Changing a representative requires more than signing a replacement power of attorney. Identify the old powers, make the appropriate change, notify relevant third parties and hand over pending matters. Fees, access to patient information and lawful representation of a child remain separate issues. This guide offers a document and notice workflow; the form and effect of a particular instrument need individual assessment.
Legal support for this matter: Power of Attorney from Abroad
Separate authority from the service contract
First identify which legal relationship you want to change. A power of attorney may authorise filing documents, collecting certificates or negotiating. A separate service contract may govern the representative's or agency's fees, reporting and termination. Cancelling authority does not automatically cancel every contractual obligation, completed transaction or disputed fee. Hiring a replacement lawyer is not itself notice to the previous representative.
Civil Code Article 109 lists grounds for termination of authority, including cancellation by the grantor. The cancellation, notice to outsiders and consequences for associated contracts require separate attention. Inventory your documents and state the intended change for each: complete revocation, removal of particular powers, a revised duration or merely a new contact person. This prevents an unnecessarily broad letter from inadvertently acknowledging a disputed debt or terminating a service you still need. Where wording could affect a contested or irreversible step, obtain targeted legal review before sending it. Keep authority management and the fee dispute as distinct workstreams.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation
Map all existing powers and recipients
Collect every version of the power of attorney, attachment, translation and authentication page. Record the grantor, recipient, issue date, duration, scope and delegation language. If several people are named, determine whether they can act individually or jointly. An older authority may remain relevant despite a newer document, so do not assume that issuing a replacement automatically extinguishes everything previously granted.
Make a second list of recipients where the authority was used: agency, clinic, notary, translator, document custodian, relevant public body or other provider. Add a file reference, contact address and last known action. This does not mean sending everyone the same information; each notice should match the recipient's function. Mark missing documents and request copies. If the previous representative says they delegated powers, obtain the actual instrument and its scope. A verbal account of delegation is incomplete and leaves unanswered whether additional people must be notified. The inventory should expose those gaps before you announce that the transition is finished.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation
Notify the people who may rely on the authority
Civil Code Article 108 requires notice to third parties of changes or cancellation of authority. Failure to notify can prevent reliance on the change against them, subject to the statutory knowledge exception. A private message to the former representative is therefore not the whole task. Identify who may still rely on the old instrument and where an application or agreement remains active.
The notice should identify the grantor, old document, extent of the change and a channel for verification. Include no more patient or child information than necessary to identify the matter. Use an appropriate official address or the recipient's stated procedure, retaining dispatch and receipt evidence. Ask for confirmation that the record was updated and whether another form is required. Receipt, updating a system and legal effect are different questions. For an active application, check whether another department or separate online profile still contains the old contact details. Account for time zones and holidays when checking practical delivery.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation
Recover the authority document and preserve evidence
Civil Code Article 110 requires the representative to return the authority document after termination and denies a right to retain it. As a practical matter, separately request the original, an inventory of copies and the identities of recipients to whom copies were supplied. Record the handover date, page count and description. Receiving a photograph is not the same as recovering the original.
Do not demand indiscriminate deletion of every digital trace. Material retained under law or professional duties, evidence of a dispute and the action history may need preservation. Distinguish ending use of the authority, removing access and lawful archiving. Ask what copies are retained and why when this matters. If the original is lost, obtain a written explanation and check follow-up steps with the relevant certifying body. Inability to retrieve it does not eliminate the need for notice. Keep a clearly marked historical copy yourself so the replacement does not accidentally rely on the obsolete version. Preserve its original contents.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation · Law on Personal Data Protection
Give the replacement only the powers needed
Draft the replacement's powers around actual tasks. Obtaining an agreement, checking a pending file and receiving an authority's letter may be necessary, while collecting money, settling or releasing claims may not be. Decide whether each broad power is needed and whether additional written approval should be required. Define duration, reporting and delegation.
Civil Code Article 107 supplies the general framework for granting authority, while special form requirements may apply. Confirm the form, language and filing method with the particular recipient beforehand. The engagement should explain who receives notices, how updates are provided and where originals are stored. Give the replacement only necessary materials, together with a list of acts not yet authorised. If part of the previous authority deliberately remains in place, allocate compatible roles. Unclear overlap may produce contradictory submissions and confusion for the recipient. Precise task allocation and communication arrangements reduce that risk more effectively than simply issuing another broadly worded document.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation
Arrange documents from China without losing substance
If you are in China, first ask the Georgian recipient what document it needs to recognise revocation or the replacement authority. Signature certification, the appropriate public-document authentication chain, Georgian translation and presentation of an original may matter. There is no single universal form for every recipient. Ordering an apostille or translation before obtaining the requirements may spend money on the wrong instrument.
