In October, a foreign colleague told us that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in their country could not accept a Power of Attorney with our firm's letterhead appearing at the bottom of the document. They asked us to confirm whether the POA without the letterhead would be acceptable for use in Iraq.
We confirmed in writing: removing our letterhead is acceptable and will not affect the POA's validity or use in Iraq, provided that:
- the content of the POA remains unchanged
- all required legalisations are duly completed
Limit the edit to the element the ministry objects to and leave the wording alone.
If a ministry or consulate objects to the format of an Iraqi POA:
- Find out exactly which element they object to
- Ask your Iraqi agent whether removing it is acceptable, and get the answer in writing
- Remove only that element and keep the text word for word
- Complete every legalisation step
Questions about a power of attorney for trademark registration in Iraq or Kurdistan? We are glad to check drafts before you sign.