If I gave my agent a power of attorney valid for only one year, does his authority end automatically once that year is up, even if I never formally revoke it?

Expiration is its own ground, not a form of revocation

The law lists six distinct ways agency ends, and expiration of the agreed period is one of them, listed separately from revocation. That distinction matters: revocation is something the principal actively does. Expiration of a fixed term needs no action from anyone — it happens automatically once the period you set has run out, precisely because you already built the end date into the agency when you created it.

Why the agent's authority doesn't outlive the term

A power of attorney limited to one year is, by its own terms, an authority that only exists for that window. Once the year ends, there's nothing left for the agent to draw authority from — the grant itself was time-bound. You don't need to send a revocation letter, demand the document back, or take any other step, because the automatic extinguishment listed in the law does that work for you. Anything the agent purports to do in your name after the term lapses is no longer backed by valid authority from you.

The other automatic triggers worth knowing

Expiration sits alongside several other events that end agency without any formal act by the principal: the agent's own withdrawal, the death, civil interdiction, insanity or insolvency of either the principal or the agent, the dissolution of the firm or corporation that gave or accepted the agency, and the accomplishment of the agency's object or purpose once the task is done. All of these end the relationship on their own, the same way a fixed term does — revocation is just one path among six, not the only one.

The practical risk once the term lapses

Because expiration is automatic, the real-world risk after the term is up isn't about whether the agent's authority ended — it did — but about whether a third party dealing with the agent knows that. If you want a clean break, telling the people your agent regularly deals with that the term has lapsed avoids disputes over whether they could still rely on an apparent authority that, as between you and the agent, no longer exists.

Cases citing this provision

These Supreme Court decisions cite the provision above. We list them so you can read them yourself; the summaries of what each decided are not ours to give.

• Spouses Feliciana and Angel Cesa vs. Spouses Elisa Montano Brucelas and David Brucelas, G.R. No. 255564, March 5, 2025 — read the decision on LawPhil →
• Marcelino E. Lopez, et al. vs. The Hon. Court Appeals and Primex Corporation/Marcelino E. Lopez, et al. vs. The Honorable Court of Appeals and Primex Corporation, G.R. No. 163959 / G.R. No. 177855, August 1, 2018 — read the decision on LawPhil →

Related provisions

• Civil Code, Article 1919 — Modes of Extinguishing Agency