Authorization Letter– Authorizing means giving legitimate permission to or consent for something. There are many circumstances in life when you have to authorize someone to do a specific thing.

An authorization letter gives another person the right to act on your behalf in particular matters. They are primarily used in situations in which the letter writer is not able to represent themselves.

In all events or scenarios, it is very much important to write a meaningful letter so that the intended result is attained.

WHAT IS AN AUTHORIZATION LETTER?

An authorization letter is a letter given to the recipient as proof that he/she is responsible to carry out an action on someone else’s behalf.

For instance, if you work abroad and you have to obtain documents in government offices or other agencies, you will need someone to get those documents on your behalf. That’s when these agencies require your representative to have your authorization letter.

That is why you need to know how to write an authorization letter. This article will provide everything you need to know about writing an authorization letter, including different formats and samples.

Authorization Letter Purposes

Authorization letter serves various purposes including the following:

• For business purposes. An authorization letter is needed in carrying out different business activities. For instance, your boss is on a business trip, he/she needs to make an authorization letter so someone can take over some of his important transactions on a company.
• For school purposes. In some cases, students need permission from their parents in the form of an authorization letter when they have to go to an outside school activity especially if it’s not a compulsory outdoor activity.
• For personal transactions. This may include some important deals of a person who is not physically present at the moment of signing some important documents such as bank documents, property matters, legal documents, collecting medical records, or even some relevant packages being delivered on behalf of someone. An authorization letter can play a significant role in these kinds of scenarios.

How should an authorization letter be formatted?

It is important to know how to write and know the format of an authorization letter as there are circumstances of facing difficulties especially if you don’t have any idea how to start writing your authorization letter. It is necessary to keep the following points in mind:

• Name, address, and the date should be on the top left corner of the page. (Avoid abbreviating the date)
• The recipient’s name and address should come below this information (name, address, date).
• The beginning of the letter or the salutation should be written formally and name should be in authority.
• The body of the letter should be in a single-spaced spacing. Make sure to include your content or the main purpose of writing the letter.
• The style of writing of the content should be formal and authentic by providing correct and accurate information.
• The authorization letter should conclude with a proper connotation and follow a handwritten signature and name.

How to Write an Authorization Letter?

STEP 1: Write the Authorization Letter’s Heading. 

• Start by writing your name on the top left side of the page. Follow with your address.
• Write the date by skipping one line (Press the “Enter” button twice). Take note that you should not abbreviate the date.
• Write the recipient’s address. Make sure to leave a blank line between the date and this block. It should be addressed to the office or agency in question and not the person acting on behalf of you.
• For the salutation, use appropriate titles such as Mr., Ms., and so forth instead of writing their full names. Start the salutation with the word “Dear” or “To”. Moreover, if you are dealing with someone you don’t know, you may write “To whom it may concern”.

STEP 2: Write the authorization letter body.

• Make sure to keep it short, simple, and precise. Go straight to your point because longer letters include a lot of information which can be possible misinterpret by the receiver.
• Point out the duties your representative will do on your behalf. Make sure that it is detailed and concise.
• Explain the authorization details. Indicate when this permission will be in effect. Don’t forget to include a beginning and an ending date. If you are not sure, you can say “In the event of any emergency, the representative is authorized to act on my behalf for one month”.
• State a reason. Justify why is it important to have someone to represent you.

STEP 3: Write the Authorization letter Conclusion.

• Write a closing word. Usually, a lot of people use the word “Sincerely”.
• Affix your signature. Take note that it should be handwritten, not digital.
• Make it formal. Use a Block format and the body should be single-spaced. make sure the paragraphs are not be indented.
• Look for a witness that will confirm that you have not written the authorization letter under threats and pressure. You can have a notary public sign below your signature and the witness should not be mentioned in your letter.
• Give the letter to your representative. Make sure to also keep a copy of the letter.

Things to remember when Writing an Authorization Letter

1. Make an outline and be concise about what to include and what not to include in the letter.
2. Avoid words that indicate various meanings.
3. Express every detail clearly.
4. Don’t be uncertain to rewrite again if it’s not good.
5. Write short and formal sentences to avoid unexpected misunderstandings.
6. Write the date in the standard format and avoid abbreviations. Write it in words to make it coherent.
7. Avoid negative sentences in your authorization letter.
8. Maintain a professional tone always to achieve the desired effect and advantage.
9. If in doubt, ask specialists or research sample authorization letters to write a quality one. If there are any person or office, that offers help in writing professional letters, then ask their help.
10. Write in the language that can be understood easily. Mostly, it’s good to use universal language and avoid regional languages.
11. If some information is involved, make sure that all the parties agree to it rather than writing on some expectations.
12. You can also write the methods with which the task can be achieved, if applicable. This will look more formal and professional, thus ease the process without any delays.
13. It is better to present a typed letter over a written one because handwritten letters might have illegible words that could lead to problems.
14. Make sure you understand the role of the three parties involved in writing an authorization letter. The sender, the receiver, and optional representative who is authorized to act on behalf.

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