Honduras power of attorney (poder notarial) at a US consulate

A power of attorney (poder notarial) is a legal document that authorizes another person — your apoderado — to act on your behalf in Honduras. You sign the document in front of the Honduras consul in the US, who grants a poder general as a public deed (escritura pública); it takes effect in Honduras once the Foreign Ministry (SRECI) authenticates the consul’s signature (auténtica).

Types of power of attorney (poder)

As of October 3, 2026, the Embassy of Honduras lists three consular powers:

  • Carta poder (US$50) — authorizes another person to carry out specific procedures for you before banks, municipalities, public institutions, embassies or consulates, such as bank business, collecting documents or requesting a criminal record certificate
  • Poder general (US$150) — a notarial document, granted as a public deed, that lets the apoderado act for you in various legal acts, such as managing, buying or selling property, signing contracts, banking, forming companies or intervening in inheritances (herencias)
  • Poder especial (US$200) — authorizes the apoderado to carry out specific procedures or actions for you, before judicial, public or private bodies, including banks

The embassy notes that granting a poder authorizes another person to act in your name in Honduras, so be clear about which procedures or actions you want to authorize.

Required documents

To obtain a Honduras poder notarial at a US consulate, you need:

  • Appointment confirmation (comprobante de cita)
  • Your valid Honduran DNI and passport, originals and photocopies — if you have no DNI, the embassy says you can enroll the same day, before the procedure
  • The apoderado’s details — full name, DNI copy, marital status, profession and address (a lawyer also provides their Colegio de Abogados de Honduras card number or copy)
  • Description of powers to be granted — what specifically the apoderado may do
  • For a poder especial or carta poder — the name of the institution where it will be presented, and the account number if it is a bank
  • Draft text of the poder if you have a Honduras lawyer who prepared it
  • Fee — US$150 poder general, US$200 poder especial, US$50 carta poder (Embassy of Honduras, October 3, 2026; confirm the current amount)

Step-by-step process

  1. Decide what powers you need to grant. If complex (litigation, inheritance, property), consult a Honduras lawyer who can prepare a draft.
  2. Schedule appointment at your local Honduras consulate
  3. Gather documents per checklist above
  4. Attend appointment in person — you sign in front of the consul
  5. Pay fee — US$150 poder general, US$200 poder especial or US$50 carta poder (confirm the current amount)
  6. Receive the notarized document — ask the consulate when it will be ready
  7. Send the original to Honduras via courier or hand-carry on your next trip
  8. Get the auténtica — the Foreign Ministry (SRECI) authenticates the consul’s signature before the document takes effect in Honduras

Revoking a poder

Ask the consulate or a Honduras lawyer how to revoke a poder (revocación), and tell the apoderado directly. We found no official consular page describing the revocation procedure.

Witnesses and additional requirements

As of October 3, 2026, none of the Embassy of Honduras requirement lists for the carta poder, poder general or poder especial mentions witnesses (testigos).

Tell the consul at the appointment exactly what the document will be used for — for a poder especial or carta poder the embassy asks for the institution where it will be presented.

Apostille and the SRECI auténtica

Documents notarized at a Honduras consulate in the US need no apostille, but before they take effect in Honduras the Foreign Ministry (SRECI) authenticates the consul’s signature. SRECI’s instructions say an auténtica is issued for documents issued by consular or diplomatic officials in their offices that will have legal effect in Honduras, while an apostille is for documents that will have effect in a country that is party to the Apostille Convention.

The apostille process applies when you need to send a US-issued document (US birth certificate, US marriage certificate, US court document) to Honduras.

Authoritative sources

Last verified: 2026-10-08. General procedural information for educational purposes. Power-of-attorney requirements vary by country, by transaction type, and change periodically. Verify directly with the Honduras consulate and, for complex matters, consult a Honduras lawyer. Not legal advice.