What it means
وکالتنامه (vakâlat-nâme) is the official Persian term for a power of attorney, the legal document by which one person authorises another to act on their behalf in legal, financial, or personal matters. The word is a compound of two distinct origins: وکالت (vakâlat), which comes from the Arabic root و-ك-ل (representing, delegating, entrusting), and نامه (nâme), the native Persian word for letter or document. Together they form a mixed-origin term that is standard across Iranian legal practice. The related word وکیل (vakil, attorney or lawyer) shares the same Arabic root. Without a properly notarised وکالتنامه, third parties, banks, and government offices in Iran will not recognise an agent’s authority to act.
How to use it
- باید یه وکالتنامه رسمی از دفترخانه بگیری. (bâyad ye vakâlat-nâme-ye rasmi az daftarkhâne begiri.) “You need to get an official power of attorney from a notary office.”
- وکالتنامهاش رو توی بانک ارائه داد. (vakâlat-nâme-ash ro tuye bânk arâ’e dâd.) “He presented his power of attorney at the bank.”
- بدون وکالتنامه نمیتونم از طرف شما امضا کنم. (bedune vakâlat-nâme nemitonam az taraf-e shomâ emzâ konam.) “Without a power of attorney I cannot sign on your behalf.”
- وکالتنامه رو پیش یه وکیل تنظیم کردیم. (vakâlat-nâme ro pish-e ye vakil tanzim kardim.) “We drafted the power of attorney with a lawyer.”
Cultural note
وکالتنامه is a deeply practical document in Iranian daily life. Iranians living abroad regularly issue a وکالتنامه through Iranian consulates or notarised and apostilled through local authorities, so that a trusted family member in Iran can sell property, handle inheritance, or manage bank accounts on their behalf. Property transactions in Iran almost always require the seller or buyer to have a وکالتنامه on file if they cannot appear in person. The notary office, called دفترخانه (daftarkhâne), is the institution that certifies these documents, and Iranians are familiar with the process from a young age through family property dealings.