Make your Free Georgia Advance Directive

A Georgia Advance Directive is a legal document that sets forth your preferences in relation to health care, such as your refusal of or request for a specific medical treatment, and/or the naming of a chosen decision maker.

The person making an Advance Directive is known as the "principal," while the individual or organization receiving permission to carry out the principal's wishes is called the "agent." Suited for Georgia residents, this Advance Directive can be used in Gwinnett County, Cobb County, Fulton County, and in all other counties and municipalities throughout the state. Each Georgia Advance Directive from Rocket Lawyer can be fully customized to address your specific circumstances. With this essential document on hand, your medical institutions will have a record of your decisions, and your representative(s) will be able to offer proof that they have been given the authority to act in your interest when you are not able.

It is fast and easy to record your medical preferences with a free Georgia Advance Directive template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your Advance Directive - Answer a few simple questions, and we will do the rest
2. Send and share it - Go over your wishes with your healthcare agent(s) or get legal help
3. Sign it and make it legal - Mandatory or not, witnesses and notarization are a best practice

This method is, in many cases, much less expensive than meeting and hiring a traditional law firm. If needed, you can prepare this Advance Directive on behalf of a relative, and then help that person sign once you've drafted it. Please note that for an Advance Directive to be valid, the principal must be a mentally competent adult when they sign. If the principal has already been declared incompetent, a conservatorship generally will be necessary. In this scenario, it's important for you to work with an attorney.

Every person over 18 ought to have an Advance Healthcare Directive (both a Living Will and a Healthcare Power of Attorney). Even though it is challenging to acknowledge, a day will likely come when you are no longer able to make important decisions on your own. Here are some typical occasions where you might find it helpful to make or update your Advance Directive:

• You intend to live in an adult care facility
• You are managing a terminal condition
• You are aging or dealing with ongoing health issue
• You are planning for an upcoming surgery or period of hospitalization

Regardless of whether this Georgia Advance Directive is being drafted as part of a long-term plan or created in response to a recent change in your health, notarization and witnesses are highly recommended as a best practice for protecting your document if its authority is challenged by a third party. Note that Advance Directives in the form of a Living Will are not valid during pregnancy in Georgia.

Making an Advance Directive is generally straightforward; however, you may need advice. Finding an attorney to provide feedback on your document could take longer than you expect on your own. An alternate approach might be through the Rocket Lawyer On Call^® network. Rocket Lawyer members are able to request guidance from an experienced lawyer or ask additional questions. As always, you can live confidently with Rocket Lawyer by your side.

The fees associated with finding and hiring a traditional lawyer to write an Advance Directive might total anywhere from $200 to $1,000, depending on where you are located. Different from the other websites you may stumble upon, Rocket Lawyer offers more than an Advance Directive template. If you ever need help from a lawyer, your Premium membership provides up to 40% in savings when you hire an attorney from our network.

When you are done completing this customized Advance Directive using Rocket Lawyer, you'll have the ability to get to it in your account anytime and anywhere. With a Premium membership, you can edit, save it as a Word or PDF file, and sign it. Attached to your Georgia Advance Directive, there will be a series of tips to follow while finalizing the document. Your agent(s), care providers, and other impacted parties should get copies of the fully executed document.

The specific rules and restrictions governing Advance Directives will be different in each state; however, in Georgia, your Advance Directive needs to be signed by two witnesses. Witnesses cannot be anyone who is directly involved in your healthcare. Heirs and beneficiaries are excluded, as well. As a basic rule, witnesses must not be under the age of 18, and none should also be designated as your agent.

See legal references for an Advance Directive in Georgia: Title 31, Chapter 32