State guide
Advance Directive Forms in Illinois
By Jason Su · Sources last confirmed September 14
We link to official sources only. We are not a law firm and we never write legal documents. The form you sign must come from an official or authorised source in your state.
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 Illinois form
Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) publishes the current form here: https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/health-care-regulation/nursing-homes/advance-directives.html
Illinois uses a statutory short form power of attorney for health care, plus a separate living will.
Background reading: Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) guidance
What "statutory short form" means in Illinois
Illinois publishes a statutory short form — a document whose wording is written into state law rather than drafted by a hospital or a company. The phrase is literal: it is short, it comes from the statute, and using it is the path of least resistance.
Illinois splits the work across two documents. The Power of Attorney for Health Care names your agent. The Living Will Declaration records your wishes about death-delaying treatment. They are separate forms and they are signed separately.
The advantage of a statutory form is that its wording has been settled in advance. When a hospital, a physician, or a family member reads it, there is nothing to interpret — the meaning is the one the legislature wrote. That reduces the chance of the document being questioned at exactly the wrong moment.
Both are published by the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Illinois Department on Aging maintains a separate legal forms page that collects them alongside other documents older Illinois residents commonly need.
As in every two-document state, the gap to watch for is signing one and not the other. The living will records what you want; the power of attorney decides who can make sure it happens.
Illinois forms are revised. Before signing, confirm you are using the current version from the Department of Public Health rather than a copy someone saved years ago.
National resources
- USA.gov — Official U.S. government portal.
- Medicare.gov — Official Medicare information.
After you sign it
- Sign it the way Illinois requires. Many states need witnesses or a notary. The form itself says which — follow the form, not a blog.
- Give copies to your healthcare agent and your doctor. A form nobody can find is a form that does not work.
- Keep the original somewhere reachable — not locked in a safe deposit box that needs a bank visit during an emergency.
- Add it to your checklist so your trusted contact knows it exists and where it lives.
Frequently asked
Is the Illinois advance directive form free?
Yes. Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) publishes the current form free of charge, and we link to the official source only.
Do I need a lawyer to complete the Illinois form?
No. You can complete the form yourself. It must be signed the way Illinois law requires — usually with witnesses or a notary — so follow the instructions printed on the form itself.
Where should I keep my signed Illinois advance directive?
Give copies to your healthcare agent and your doctor, and keep the original somewhere reachable at home — not locked in a safe deposit box that needs a bank visit during an emergency.
Next: build your checklist and record where this form is kept.