How to Register a Power of Attorney With Titles Queensland

When Registration Is Required

Not every Enduring Power of Attorney (EPOA) needs to be registered with Titles Queensland. Registration only becomes necessary when the attorney will be dealing with real property — selling the principal's house, refinancing a mortgage, transferring land into a trust, or executing any transaction that touches the Titles Registry.

If the EPOA is limited to health and personal matters, or if the principal owns no real property, you can skip Titles Queensland entirely. But if there's any chance the attorney might need to handle property (even eventually — say, selling a home to fund aged care), registering early avoids delays when time is short.

What You'll Need

Registration requires two documents lodged together:

1. Form 16 — Request to Register Power of Attorney. This is the cover form that tells Titles Queensland which EPOA to register. Download it from the Titles Queensland website.

2. A certified copy of the EPOA (Form 2 or Form 3). Not the original — Titles Queensland works with certified copies. The copy must be certified by a Justice of the Peace, Commissioner for Declarations, lawyer, or notary public.

Formatting Rules That Trigger Rejections

Titles Queensland is strict about document formatting, and rejections for trivial reasons are common. The rules that catch most people:

• Single-sided printing only. If your certified EPOA copy is printed double-sided, it will be rejected. Every page must be printed on one side of the paper.
• Minimum 10pt Arial font. If the EPOA was printed in a smaller font or a different typeface, the copy must still meet this threshold. In practice, the current government-issued Form 2 and Form 3 templates meet this requirement, but older or solicitor-drafted versions sometimes don't.
• The EPOA must include financial powers. An EPOA that only covers personal and health matters cannot be registered with Titles Queensland because it doesn't authorise property transactions. If the principal used Form 2 (short form), it covers all three categories by default. If they used Form 3 (long form), verify that financial matters are included.

The Registration Fee

The standard lodgement fee for Form 16 is approximately $248.04 as of the 2026/2027 financial year. This fee is indexed annually on 1 July in line with the Queensland Government's indexation policy (3.4% increase applied July 2026).

Check the Titles Queensland online fee calculator for the exact current amount before lodging — the figure shifts slightly each financial year.

How to Lodge

Titles Queensland accepts lodgement by:

• Contact-free drop box at Titles Queensland offices
• Postal submission to the Titles Queensland processing centre

The research-supported lodgement options for Form 16 are a contact-free drop box or postal submission. Electronic lodgement is available for some property transactions via PEXA, but the EPOA registration instructions call for the physical Form 16 materials.

Processing time: Processing times vary. If you need the registration completed urgently (for example, a property sale is pending and the principal has already lost capacity), contact Titles Queensland for current processing information.

After Registration

Once registered, the EPOA appears on the Titles Queensland record for the relevant property. The attorney can then execute property transactions — sales, transfers, mortgage discharges — by presenting the registered EPOA reference number.

If the principal later revokes the EPOA (using Form 6 — Revocation of Enduring Power of Attorney), you must also notify Titles Queensland to remove the registration. An unrevoked registration can create complications for future property dealings.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Name mismatches: If the attorney's name on the EPOA doesn't match exactly with other documents presented to Titles Queensland (for example, middle name included in one but not the other), expect a requisition. Use the same full legal name across all documents.

Lodging the original instead of a copy: Titles Queensland processes certified copies, not originals. Keep the original EPOA in a secure location — a fireproof safe at home, your solicitor's office, or a safety deposit box. If the original is lost or destroyed, proving the validity of the EPOA becomes significantly more difficult.

Waiting until capacity is lost: If the principal has already lost decision-making capacity by the time you try to register the EPOA, the process itself doesn't change — the attorney can still lodge Form 16. But if you also need to sell property urgently (to fund aged care, for example), Titles Queensland's processing time creates real pressure. Register while things are calm.

For a complete property-related powers checklist and the full EPOA execution workflow, the Queensland Advance Directive & Living Will Kit covers the Titles Queensland registration process alongside the broader advance care planning system.

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