Authority letter format
An authority letter lets someone else do one specific thing for you at a counter — collect a document, receive a parcel, appear at an office. Its safety comes from being narrow: one act, one named person, one end date.
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Still needed before the letter is complete:
- Your name
- Addressed to
- Organisation
- Person you are authorising
- Their ID and number
- Exactly what they may do
The counter will check this against the identification they present, so it must match exactly.
One act. An authority letter that is broader than the errand is a risk you are handing over.
Always put an end date. An open-ended authority letter can be used long after the errand is done.
Live draft
[Your Name] [Your Address] ID: [Aadhaar / Account No.]
Date: 02 September 2026
To, [The Authority] [Organisation]
Subject: Authorisation to collect documents on my behalf
Respected Sir / Madam,
I, [Your Name], residing at [Your Address], am unable to attend your office in person. I hereby authorise [Authorised Person], [Relationship], holding [Their ID], to [What they may do] on my behalf, with reference to [Reference].
This authorisation is limited to the act described above and is valid until [Valid Until]. It does not extend to any other transaction, request or instruction on my account or file.
I request you to hand over the said documents to the authorised person on production of this letter together with their original identification and a copy of mine.
I confirm that any document received by the authorised person under this authorisation shall be treated as having been received by me.
Yours faithfully,
[Your Name] ID: [Aadhaar / Account No.] Contact: [Phone]
Specimen signature of the authorised person: ______________________
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An authority letter names one person, authorises them to do one specific act on your behalf, and states an expiry date. It should name their identification document and number so the counter can verify them, and it should say expressly what the authorisation does not cover. It is not a power of attorney and cannot be used for anything that requires one.
Key takeaways
- One act, one person, one end date. Every extra word of scope is authority you are handing over.
- Quote the authorised person's ID type and number. The counter checks the letter against the ID they present.
- State the exclusions expressly — no account operation, no execution of any deed, no admission of liability.
- Enclose a copy of your own identification. Almost every counter asks for it and most people forget.
- For anything financial or property-related, an authority letter is not enough. That is a power of attorney.
What an authority letter can and cannot do
An authority letter is a simple written permission for a named person to carry out a specific act on your behalf. It works well for exactly the situations it was invented for: collecting a certificate, picking up a cheque book, receiving a courier, attending an office to submit or collect papers.
It is not a power of attorney, and the difference is not one of formality. A power of attorney is an instrument that confers agency — the authority to act for you in a defined class of matters, including entering into transactions that bind you. It is usually notarised, often registered where it concerns immovable property, and it is what an institution will require before it lets someone else do anything with real consequences on your behalf.
The practical line is roughly this: an authority letter is for handing over or receiving something. A power of attorney is for deciding something. Banks will accept an authority letter for a cheque book collection and will not accept one for operating an account. Sub-registrars will accept it for submitting papers and will not accept it for executing a deed.
| What you want done | Authority letter | Power of attorney |
|---|---|---|
| Collect a certificate or marksheet | Yes | — |
| Collect a cheque book or passbook | Usually yes | — |
| Operate an account, withdraw or transfer funds | No | Yes |
| Receive a courier or registered post | Yes | — |
| Submit or collect papers at an office | Yes | — |
| Execute or register a deed | No | Yes, usually registered |
| Sell, mortgage or let immovable property | No | Yes, registered |
| Appear and make admissions in a proceeding | No | Yes, or through an advocate |
What the letter has to contain
The second item is what most letters get wrong. Writing "I authorise my brother" is not enough: the counter clerk has a person in front of them and a letter in their hand, and they need something that ties the two together. Naming the identification document and its number is what does that, and a mismatch — a letter quoting an Aadhaar number when the person presents a driving licence — is a common reason a collection fails.
The specimen signature block matters for the same reason. Where the authorised person will sign a register or a proof of delivery, the counter can compare it against the letter.
- 1Your identity, with the reference the institution knows you by — an account number, a roll number, a file number.
