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Revoking or Cancelling Your LPA in Singapore

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You can revoke or cancel your Lasting Power of Attorney at any time, as long as you have the mental capacity to do so. The steps depend on whether your LPA has been registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). An LPA can also come to an end automatically in certain circumstances.

Can I cancel my LPA before it is registered? #

Yes. An LPA is not effective until it is registered with the OPG, so before registration there is no registered instrument for your donee to act under. If you have signed an LPA but no longer wish to proceed, you should not proceed to registration, and you should notify your donees and anyone else you may have informed about the LPA that it is cancelled. Where an online application is already pending at OPGO, check the OPG’s prevailing procedure for withdrawing the application.

How can I revoke my LPA after registration? #

Under the Mental Capacity Act, section 15, a Donor who retains mental capacity may revoke his LPA at any time. The process requires the following steps:

  1. Sign a Revocation Form as prescribed by the Office of the Public Guardian
  2. Notify every donee of the revocation
  3. Notify the Public Guardian of the revocation
  4. You may also wish to give notice of the revocation to any person that you have previously informed about the LPA (eg. your bank or other financial institution, CPF Board, etc.)

What is in the Revocation Form? #

Part A is completed by the Donor, explicitly stating the revocation of the LPA and all powers conferred by it. A witness must confirm the Donor understood that he was terminating the donee’s appointment. If an interpreter was used, the interpreter’s details and the language or dialect of interpretation must be recorded.

Part B is for the donees to complete, providing written acknowledgement of the revocation notice. All donees, including replacement donees, should complete this section. It is prudent to document your efforts to locate and contact donees, because if the Donor fails to notify every donee that he or she is revoking the LPA, the donee may continue to make decisions on the Donor’s behalf.

Part C is a written notice to the Office of the Public Guardian, also requiring a witness signature confirming the Donor’s understanding of the revocation.

Submit the completed form to the Office of the Public Guardian with the original LPA and the prevailing revocation fee of S$28 (per OPG’s current fees table).

What must I do? #

Refer to the OPG website at msf.gov.sg/opg for the prevailing revocation procedure and form, and complete and sign the form according to its instructions.

Notify every donee #

  • This is a requirement of the Mental Capacity Regulations (S105/2010)
  • Unless the donee has notice of the revocation, he may be protected if he acts under the LPA when the Donor loses capacity

Notify the Public Guardian #

  • This is a requirement of the Mental Capacity Regulations (S105/2010)
  • Submit to the Office of the Public Guardian: the completed revocation form, the revocation fee (S$28), and the original LPA and any office copy

What will the Public Guardian do? #

  1. The Public Guardian will cancel the registration of the LPA if satisfied that the Donor has taken the necessary revocation steps. The Public Guardian may require further information or documents.
  2. The Public Guardian will give notice of the cancellation to the Donor and each donee.
  3. The LPA Reference Number of the revoked LPA will be uploaded to the List of Revoked LPAs on the OPG’s website.

When does my LPA end automatically? #

Apart from your own revocation, your LPA will be cancelled and the appointment of the donee terminated in the following circumstances:

  1. You or your donee dies.
  2. Your donee lacks mental capacity to act as a donee.
  3. Your donee declines the appointment as a donee.
  4. There is a divorce between you and your donee, applicable if your donee is your spouse and you have not stated otherwise in your LPA.
  5. You or your donee becomes bankrupt, or if your donee is a licensed trust company, the company is liquidated, wound up, dissolved or placed under judicial management (this applies to the property and affairs donee only).
  6. A Court order is made to cancel the LPA or your donee’s powers; this can happen if your donee has not acted in your best interests.

Making a fresh LPA #

Revoking an LPA does not stop you from making a new one while you have capacity. See our complete LPA guide and how to submit your LPA online at OPGO. For our charges, see our LPA fee page.

Need help? Start with our LPA checklist or request a quote through our LPA Quote form.