State guide
Advance Directive Forms in Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin form
Wisconsin Department of Health Services publishes the current form here: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forms/advdirectives/index.htm
Wisconsin publishes both a living will and a POA for health care.
Wisconsin publishes both forms in one place, so the usual gap is easy to avoid
Wisconsin keeps the two jobs in two documents: a Living Will, which records your treatment wishes, and a Power of Attorney for Health Care, which names the person who decides for you. That split is common. What is less common is that both are published together, from one page, by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
That matters more than it sounds. In many states the two documents are scattered — one on a health department page, one in a statute, one from a bar association — and the practical result is that people sign whichever one they found first and stop there. In Wisconsin you can get both in one visit, so the most common mistake is easy to avoid.
The two documents cover different ground, and the power of attorney is the broader of the two. The living will speaks to specific end-of-life circumstances. The power of attorney covers any situation in which you cannot make your own decisions, including ones that have nothing to do with the end of your life.
If you complete only one, make it the power of attorney, then come back for the living will when you have another twenty minutes. Both are free and neither has to be filed anywhere.
Wisconsin's two forms are separate documents with their own signature instructions. Complete and sign them on the same day if you can, and follow each form's own directions rather than assuming the rules carry over from one to the other.
National resources
- USA.gov — Official U.S. government portal.
- Medicare.gov — Official Medicare information.
After you sign it
- Sign it the way Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin advance directive form free?
Yes. Wisconsin Department of Health Services publishes the current form free of charge, and we link to the official source only.
Do I need a lawyer to complete the Wisconsin form?
No. You can complete the form yourself. It must be signed the way Wisconsin law requires — usually with witnesses or a notary — so follow the instructions printed on the form itself.
Where should I keep my signed Wisconsin 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.