Printable · do this before a buyer appears, not after
The SPA Checklist
Executing a Special Power of Attorney from the US · vivafilipino.com
The SPA is your body double in the Philippines — the document that lets someone you trust sign for you. It gates everything: sales, bank matters, PhilHealth errands. Budget 2–6 weeks and do it before you need it.
1 · Before anything is drafted
- Decided on one attorney-in-fact (a sibling, trusted relative, or your lawyer) — one SPA, one person:
- Listed the specific powers being granted — generic "all my affairs" SPAs get rejected by registries and banks
- For property: exact details in the document — TCT/CCT title number, registered owner name, full address:
- Asked the receiving institution (bank, Registry of Deeds, buyer's bank) whether they require their own SPA form or wording
- If the property owner has died: stop — no SPA can sell an unsettled estate; the estate must be settled first
2 · Signing it — pick one path
- Path A — Apostille: sign before a US notary, then have the document apostilled by your state's Secretary of State
- Path B — Consulate: sign at a Philippine Embassy or Consulate (consularized acknowledgment) — check the post's appointment system first
- Names match exactly across the SPA, your passport/ID, and the title or account — one misspelling can sink it
- Signed extra originals (two or three) — registries and banks often keep one
3 · Getting it home
- Sent the original (not a scan) by tracked courier — the Registry of Deeds will want it: tracking #
- Kept a full scan in the family's shared folder, plus one paper copy in the US
- Attorney-in-fact confirmed receipt and knows exactly what they are — and are not — authorized to do
4 · While it's in force
- Money terms agreed in writing before anything is signed under the SPA — a deed signed is ownership transferred
- Attorney-in-fact sends you a copy of anything they sign, the same day
- When the transaction completes: revoke the SPA in writing and keep the revocation with your records