LPA Certificate Provider: Who Can Act

What is an LPA certificate provider?

A certificate provider is the independent person who confirms, by signing the LPA, that the donor understands the document and is making it freely. The Office of the Public Guardian describes their job as certifying that you understand the significance of the LPA and that no fraud or undue pressure is being used to make you create it (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). Every LPA needs at least one.

Who can be a certificate provider?

Two routes exist, and a person needs to fit only one. The knowledge route covers a friend, colleague or someone who has known the donor well for at least two years, as more than an acquaintance. The skills route covers a professional able to judge the donor's understanding, such as a GP, other registered healthcare professional, solicitor, barrister or registered social worker. Either way they must be at least 18 (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change).

Route	Who it covers	Key condition
Knowledge based	A friend, colleague or someone who knows the donor well	Known the donor personally for at least two years, more than an acquaintance
Skills based	A GP or other healthcare professional, solicitor, barrister, advocate or registered social worker	Professional skills to judge whether the donor understands the LPA

Route

Who it covers

Key condition

Knowledge based

A friend, colleague or someone who knows the donor well

Known the donor personally for at least two years, more than an acquaintance

Skills based

A GP or other healthcare professional, solicitor, barrister, advocate or registered social worker

Professional skills to judge whether the donor understands the LPA

Source: gov.uk, LP12: make and register your lasting power of attorney, as at July 2026, subject to change. A certificate provider must be at least 18 and able to make the certificate honestly.

Who cannot be a certificate provider

The impartiality rule rules out a wide circle of people close to the arrangement. A certificate provider cannot be any of your attorneys or replacement attorneys, or an attorney under any LPA or enduring power of attorney you have already made. They also cannot be a member of your family or of any attorney's family, which includes husbands, wives, civil partners, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, in-laws and step-relations (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change).

The list goes further. An unmarried partner, boyfriend or girlfriend of yours or of an attorney is excluded, as is your business partner or employee, or an attorney's business partner or employee. So too is an owner, director, manager or employee of a care home where you live, and members of their family (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change).

What does a certificate provider actually do?

Their task is a judgement, not a formality. Before signing, a certificate provider generally discusses the LPA with the donor, often in private, to satisfy themselves that the donor understands the authority being granted and is acting freely. They must have the honest conversation that lets them make that judgement, which is why the rules ask for someone who knows the donor well or has the professional skill to assess understanding (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change).

The certificate provider is the one independent check between the donor's wishes and the attorneys' power. The signature says the donor understood, and was not pressured.

A worked example (illustration only). Say a donor makes a property and financial affairs LPA naming her son as attorney. Her son cannot be the certificate provider, and neither can her daughter, sister or son-in-law, because family members are barred (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). A neighbour who has known her well for five years could act on the knowledge route, or her GP could act on the skills route, though a professional may charge a fee. The registration fee payable to the Office of the Public Guardian is £92 per LPA, with reductions or exemptions for lower incomes (gov.uk, register an LPA, as at July 2026, subject to change). Every situation differs, so this is general information rather than advice for any real LPA.

Choosing a certificate provider

There is no single right choice, and many people weigh convenience against independence. A trusted friend or colleague who qualifies on the knowledge route often costs nothing, while a professional on the skills route may charge a fee but can be helpful where capacity is in any doubt (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). Where there is any question over the donor's understanding, it can be worth discussing the options with a qualified professional before the form is signed.

Knowledge route. Someone who has genuinely known the donor well for at least two years, not just an acquaintance.

Skills route. A professional, such as a GP or solicitor, able to assess understanding, who may charge a fee.

Independence. Anyone in the barred circle of family, attorneys and close connections cannot act.

Certificate providers in Scotland and Northern Ireland

This guide describes the law of England and Wales, where the certificate provider role sits within the lasting power of attorney system overseen by the Office of the Public Guardian. Scotland has its own system of continuing and welfare powers of attorney, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland), where a solicitor or a practising member of a relevant profession certifies the granter's understanding rather than a lay certificate provider. Northern Ireland has separate arrangements again. Where an arrangement touches more than one UK nation, it can be worth taking advice in each. For the wider picture, see our estate planning guide.

Frequently asked questions

Who can be a certificate provider for an LPA?

Someone aged 18 or over who either has known the donor well personally for at least two years, as more than an acquaintance, or has the professional skills to judge the donor's understanding, such as a GP, solicitor or registered social worker (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). They must be able to act impartially.

Can a family member be a certificate provider?

No. Members of the donor's family, and of any attorney's family, are barred, including spouses, civil partners, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, in-laws and step-relations (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). Unmarried partners of the donor or an attorney are excluded too.

Can an attorney also be the certificate provider?

No. An attorney or replacement attorney on the LPA cannot act as its certificate provider, and neither can an attorney under any other LPA or enduring power of attorney the donor has already made (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). The role has to stay independent of the people receiving the power.

Does a certificate provider have to be a solicitor or doctor?

No. A professional is only one of the two routes. Many people use the knowledge route instead, choosing a friend or colleague who has known them well for at least two years (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). A professional certificate provider may charge a fee, while a personal one usually does not.

How many certificate providers does an LPA need?

An LPA needs at least one certificate provider. In some cases a second may be chosen, for example where extra reassurance about capacity is wanted, but one is generally enough for the LPA to be valid (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). The requirement is the same for both types of LPA.

Can a care home worker be a certificate provider?

Generally no, where the donor lives in that home. An owner, director, manager or employee of a care home where the donor lives, and members of their family, are barred from acting as certificate provider (gov.uk, LP12 guide, as at July 2026, subject to change). This keeps the check independent of those providing the donor's care.

If you are working through the wider document, our guide to setting up an LPA covers the steps around choosing and signing with a certificate provider.

About Fairchild Oldfield

The Fairchild Oldfield team brings together estate planning, tax, independent financial advice and client care, working with families across England and Wales.

Fairchild Oldfield are estate planning specialists and will writers, not a firm of solicitors. This article is general information based on practical experience, not legal, tax or financial advice.

Important: This article is general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Reading it does not create a professional relationship. It is based on the law of England and Wales, and other UK jurisdictions may differ. Figures and rules are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change. Before acting, many people choose to seek advice from a suitably qualified professional, such as a solicitor, a STEP practitioner, an accountant, or an FCA-authorised financial adviser, who can consider your individual circumstances.