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Advance Directives and Power of Attorney

1 September 2026

Anyone can prepare in advance for a situation in which they lose the ability to make decisions at the end of life. The Dying Patient Law allows anyone to provide advance medical directives or appoint a healthcare proxy in case a physician in charge determines that they are a dying patient.

Advance medical directives for future medical care of a dying patient set out instructions to withhold medical treatment or, alternatively, to receive any type of medical treatment, even against the doctors' recommendations.

Power of attorney for medical care of a dying patient specifies who will be authorized to make decisions on the patient's behalf about medical treatment that will or will not be provided.

Advance medical directives or a power of attorney will take effect only if a person is defined as a dying patient and is no longer able to make decisions.

Under the law, anyone age 17 or older who is lucid, fully conscious, and capable of making decisions may provide advance medical directives or appoint a healthcare proxy.

Although dealing with this subject is not easy, planning ahead will help ensure that you receive care that reflects your wishes and will also make it easier for your family to make decisions during difficult times.

It is important to know that as long as you are able to make decisions, your decisions take precedence over the directives. Advance directives and powers of attorney take effect only if you lose the ability to make decisions.

The directives are valid for five years and can be extended, updated to reflect your wishes as they change over the years, or canceled at any time.

The forms can be completed and submitted online. Alternatively, you can complete the appropriate forms by hand and send them, together with a copy of your ID card and ID appendix, by registered mail to: Advance Medical Directives Center, Ministry of Health, 39 Yirmiyahu Street, Jerusalem 9446724, or P.O. Box 1176, Jerusalem 9101002.

Storing the forms in the Ministry of Health database ensures that doctors and nurses in hospitals can access the form stored in the database and that reminders are sent to renew the form before it expires (up to five years).

Good to know: There is another type of power of attorney called an "enduring power of attorney," which allows you to appoint someone to make future decisions about personal, medical, and financial matters if you lose the ability to make decisions. This document is prepared before an attorney who has undergone special training and is under the responsibility of the Administrator General. Read the full information about an enduring power of attorney

At any age, it is possible and important to prepare for complex medical situations and make decisions in advance about treatments we would want to receive or treatments we would want to avoid. Naturally, this type of planning becomes more relevant as we get older. Addressing this issue is not easy and requires us to confront thoughts that may be frightening and face various concerns. However, clearly defining in advance what we would want to be done if we are determined to be a terminally ill patient will ensure that, if we are unable to make decisions, the actions taken will be consistent with our wishes and reflect our values on this issue.

Request for Advance Medical Directives and Appointment of a Healthcare Proxy

Dying Patient Act addresses both advance medical directives and the appointment of a healthcare proxy to make medical decisions. The application process includes completing the advance medical directives form, where you can specify two things. You can choose to specify both or only one:

Advance Medical Directives for Future Medical Care of a Dying Patient

Specifying in advance which medical treatments you are willing to receive or wish to avoid if you are defined as a dying patient.

Granting Power of Attorney for Medical Care Decisions for a Dying Patient

Authorizing someone to make decisions on your behalf about which medical treatments you will or will not receive if you are unable to make decisions for yourself and are defined as a dying patient.

Advance Medical Directives for Future Medical Treatment of a Terminally Ill Patient

The law establishes the rules under which you can provide advance instructions to receive or withhold life-prolonging medical treatment in the event of an incurable illness with a life expectancy of six months, accompanied by loss of capacity that also affects the ability to make decisions.

What You Can Specify in Advance Medical Directives for Future Medical Treatment

  • That you wish to avoid medical treatments if you become terminally ill and are unable to make decisions (due to loss of consciousness, dementia, or similar conditions).
  • That you wish to receive life-prolonging medical treatments.

Power of Attorney for Medical Treatment Decisions for a Terminally Ill Patient

Your designated agents will be authorized to make decisions on your behalf about the medical treatment you receive if you are defined as terminally ill and are unable to make decisions.

The form offers 3 options:

  1. Your designated agents may make any decision regarding receiving or withholding medical treatment.
  2. Your designated agents may act only to consent to exceptional life-prolonging medical treatment.
  3. Your designated agents may make decisions about the treatments specified in the form – whether to provide or withhold life-prolonging medical treatment.

The power of attorney applies only to medical matters and does not apply to financial matters or any other matters. If you wish to appoint agents to handle financial or other matters, you should consult a lawyer about your options.

Anyone may choose to complete one or more of the forms.

People who are not defined as "terminally ill patients" can complete the Power of Attorney Form for Medical Treatment Decisions for a Terminally Ill Patient – Short Form.

Important to know

Important to know

Advance medical directives will take effect only if you become unable to make decisions. As long as you are alert and fully conscious, your wishes take precedence over the directives.

The directives are binding on medical teams and allow you to plan ahead for the possibility of losing the ability to make decisions at the end of life.

Who Can Give Advance Medical Directives or Appoint a Health Care Proxy

By law, anyone over age 17, whether healthy or ill, may give advance medical directives or appoint a health care proxy, provided they are capable of making decisions.

The directives are valid for five years from the date they are signed. You can extend them every five years by completing the form to extend the validity of advance medical directives or a health care proxy.

You can cancel the directives by submitting a cancellation form.

How to Submit Advance Medical Directives and a Health Care Proxy

Complete and submit the forms online. 

Alternatively, you can manually complete the appropriate forms and send them, along with a photocopy of your ID card and appendix, by registered mail to: Advance Medical Directives Center, Ministry of Health, 39 Yirmiyahu Street, Jerusalem 9446724, or P.O. Box 1176, Jerusalem 9101002.

Filling Out an Advance Medical Directives Form to Ensure Personalized Medical Care at the End of Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICitIuHGZPk?rel=0

How to fill out an advance directive forms

Important to know

Important to know

If you completed both an advance medical directives form and a power of attorney form, the patient's directives will generally take precedence over decisions made by the person granted power of attorney.

The Difference Between a Power of Attorney and Advance Medical Directives Under the Dying Patient Law, and an Enduring Medical Power of Attorney

A power of attorney or advance medical directives under the Dying Patient Law apply only to end-of-life situations. In contrast, an enduring medical power of attorney is a document drawn up under the Patient's Rights Law and is part of an enduring power of attorney document that is kept at the Ministry of Justice. Its purpose is to authorize another person to make routine medical decisions on your behalf when you are no longer able to express your wishes, for example, to receive medical information, schedule appointments, and consent to medical tests and procedures. However, an enduring medical power of attorney does not allow the person appointed to make decisions regarding end-of-life matters.

Important to Know About an Enduring Medical Power of Attorney:

  • You can complete it free of charge and without a lawyer: You can complete the medical section of an enduring power of attorney independently, without completing the other sections of the form (such as financial or personal matters).
  • It must be deposited with the Ministry of Justice: If the document is not deposited with the Ministry of Justice, it will expire within one year. Once the document has been deposited, there is no need to renew it.

Advance Medical Directives and Power of Attorney

More information about advance medical directives and appointing a power of attorney in case you become a dying patient who is unable to make decisions, including how to submit a request and download the forms on the government services website.

Information on the Government Services Website

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