- 2The authorised person's full name, their relationship to you, and their identification type and number.
- 3The act, described in one sentence. Not a category.
- 4The reference of the item, document or matter it relates to.
- 5An expiry date.
- 6The exclusions — what the letter does not authorise.
- 7Your signature, and a space for the authorised person's specimen signature.
Authority letters at a bank
Banks are the most restrictive users of authority letters, and it is worth understanding why before you are turned away.
A bank's obligation is to its customer, and it cannot let a third party act on an account on the strength of a letter it has no way of verifying. So the general position is that an authority letter is accepted for limited, non-financial acts — collecting a cheque book, a passbook, a debit card or a statement — and refused for anything that moves money or changes a mandate.
Even for the acts they do accept, expect the branch to ask for the letter, the authorised person's original identification, a copy of your identification, and sometimes a call to your registered number to confirm. Write the letter to make that easy: quote the account number, state the exclusions explicitly so the branch can see you have not asked for more than they can give, and give a contact number they can actually reach you on.
Where you genuinely need someone to operate an account — because of illness, or because you are abroad for a long period — the instrument is a power of attorney or a formally registered mandate with the bank, not a letter.
A letter authorising someone "to do the needful in respect of my account" is an invitation to a dispute you will lose. Name the act. If two things need doing, name both. If you cannot name them, an authority letter is the wrong instrument.
Collecting documents, results and deliveries
These are the everyday uses, and they fail for administrative reasons rather than legal ones.
For a certificate or an academic record, most institutions want three things together: the letter, the authorised person's original identification, and a copy of yours. Enclose the copy rather than assuming it will be waived — it is the single most common reason someone is sent away and asked to come back.
For an academic record specifically, add the exclusions. Universities are wary of a letter that could be read as authorising an application for revaluation or a change to a registration, and a letter that expressly excludes those is easier to act on.
For a courier or a registered article, keep it to the consignment. Quote the tracking or reference number, and include the sentence confirming that delivery to the authorised person constitutes good delivery to you — that is what lets the courier close the delivery and is the reason the letter is being asked for.
- Enclose a copy of your own photo identification. This is the most common omission.
- Quote the reference — order number, tracking number, application number, roll number.
- Give the authorised person's ID type and number exactly as it appears on the document they will carry.
- Add the specimen signature line where they will have to sign a register.
- Set an expiry date matched to the errand, not months away.
Stamp paper, witnesses and notarisation
An ordinary authority letter for a counter errand does not need stamp paper, a witness or notarisation. It is a signed permission, and institutions treat it as such.
Where an institution asks for more — some universities and some government offices ask for notarisation, and a few ask for a nominal stamp — that is a requirement of that office rather than a legal characteristic of the document. Ask before you spend anything, because stamp duty is a state subject and the answer differs by state.
The moment the task involves executing a document, dealing with property, or anything financial, the question stops being about stamping the letter and becomes about whether you need a power of attorney instead. A power of attorney for immovable property will generally need to be registered, and getting that wrong is considerably more expensive than a wasted trip to a counter.
Mistakes that get an authority letter refused
- 1Describing a category — "to do the needful", "for banking work" — instead of one act.
- 2No identification details for the authorised person, so the counter cannot match the letter to the person.
- 3An ID number that does not match the document the person actually carries.
- 4No expiry date, leaving a standing authority in circulation after the errand is done.
- 5Forgetting to enclose a copy of your own identification.
- 6Using an authority letter where a power of attorney is required — anything financial or property-related.
- 7Leaving out the exclusions, which makes cautious institutions refuse rather than interpret.
- 8Not keeping a copy, so you have no record of what you authorised and until when.
Worked examples
Example 1: Authorising a brother to collect a cheque book
- Institution
- Bank branch
- Act
- Collect a new cheque book and updated passbook
- Valid until
- 30 September 2026
- 1.Use the bank variant, quote the account number, and name the act rather than referring to "banking work".
