What if the OPG rejects your LPA?
Guidance from Estate Advisory Group
Written and legally reviewed by Ramani Gill TEP, Solicitor and private client practitioner·Last reviewed 13 August 2026
Rejections come with an explanation. Some faults can be corrected; others mean the whole document must be signed again.
Fixable versus fatal
| Problem | Usual outcome |
|---|---|
| Missing fee or evidence | Send it — no re-signing needed |
| Unclear instruction in section 7 | May be severed by the court, or re-sign |
| Missing continuation sheet | Depends; often re-sign |
| Signatures in the wrong order | Re-sign the whole LPA |
| Ineligible certificate provider | Re-sign the whole LPA |
| Attorney witnessed the donor | Re-sign the whole LPA |
Will you pay again?
If the application is returned before it is processed, the fee is usually not consumed. If it was processed and the LPA cannot be registered, expect to pay the £92 again on resubmission. Either way you lose the time.
Reducing the risk to near zero
Every fault on that list is a completion error, not a legal judgement. That is why our service checks certificate provider and attorney eligibility before you print, runs a consistency check across the whole document, and issues a signing pack with names, pages and dates. See common LPA mistakes.
We cannot promise acceptance
No service can guarantee OPG registration, because the OPG makes its own decisions. What we can do is check for the errors that cause most rejections.
Worked example: a rejection that needed re-signing
Elaine's LPA was returned because her certificate provider turned out to be her husband's cousin — a family connection that disqualifies someone from that role, however well they knew Elaine. The OPG's letter explained the specific fault. Elaine had to find a new certificate provider, arrange a fresh signing appointment for herself and her two attorneys, and pay the £92 fee again on resubmission. The whole process, from rejection letter to re-registration, took a further nine weeks — time that could have been avoided with an eligibility check before the first signature.
What the rejection letter tells you
| Section quoted | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Section 2 (certificate provider) | The person signing the certificate was not eligible, or their statement was incomplete |
| Section 5 or 6 (attorney details) | A name, date of birth or address does not match across the form |
| Section 9 or 11 (signatures) | Someone signed out of order, or a required witness was missing |
| Continuation sheet reference | A sheet mentioned in the form was not enclosed, or was not itself signed and witnessed |
Read the letter carefully before deciding whether re-signing is needed. Some OPG letters ask only for extra evidence, such as proof of a fee exemption, which you can simply post back.
Common questions
Can the OPG remove a bad instruction and register the rest?
The Court of Protection can sever an invalid provision, but it adds delay. Avoiding troublesome wording in the first place is much simpler.
How will I be told?
The OPG writes to the applicant, returning the document with the reason.
Can I appeal a rejection?
There is no formal appeal for a completion error — you correct it and resubmit. Genuine legal disputes, such as capacity at signing, may go to the Court of Protection.
How often are applications rejected?
The OPG does not publish a precise figure, but completion errors such as those in common LPA mistakes account for the large majority of returns.
Does a rejection affect an existing LPA I already have registered?
No. Each application stands alone. A problem with a new LPA does not touch one already registered and in use.
Should I use a solicitor after a rejection?
Not necessarily. Most rejections stem from a specific, identifiable fault rather than a complex legal question, so a careful re-read of the OPG's letter and the relevant guide is often enough.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of Registration and using an LPA. The pages below take it further.
- How our service works
The four steps from choosing your LPA to a registered LPA.
- Make an LPA online
The whole journey end to end: questions, documents, signing and registration.
Review and sources
Reviewed by Ramani Gill TEP, Solicitor and private client practitioner. Last reviewed 13 August 2026. We recheck fees, forms and Office of the Public Guardian guidance whenever they change — see our editorial policy.
Official sources
Ready to make your LPA?
Choose one LPA or both, then start online for £49 per LPA.
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
This is general information about how Lasting Powers of Attorney work in England and Wales. It is not legal advice about your situation. What we do and do not do.
Published by Estate Advisory Group