What's changing
The Powers of Attorney Act 2023 received Royal Assent in September 2023. It gives the Office of the Public Guardian the power to build and run a fully digital LPA system, which is being rolled out through 2026. It's a phased change — paper LPAs continue to be valid throughout, and anything made under the current system stays valid.
What the new system does
The digital system is designed to handle the whole thing online: digital creation of the LPA, identity verification, and a new signing flow. The donor signs first, which triggers an SMS verification step that satisfies the witness requirement. The Certificate Provider then reviews and signs digitally, the attorneys sign, and the application is submitted to the OPG automatically.
What this means for you
Right now, under the paper system, our Certificate Provider service runs as a video-call assessment followed by a 24-hour courier round-trip for the wet signature on the form. Once the digital system is live, that final paper step disappears — the process becomes fully remote from end to end.
Why this matters
For our Certificate Provider service especially, going digital removes the last bit of friction. The conversation and the capacity check were already remote; the digital system means the signature can be too. We've built our process to step straight into the digital system the moment it's available to us.
Should you wait?
No. The current system works, and it works today. An LPA made now remains valid forever under the new rules — there's nothing to gain by waiting and a great deal to lose if your situation changes before the digital system reaches you. If you need an LPA, the right time is now.