- 2.Give the authorised person's Aadhaar number exactly as it appears on the card they will carry to the branch.
- 3.Keep the exclusion clause — no account operation, no withdrawal or transfer, no change of mandate. It is what makes the branch comfortable.
- 4.Set the expiry a few weeks out, matched to the errand.
- 5.Enclose a copy of your own identification, and keep the specimen signature line for the counter register.
A letter the branch can act on at the counter, that gives away nothing beyond the errand, and that expires on its own.
Example 2: Authorising a friend to collect a degree certificate
- Institution
- University records office
- Act
- Collect the degree certificate and consolidated marksheet
- Enclosure
- A copy of the student's own ID
- 1.Use the academic records variant and quote the roll number, which is the reference the office files you under.
- 2.Name both documents being collected. A letter naming one and a person asking for two is refused.
- 3.Keep the exclusion of revaluation applications and registration changes — universities look for this.
- 4.Enclose a copy of your own photo identification, which the office will keep with the acknowledgement.
- 5.Confirm in the letter that records handed over shall be treated as received by you, so the office can close its file.
The records office can release the documents in one visit, and there is a clear written record of what was authorised, to whom and until when.
More questions about this page
What is an authority letter?▼
What is the difference between an authority letter and a power of attorney?▼
Can I use an authority letter at a bank?▼
What should an authority letter contain?▼
Does an authority letter need to be notarised or on stamp paper?▼
How long is an authority letter valid?▼
Do I need to attach my ID with an authority letter?▼
Can an authority letter be cancelled?▼
Full samples you can read before you fill anything in
Farhan Sheikh
5, Turner Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050
ID: A/c 3021XXXXXX78
Date: 02 September 2026
To,
The Branch Manager
HDFC Bank, Bandra West Branch
Subject: Authorisation for banking transaction — A/c 3021XXXXXX78
Respected Sir / Madam,
I, Farhan Sheikh, hold A/c 3021XXXXXX78 with your branch. I am unable to attend in
person and hereby authorise Mr Zaid Sheikh, my brother, holding Aadhaar
XXXX XXXX 9081, to collect my new cheque book and updated passbook on my behalf,
with reference to the cheque book request dated 20 August 2026.
This authorisation is strictly limited to the act stated above and is valid until
30 September 2026. It does not authorise the operation of my account, any withdrawal
or transfer of funds, any change of mandate, or the issue of any instruction of a
financial nature.
I request you to permit the authorised person to complete the said act on production
of this letter, their original identification, and a copy of my identification.
I undertake to be bound by the act done by the authorised person within the scope of
this authorisation.
Yours faithfully,
Farhan Sheikh
ID: A/c 3021XXXXXX78
Contact: 98XXXXXX11
Specimen signature of the authorised person: ______________________Farhan Sheikh
5, Turner Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050
ID: Roll No. MCom-1178
Date: 02 September 2026
To,
The Controller of Examinations
University of Mumbai
Subject: Authorisation to collect academic records — degree certificate and
consolidated marksheet
Respected Sir / Madam,
I, Farhan Sheikh, Roll No. MCom-1178, residing at 5, Turner Road, Bandra West,
Mumbai 400050, am unable to attend the institution in person. I hereby authorise
Mr Zaid Sheikh, my brother, holding Aadhaar XXXX XXXX 9081, to collect my degree
certificate and consolidated marksheet on my behalf.
This authorisation is limited to the collection described above and is valid until
30 September 2026. It does not authorise the authorised person to apply for
revaluation, to make any change to my registration, or to give any instruction on my
behalf.
I request you to hand over the said records on production of this letter, the
authorised person's original identification, and a copy of my own identification,
which is enclosed.
I confirm that records handed over under this authorisation shall be treated as
having been received by me.
Yours faithfully,
Farhan Sheikh
ID: Roll No. MCom-1178
Contact: 98XXXXXX11
Specimen signature of the authorised person: ______________________