Simple power of attorney: 7 templates, and why revoking it is not enough

Writing a power of attorney takes five minutes. Getting rid of one takes more than a sentence. The Swiss Code of Obligations knows 12 ways in which a power of attorney ends, and in 6 of them it can keep binding you as long as the bank, the landlord or the agent knows nothing about it. Here are 7 templates in Word and PDF, from the start to the end of a power of attorney.

📄 Power of attorney template: 7 forms in Word and PDF, 3 of them to end one

3 of the 7 power of attorney templates on this page do not grant one, they end one: revocation, notice to third parties and the return of the document. The most important of them you only need once it is all over: the letter to the bank that still has your power of attorney on file. The other 4 grant a power of attorney. Pick the situation, fill in the names, download the file. All of them exist in German, French, Italian and English, each language written in its own right.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, [First name Last name, street, postcode town, born DD.MM.YYYY],

hereby authorise

[First name Last name, street, postcode town, born DD.MM.YYYY]

to represent me in the following matter and to make all necessary statements and signatures on my behalf:

[e.g. sale of my bicycle, make …, frame no. …, for at least CHF …]

This power of attorney is limited to this matter. It ends when the matter is completed, and no later than [DD.MM.YYYY].
I may restrict or revoke it at any time (Art. 34 Swiss Code of Obligations).

[Place], [DD.MM.YYYY]


_______________________________
Signature of the principal

✍️ Simple power of attorney: it only works if the agent says so

A power of attorney only works if the person says so. If someone sells your bike without saying they are acting for you, you only become a party to the contract if the buyer had to infer from the circumstances that there was an agency relationship, or did not care who they were contracting with (Art. 32(2) Swiss Code of Obligations, described, not quoted: there is no official English text). That is why the simple power of attorney here says "on my behalf". When the person openly acts in your name, you — not they — acquire the rights and obligations (Art. 32(1)). And what they may do is decided by you alone: a simple power of attorney covers one matter, and its scope follows from what you wrote into it (Art. 33(2)). The narrower the sentence, the smaller the damage if something goes wrong.

🖊️ Writing a power of attorney: no form, not even for land

Not even for land does a power of attorney need a special form. A case about 280 m² of land settled that, in Niederrohrdorf, March 1968: a man grants a purchase option and has his son represent him at the notary's, with a written power of attorney. The notary certifies the signature only days later, so the cantonal court declares the deed ineffective. The Federal Supreme Court does not: federal law provides no special form for representation, and cantonal law cannot add one (BGE 99 II 159, a German-language ruling, summarised here). Under Art. 11(1) of the Swiss Code of Obligations, a contract only needs a special form where the law prescribes one. You still write it down, because whoever acts for you has to be able to prove they may. Four building blocks make it robust:

📝 Power of attorney example: the strongest sentence is not in it

The strongest sentence in this power of attorney is not in it: that Luca may not give the bike away. It does not need to be, because the scope follows from what was granted (Art. 33(2)). Anna gives her neighbour the power of attorney for the three weeks she is away. Watch for three things: the matter is narrow, the minimum price is stated, and the end is dated.

The names are made up. What Luca may not do: give the bike away, sell it for less than CHF 1,200 or buy a new one with Anna's money. That is exactly what makes a simple power of attorney safer than a general one.

🔚 Power of Attorney End Check: still bound in 6 of 12 cases

In 6 of 12 cases, an ended power of attorney is not over: it can keep binding you, according to the ConvivaPlus Power of Attorney End Check. Legally it ends on a specific day; your liability only once the bank or the agent knows. The ConvivaPlus Power of Attorney End Check has read all 12 ways it can end in Art. 33–37 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, one by one, and only asks what matters in your case. It tells you whether you are still bound and which letter closes it.

Method: 12ways a power of attorney ends, taken from Art. 33–37 of the Swiss Code of Obligations and Art. 16 of the Civil Code, each checked against the official German, French and Italian texts (fedlex, as at 1 Jan 2026). There is no official English version; everything here is a description. "After-effect" means Art. 34(3) (notice to third parties) or Art. 37 (the agent's ignorance) applies. Art. 35 is non-mandatory — it applies unless the power of attorney says otherwise: in 8 cases a clause can exclude the termination. Not covered: the dissolution of a legal entity or registered company (Art. 35(2)) — the check applies to powers of attorney between individuals.

↩️ Revoking a power of attorney: one letter is not enough

A revocation that only the agent receives does not count against the bank. If you showed or notified the power of attorney to an office, you can only rely on the revocation against it once you have told it about the revocation (Art. 34(3), described, not quoted). The bank that has your power of attorney on file may therefore keep dealing with your neighbour until your letter arrives.

Nobody can take the right to revoke away from you, not even you: under Art. 34(2) of the Swiss Code of Obligations, waiving it in advance is invalid. So you can always revoke. But a revocation is two letters: one to the agent, one to every office that knows about the power of attorney.

⚰️ Power of attorney after death: the clause decides in 8 of 12 cases

In 8 of the 12ways a power of attorney can end, the last word is not the law's but your document's, including on death. It ends on death, loss of legal capacity, bankruptcy or a declaration of presumed death, but Art. 35(1) of the Swiss Code of Obligations only applies unless the contrary was stipulated or follows from the nature of the transaction. Everything hinges on that half-sentence: the rule applies only if the power of attorney says nothing else. A clause "valid beyond my death" is therefore permitted.

And even without such a clause, not everything stops on the day of death. As long as the agent does not know the power of attorney has ended, they continue to bind the principal or their successors as if it were still in force (Art. 37(1)), unless the third party knew. Heirs are therefore well advised to inform the agent quickly and ask for the document back. To arrange your estate, you write a will; a power of attorney does not replace it.

⚠️ Advance care directive: it only works once an authority has checked it

Before an advance care directive takes effect, an authority examines it. When someone loses the capacity to judge, the adult protection authority checks whether the directive was validly made, whether the conditions for it to take effect are met and whether the appointed person is suitable (Art. 363(2) Civil Code, described). No authority examines a power of attorney, and without a clause it ends at exactly that moment (Art. 35(1) Code of Obligations). The advance care directive (Vorsorgeauftrag) is made for this case: personal care, managing assets and legal representation (Art. 360(1) Civil Code), and it has a strict form: handwritten from start to finish, dated and signed, or publicly notarised (Art. 361).

🚫 Common mistakes: the paper still out there after the end

In 11 of the 12 ways a power of attorney can end, the power is over but the paper is not: the document has to come back, or you are liable for the damage to third parties acting in good faith (Art. 36(2)). That is one of the mistakes that make a power of attorney useless or dangerous:

Granting a power of attorney is one sentence. Ending it is two letters and a sheet of paper handed back.

✅ A simple power of attorney in five steps

From the blank template to a power of attorney that holds up at the bank, the authority and the agency:

Written by

Miriam Frei

ConvivaPlus Editor · Law & Housing

Writes about tenancy, contract and everyday law – legal texts turned into vetted templates.

• Tenancy law
• Contract law
• Templates
• Housing

Researched & sourced · for Switzerland

Profile & all articles →·Our editorial teamUpdated 28 September 2026