The Chinese Embassy's 18 May 2026 guidance confirms Convention operation between China and Georgia from 7 November 2023 and explains the limited function of authenticating origin. An apostille cannot add missing powers or guarantee acceptance. Issuing territory and public-document status require separate checks. Translate names, numbers, the old instrument's date, scope of revocation and commencement language consistently. Resolve Chinese–Georgian differences before dispatch. Agree interim communication arrangements around courier time and time zones, while recognising that emailing a copy does not automatically replace any required original. Keep authentication and the legal sufficiency of the wording as separate checks.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation · Chinese Embassy: apostille guidance
Protect pending matters during the transition
Before the change, list pending applications, received requests, booked appointments, originals awaiting delivery and known deadlines. Assign a responsible person and supporting document to each. Do not rely exclusively on the former representative's description of a deadline; check the letter or obtain the recipient's information where possible. A representation change does not automatically suspend court, administrative or contractual time limits.
If recognition of the new authority will take time, establish how you can receive notices personally or verify urgent information. Do not assume clinical decisions can wait for an administrative handover; the clinic assesses the patient's needs under the applicable rules. Identify the contact needed for continuity of services separately from commercial negotiations. Avoid sharing the previous representative's personal password or accessing someone else's account. Use lawful account-owner changes or recovery procedures. Treat the handover as complete only when necessary recipients have recognised the new arrangement and every active matter has an identified next step. A signed replacement document alone is insufficient operational evidence.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation · Law on Patient Rights
Revisit medical access and child representation separately
Revoking a commercial power of attorney may not settle who receives a patient's information from the clinic. The patient may have separately designated an information recipient or provided specific consent. Article 21 of the Law on Patient Rights addresses recording that choice in the medical documentation. The patient or appropriately authorised person should therefore check the clinic's disclosure record separately. Paying the bill does not allow someone to replace another capable adult patient's decision.
Similarly, child care and representation cannot be resolved solely through an agency service agreement. Check who is authorised for the particular decision and what proves that status. Granting or revoking a power of attorney does not itself create or remove parentage. If several people's records are combined, give the replacement only material they lawfully may receive, using redacted copies or extracts where appropriate. These measures do not require erasing a lawfully retained medical history. The objective is accurate future disclosure to the correct recipient on an appropriate basis.
Official sources: Law on Patient Rights · Law on Personal Data Protection · Civil Code: representation
Hypothetical handover for a client in China
In a fictional example, a client in China previously gave an agency coordinator broad authority to collect documents. The client now wants an independent representative, while a clinic appointment and public-body application remain active. A chat message saying 'you no longer represent me' may be insufficient to manage the whole transition. The client first identifies the instrument, pending file and organisations that received it.
A suitable revocation is then prepared, targeted notices are delivered and limited replacement authority is arranged. The public body confirms the contact change, while the clinic separately checks the patient's information recipient. The former representative returns the original and accounts for actions already taken. A remaining fee dispute is handled separately; the client does not release every claim merely to secure the handover. None of these steps guarantees the application's success or a travel date. The example illustrates how to change authority while preserving documents, notices and deadline information. It describes no actual client or organisation.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation · Law on Patient Rights
Reconcile actions at the handover point
At handover, an action table can show the last verified step for each pending matter. Separate what was filed, merely drafted, answered or awaiting further instructions. A draft letter is not a delivered notice; a prepared copy does not establish that an original reached the authority. Attach a date and supporting record to every entry.
This reconciliation reduces the risk of contradictory instructions to two representatives. If several versions of one application exist, confirm which reached the recipient and whether clarification is required. Do not backdate documents to suggest that the replacement acted before authority was granted. Check the previous representative's report factually without turning its receipt into acceptance of every fee or liability position unless that is intended. Finally record the new contact and next check date for each active matter. The table is an organisational aid, not a substitute for required notices, powers of attorney or a recipient's procedure. Mark unverified acts as unresolved rather than completed. This gives the replacement a reliable starting point and preserves the distinction between performed work and a plan that was never carried out.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation
Check completion and seek focused assistance
Check outcomes as well as documents. Do you have the revocation and delivery evidence? Have relevant recipients confirmed the change? Does the replacement hold the necessary material? Is the original returned or its loss documented? Are all active deadlines and next actions identified? Record remaining issues and responsibility for each. This is an organisational recommendation, not a prescribed form for every institution.
If the former representative continues acting, denies responsibility or withholds documents, preserve precise facts and obtain focused advice. Public accusations do not replace evidence and may expose sensitive information. An initial Advokato message can identify the document type, issuing country, pending action and any verified urgency. Share the full instrument, passport and child-related material only through an agreed secure channel. Assistance may concern notice wording, the scope of replacement powers or a handover plan. Neither appointing a new representative nor issuing another power of attorney independently resolves parentage, nationality or travel-document questions.
Official sources: Civil Code: representation · Law on Personal Data Protection
Important noteThis material is general information, not personalised legal advice. Recheck current law, official practice, fees and deadlines against your facts before acting.