State guide
Advance Directive Forms in Massachusetts
By Jason Su · Sources last confirmed September 15
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 Massachusetts form
Commonwealth of Massachusetts (mass.gov) publishes the current form here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/download-the-massachusetts-healthcare-proxy-form/download
Like New York, Massachusetts uses a Health Care Proxy, not a living will statute.
Background reading: Commonwealth of Massachusetts (mass.gov) guidance
Massachusetts issues no living will — so you write your own wishes
Massachusetts, like New York, has no living will statute. There is no official state wording for "my treatment wishes", because the Commonwealth does not define that document. What Massachusetts has is the Health Care Proxy, which names the person who decides for you when you cannot.
That leaves a gap, and how you fill it is the practical question. Because there is no prescribed wording, you are free to write your wishes in your own words and keep them with the proxy. You are not filling in the blanks of a state template; you are writing a statement, and the proxy is what gives it force.
This is an advantage more often than people expect. Statutory forms tend to ask narrow, pre-written questions, usually about terminal illness and life support, and they leave no room for the things people most want to say — that they want to stay at home if it is possible, that they do not want to be moved far from family, that a particular person should be consulted before decisions are made. A written statement has room for all of it.
Keep it to one page, date it, and store it with the proxy so the two never get separated. Give copies of both to your agent and your doctor.
Massachusetts will not supply you with a living will form, because it does not issue one. A site offering "the official Massachusetts living will" is republishing something the Commonwealth does not produce.
National resources
- USA.gov — Official U.S. government portal.
- Medicare.gov — Official Medicare information.
After you sign it
- Sign it the way Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts advance directive form free?
Yes. Commonwealth of Massachusetts (mass.gov) publishes the current form free of charge, and we link to the official source only.
Do I need a lawyer to complete the Massachusetts form?
No. You can complete the form yourself. It must be signed the way Massachusetts law requires — usually with witnesses or a notary — so follow the instructions printed on the form itself.
Where should I keep my signed Massachusetts 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.