️ Choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog to get a PDF file
📄 Opens and edits directly in Word or Hangul (.doc)
💡 Express exclusion clauseRecommended
Expressly excluding receipt of money, contract termination and sub-delegation makes it far easier to disown such acts, and puts the counterparty on notice that the authority is absent.
You may omit these. We only tell you the risk.
- TitlePower of attorney (grant of agency) · 12/12
- PrincipalPrincipal (full) · 6/12
- AgentAgent (full) · 6/12
- Scope of authorityScope (itemised) · 12/12
- TermTerm (fixed period) · 12/12
- AttachmentsAttachments (with seal certificate) · 12/12
- Date & signatureDate + principal registered seal · 12/12
Drag or use the arrows. ⇥ places a block beside the row above, ⇤ gives it its own row again. ＋− adjust one column; side-by-side items trade width with each other.
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Harbor Mist
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- Title
- Principal
- Agent
- Scope of authority
- Term
- Attachments
- Date & signature
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⚠️ This tool is not legal advice. Under Article 114 of the Civil Act, acts within the agent's authority bind the principal directly — state the scope specifically. Public offices and banks may require their own form.
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What this tool does
A power of attorney grants someone authority to act in your place. Mandate under Korean law is a consensual, form-free contract (Civil Act Article 680), so no format is imposed — and that freedom is precisely what makes this the most dangerous document to write casually. Article 114(1) of the Civil Act provides that a declaration of intent made by an agent within the scope of authority, indicating that it is made for the principal, takes effect directly on the principal. Write 'all matters' or 'any and all business' into the scope and everything done inside that wide boundary lands on you. Cases have gone as far as account closures and loan drawdowns. This tool pushes you to specify each delegated act one by one, and places the term and an express exclusion clause alongside it so the defensive line lives inside the document.
Who uses this
- Sending a family member or employee to obtain or file documents for you
- Delegating contract signing while withholding authority to receive money
- A company errand that requires visiting a government office on someone's behalf
- Cutting off an old open-ended power of attorney that is still being used
- Attaching a seal certificate to satisfy an institution's identity check
How to use
- 1Identify the principal and the agent separately. Do not name the agent by name alone — add date of birth and address so only that person can use it.
- 2Write the delegated acts one by one. What act, over which subject matter, filed where — that specificity is the heart of this document.
- 3Add a term. Without one it is hard to stop the same document being reused years later.
- 4Close with an express exclusion clause and the date and signature. Enter the day you actually signed, never a future date.
Why 'all matters' is dangerous
Article 114(1) of the Civil Act provides that a declaration of intent made by an agent within the scope of authority, indicating that it is made for the principal, takes effect directly on the principal. Acts outside that scope do not in principle bind the principal — but write the scope broadly and the whole of that breadth is attributed to you. Narrow specification is therefore the defense. Authority terminates on the death of the principal or agent and similar events (Article 127), and on termination of the underlying legal relationship or revocation of the grant by the principal (Article 128). The mandate itself may be terminated by either party at any time (Article 689(1)). None of that helps if the institution holding the document does not know, which is why a term written into the paper is the safer route.
Examples
Obtaining documents
Write it as 'collection of one copy of the resident registration abstract in the principal's name, issued by the XX district office' — subject, number of copies and issuing body. 'Any and all certificates' leaves no control over what can be pulled.
Signing a contract
Identify the contract to be signed and state expressly that receiving money, rescinding the contract and sub-delegation are not granted. The counterparty can then see from the document itself that the agent lacks that authority.
A time-limited mandate
Fix the term as, for example, 1 September 2026 to 30 September 2026, and add a line that the authority terminates the moment the stated purpose is achieved.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a prescribed format for a power of attorney?
Not for a general one — mandate is a consensual, form-free contract (Civil Act Article 680). There are exceptions where a form is prescribed by law, such as the power of attorney for issuing a seal certificate, so check the receiving institution first.
Must I attach a seal certificate?
The law does not require it across the board, but documents relying on a handwritten signature and an ordinary stamp are frequently rejected as insufficient identity proof. A registered seal plus the seal certificate is the practical standard, and some institutions ask for one issued within three months. That three-month window is an institutional practice, not a statutory period.
Would it not be easier to grant broad authority?
As easy as it is dangerous. Everything the agent does within the scope takes effect on the principal (Civil Act Article 114(1)). Specify only as much as the task needs.
Can I revoke a power of attorney I already gave?
Either party may terminate a mandate at any time (Civil Act Article 689(1)). Terminating at a time disadvantageous to the other party without unavoidable cause requires compensation for damages, and above all the revocation has no practical effect until the receiving institution knows about it.
What if the agent does not indicate they act for the principal?
The declaration is deemed made for the agent's own account (Civil Act Article 115). Where the counterparty knew or could have known that the person acted as an agent, Article 114 applies instead.
Will a bank or government office accept this document?
Many institutions require their own form plus additional documents. This tool produces a document for ordinary private and commercial delegation, so if the destination is already known, confirm before your visit whether a designated form exists.
Cautions
- •Never use catch-all wording such as 'all matters' or 'any and all business'. Every act inside that scope takes effect on the principal (Civil Act Article 114(1)).
- •Naming the agent by name alone lets anyone holding the document pose as the agent.
- •Where a form is prescribed by law, such as the power of attorney for issuing a seal certificate, that form must be used.
- •Enter the day you actually signed. A future date puts the very starting point of the authority in dispute.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-29