Power of attorney

In some provinces and territories, you'll need a witness to sign the power of attorney. In Quebec, the contract does not need to be witnessed or notarized. When adding a power of attorney to your account, we will confirm your and your attorney's identities. This helps us ensure that your identity is not being stolen and that applicable legislation like the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act is being adhered to.

You must provide two pieces of ID, including one from the list provided in the Access to Basic Banking Services pamphlet. We also require a copy of the power of attorney document for our files (original or certified copy). We'll perform the necessary checks when you present a power of attorney at National Bank. For example, if the document raises questions about the scope of power granted to your attorney, we may investigate the matter. In such cases, we keep you informed of the timeframe needed to complete our review, which could be several business days.

In most cases, the best course of action is to contact staff or the customer service manager at your branch.

For the complete complaint settlement process, please see our pamphlet, For Better Banking Relations with You.

For more information about power of attorney and joint accounts, visit the Government of Canada website or check out the Power of Attorney and Joint Account pamphlet.

1. The client who designates an individual in a document (power of attorney) to handle certain tasks on his/her behalf.
   
2. The individual designated by the client in the power of attorney to carry out the specified tasks.
   
3. In general, to be deemed competent, you must be able to understand and grasp the meaning and consequences of financial and legal decisions. By law, you must be deemed competent when you sign a power of attorney for the document to be valid.