Do I need an apostille for an Indian Power of Attorney?

I think there are two situations getting mixed together in a lot of online discussions.

If you have an Indian document that was issued in India and you're sending it abroad, then India may apostille it through MEA when the destination country accepts apostilles.

But if you're an NRI executing a Power of Attorney abroad for use in India, you're dealing with a foreign-executed document. The procedure can involve notarization and either apostille or consular legalization depending on the country where you execute it.

MEA documents also recognize that a POA executed overseas may need legalization by the Indian Embassy/Consulate, while documents from Hague Convention countries carrying a conforming apostille can follow the apostille route instead.

I'd therefore first determine which country you're signing it in and which Indian authority will receive it. Those details are more useful than simply asking whether “a POA needs apostille.”

My experience was different because I was in the UAE when I made my POA.

I didn't simply download a generic POA, sign it and send it to India. The person receiving it in India wanted specific wording because it related to property.

I contacted the Indian Consulate first and checked their procedure for executing a POA abroad. The requirements can be different depending on whether you're executing the document before a consular officer or having it notarized and legalized through the applicable route.

One thing I wouldn't do is assume that apostille automatically means the POA will be accepted for every purpose in India. The receiving authority may have additional requirements, such as registration, stamp duty or specific wording.

For property-related POAs especially, I'd check with the Sub-Registrar or other authority where the POA will actually be used.

The MEA also has information specifically covering Power of Attorney and other personal documents, so I'd use that as a starting point rather than relying on old blogs. 

I went through something similar when I was living in the US and needed to give my brother a POA for property matters in India.

The first thing I would clarify is where the POA is executed and where it will be used. Those two things matter.

I executed mine in the US rather than creating it in India. Because the document was executed abroad and intended for use in India, I checked the Indian Consulate's requirements rather than following the procedure for an Indian document being sent abroad.

I eventually used the route applicable to documents executed in the US. Since the US is a Hague Apostille Convention country, I was told that an apostilled document could be used without the additional Indian Embassy legalization that would otherwise apply to some documents from non-Hague countries.

MEA also explains that a Power of Attorney is a type of personal document for which apostille can be issued when the document is going to a Hague Convention country.

I'd check the Indian Mission covering your location before signing the POA, because requirements for execution, notarization, witnesses and the format of the POA can be important.