State guide

Advance Directive Forms in California

What this document does

An advance directive is where you write down the healthcare treatment you would and would not want if you could not speak for yourself. In most states it also names a healthcare agent — the person who speaks for you when you cannot.

Where to get the California form

California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General publishes the current form here: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/ProbateCodeAdvanceHealthCareDirectiveForm-fillable.pdf

California has no required form (Probate Code section 4701). The Attorney General publishes this statutory model form, which you may use as-is or as a starting point.

Background reading: California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General guidance

National resources

• USA.gov — Official U.S. government portal.
• Medicare.gov — Official Medicare information.

After you sign it

1. Sign it the way California requires. Many states need witnesses or a notary. The form itself says which — follow the form, not a blog.
2. Give copies to your healthcare agent and your doctor. A form nobody can find is a form that does not work.
3. Keep the original somewhere reachable — not locked in a safe deposit box that needs a bank visit during an emergency.
4. Add it to your checklist so your trusted contact knows it exists and where it lives.

Next: build your checklist and record where this form is kept.