In life, there are many important activities we need to do. While it would be very convenient to accomplish everything at once, we only have one body—making us unable to accommodate all of it. That is why we sometimes permit someone to do certain tasks for us. It may be our friend, sibling, co-worker, or someone we trust. But what if a certain task would require not only our permission but also a legal document, such as an authorization letter? In some instances, we need to present this type of letter when someone needs access to our important documents or private properties. Governments and private authorities would request this letter to avoid problems regarding the invasion of privacy.
An authorization letter is a document that grants a particular person of your choice the authority to claim or access something on your behalf. It can be important documents such as passports, birth certificates, medical records, and university records. Without this, people might take advantage of your personal belongings by using them for illegal purposes or their own benefit. That is why an authorization letter is needed because it acts as a legally binding document between you and the person whom you gave authorization to. Moreover, it prevents unauthorized actions regarding your personal and private property or information.
If you are wondering what is the purpose of an authorization letter, provided below is the list of its different purposes.
In business, an authorization letter is necessary for performing different types of business transactions. Businessmen often have busy schedules and they travel all the time, that is why they leave a bunch of authorization letters to their personal assistants or trusted employees so they can carry out business activities without difficulty.
Authorization letters also have an important role when it comes to banking since it deals with money. A person may authorize someone else to do their banking transactions in case he or she is engaged with more important things.
During a school trip, a student must have an authorization letter from their parents that says they are allowed to join the trip and take part in its activities. Note that this is only applicable to students who have not reached their legal age.
In obtaining medical records, an authorization letter is needed because this is a piece of private and sensitive information. This type of information requires protection since it can psychologically affect an individual if it is released or used without the individual’s consent.
When a person decides to migrate somewhere abroad, some important documents may need authorization letters. Data from Statista revealed that in 2015, approximately 6.58 million illegal immigrants living in the United States were from Mexico. For this reason, some countries, especially the United States, have strict rules before they let someone migrate in their country. Most of them would require a report of an individual’s medical history, credit history, and criminal records.
There are many types of authorization letter that serves different purposes to people, here are some of them:
1. Authorization Letter for Transcript of Records
2. Bank Statement Authorization Letter
3. Travel Authorization Letter
4. Medical Treatment Authorization Letter
5. Authorization Letter for Claiming or Collecting of Documents
There are many available templates of an authorization letter online, but if you want to make your own letter, here are the factors you need to consider in writing an authorization letter:
You should follow the standard business letter format in writing an authorization letter. This specific format is in a block style and single-spaced. The first three lines or the return address should be on the top left side of the letter. Your complete name, address, city, state, and zip code should reflect on this section. In writing the date, make sure that it is in a complete format and not the shortened ones. Furthermore, formatting your authorization letter properly will also exhibit professionalism.
A letter of authorization must contain precise information such as the complete names, addresses, and dates. Doing so will help prevent any misunderstanding that might occur. Before carrying out a particular action, authorities will ask the authorized person for an ID to verify the information stated in the letter. If details written on the letter corresponds with the information presented on the identification card, then there wouldn’t be any problem. If not, the authorized person still has to undergo multiple processes to clear things up.
Your authorization letter must be in a professional tone. Aside from that, you should express a clear intention in your letter. Its content must be authentic and straightforward. Having these elements in your letter enables the authority to understand its content easily. A professional tone would increase the formality and credibility of your content. Thus, making the process easier on the part of the person you authorize to act on your behalf.
There should be a section in your letter which describes the task you entrust the person with. You should state why you are making the person do a specific task, the full details of the task, how the person should carry out the given task, and the limitations. This way, you can prevent the authorized individual from making decisions that are not part of the given errand.
A letter of authorization should be closed using the words “Sincerely,” “Regards,” “Yours truly,” or “Sincerely yours.” This is one of the ways to end the letter—simple yet professional. You should end an authorization with a complimentary close to convey a sense of formality and to make a good impression.
Authorization letters are essential nowadays since most economic transactions only allow a person to take responsibility for their own property or important information. An action that requires security can’t just be handed over to someone without authorization. It may lead to unfavorable results that may badly affect your reputation or of the important people around you. A well-written authorization letter would prevent any untoward incidents and would help you establish a good reputation amongst the authorities.
