State guide
Advance Directive Forms in Pennsylvania
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.
Does Pennsylvania have an official form?
Pennsylvania does not issue a state form. Under state law, any written document that is signed and witnessed can serve as your directive — which means a form from your hospital or doctor is usually fine.
Pennsylvania does not issue a state advance directive form. Under 20 Pa.C.S. Chapter 54, any written document that is signed and witnessed can serve as your directive, so a form from your hospital, doctor, or local Area Agency on Aging is fine.
Start with the Pennsylvania Bar Association: https://www.pabar.org/clips/livingwills.pdf
Pennsylvania publishes no form — and that is not a problem
You will not find an official Pennsylvania advance directive form, because the Commonwealth does not issue one. Under 20 Pa.C.S. Chapter 54, what matters is not the paper but the process: a written document that is signed and witnessed in the way the law requires can serve as your advance directive.
The practical consequence is oddly liberating. There is no wrong form to worry about. The one your hospital hands you, the one your doctor's office keeps in a drawer, and the one your local Area Agency on Aging prints for you are all equally usable, provided they are signed properly.
But "any document works" is not the same as "any document is complete". A generic form that omits a naming clause, or that never mentions who your agent is, can satisfy the letter of the law and still leave your family unable to act. The document that works is the one that both names your agent and records your wishes.
The Pennsylvania Bar Association publishes a widely used version that covers both, and the Department of Aging maintains guidance on how advance directives work in the Commonwealth. Neither involves a fee or a filing.
If you have been waiting to do this because you could not find "the Pennsylvania form", you can stop waiting. There was never going to be one.
Because Pennsylvania has no state form, sign the version you actually have in hand and follow its instructions literally. Witnessing details differ between documents, and the document in front of you is the authority.
National resources
- USA.gov — Official U.S. government portal.
- Medicare.gov — Official Medicare information.
After you sign it
- Sign it the way Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania advance directive form free?
You should be able to get the Pennsylvania form free of charge from an official source. Avoid any site that asks for payment before showing you the form.
Do I need a lawyer to complete the Pennsylvania form?
No. You can complete the form yourself. It must be signed the way Pennsylvania law requires — usually with witnesses or a notary — so follow the instructions printed on the form itself.
Where should I keep my signed Pennsylvania 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.