Power of attorney guide
Power of Attorney in Missouri
A Missouri power of attorney must be acknowledged before a notary; no witnesses are required. Missouri publishes a statutory form (RSMo §404.705 (execution)). An online notarization performed under another state's law is recognized in Missouri.
Missouri power of attorney at a glance
Notary
Required
Witnesses
None required
Online notarization
Accepted
Statutory form
RSMo §404.705 (execution)
Financial (property) power of attorney under RSMo §404.700–404.737. Health-care documents follow their own rule — see below. Checked 2026-10-17.
The Missouri statutory form
No statutory financial form — RSMo §404.705 (execution). Powers to make gifts, create trusts or change beneficiaries must be expressly stated (§404.710).
The statutory form is the one banks and recorders in Missouri see most often, and the one the statute requires third parties to accept when it is properly signed. A lawyer-drafted power of attorney is equally valid if it is executed the same way.
How to sign a power of attorney in Missouri
A durable power of attorney must be in writing, dated, signed by the principal, and the signature acknowledged before a notary public (RSMo §404.705).
No witnesses are required.
Online notarization in Missouri
Missouri recognizes an acknowledgment of an instrument affecting real estate taken before a notary of another state (RSMo §442.150) and gives out-of-state notarial acts the same effect generally; Missouri remote notarization has run since 2020.
Rush Notary’s notaries are commissioned online notaries public in Florida and notarize for Missouri signers over live video under Florida’s remote online notarization law. The certificate they complete is a Florida certificate; Missouri honors it under the recognition rule above. Details for this state are on the Missouri online notarization requirements page.
Using it for real estate
A power of attorney for a conveyance must be acknowledged and recorded with the recorder of deeds (RSMo §442.360).
Title companies also ask the agent to sign an affidavit at closing that the principal is alive and the power has not been revoked, and lenders review the document before closing. See the real estate power of attorney page.
Medical power of attorney in Missouri
A Missouri durable power of attorney for health care (RSMo §404.800 et seq.) must be acknowledged before a notary; the agent may not be the attending physician or facility owner.
What a health-care agent can decide, and how the document differs from a living will, is on the medical power of attorney page.
Revoking a Missouri power of attorney
Revoke by a signed and dated writing delivered to the agent (§404.717); record it where the original was recorded.
Missouri power of attorney questions
- Does a power of attorney need to be notarized in Missouri?
- A durable power of attorney must be in writing, dated, signed by the principal, and the signature acknowledged before a notary public (RSMo §404.705).
- Does a Missouri power of attorney need witnesses?
- No witnesses are required.
- Can a Missouri power of attorney be notarized online?
- Missouri recognizes an acknowledgment of an instrument affecting real estate taken before a notary of another state (RSMo §442.150) and gives out-of-state notarial acts the same effect generally; Missouri remote notarization has run since 2020.
- Is there an official Missouri power of attorney form?
- Yes — the No statutory financial form (RSMo §404.705 (execution)). Powers to make gifts, create trusts or change beneficiaries must be expressly stated (§404.710).
- Does a power of attorney have to be recorded in Missouri?
- Only when it is used to sign a deed, mortgage or other recorded instrument. A power of attorney for a conveyance must be acknowledged and recorded with the recorder of deeds (RSMo §442.360).
- How is a medical power of attorney signed in Missouri?
- A Missouri durable power of attorney for health care (RSMo §404.800 et seq.) must be acknowledged before a notary; the agent may not be the attending physician or facility owner.
Types of power of attorney
Durable power of attorney
Stays in force if you later lose capacity. The standard choice for long-term planning.
Medical power of attorney
Names someone to make health care decisions when you cannot. Witness rules vary by state.
Limited power of attorney
Authority for one task or one period — a closing, a permit, a vehicle sale, a trip abroad.
Financial power of attorney
Banking, bills, investments, taxes and property. Usually durable; usually on the state's statutory form.
Springing power of attorney
Takes effect only when a stated event happens — usually a doctor's finding of incapacity.
Vehicle power of attorney
Lets someone title, register or sell a car for you. Most DMVs publish their own notarized form.
Real estate power of attorney
To buy, sell, mortgage or manage property. Must be notarized and is recorded with the deed.
Power of attorney for a minor child
Lets a grandparent, relative or friend care for your child and deal with schools and doctors while you are away.
Power of attorney for vital records
Lets an agent request a birth, death or marriage certificate for you where the state allows it.
Other states
- Texas
- California
- Florida
- New York
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sources
General information about how powers of attorney are signed, not legal advice. Execution rules are set by each state’s statute and change; the sources on each state page link to the current text. Whether a particular bank, recorder, agency or title company accepts a document is its own decision — confirm with the receiving party before signing. Rush Notary’s notaries are commissioned online notaries public in Florida who notarize for signers in every state under Florida’s remote online notarization law; see the online notarization requirements for your state.