Make your Free New Mexico Advance Directive

A New Mexico Advance Directive is a legal document that lays out your preferences with regard to health care, such as your refusal or acceptance of certain medical treatments, and/or the selection of a chosen healthcare agent.

The individual making an Advance Directive is called the "principal," and the individual or organization gaining authority to carry out the principal's wishes is known as the "agent." Suited for residents of New Mexico, this free Advance Directive can be used in Dona Ana County, Santa Fe County, Bernalillo County, and in all other counties and municipalities across the state. Any New Mexico Advance Directive from Rocket Lawyer can be personalized for your specific circumstances. This legal document will provide verification of your preferences to healthcare providers, and it will confirm that your selected agent has been authorized to make choices for you.

It's simple and easy to set forth your medical wishes with a free New Mexico Advance Directive template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make the document - Provide a few simple details, and we will do the rest
2. Send or share - Look over the document with your healthcare agent(s) or seek legal advice
3. Sign it - Mandatory or not, witnesses and notarization are recommended

This method, in most cases, would be notably more affordable and convenient than hiring a traditional provider. If necessary, you can prepare an Advance Directive on behalf of your spouse, an elderly parent, or another relative, and then have them sign when ready. Keep in mind that for this document to be legally valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent at the time of signing. If the principal has already been declared legally incompetent, a conservatorship might be necessary. When facing such a scenario, it would be best to speak to an attorney.

Every person over 18 ought to have an Advance Healthcare Directive (both a Living Will and a Healthcare Power of Attorney). While it is challenging to acknowledge, a time may come when you can no longer make your own medical decisions. Here are some typical situations in which it can be useful to make or update your Advance Directive:

• You are getting older or have declining health
• You live in or have plans to move into an adult care facility
• You are facing the possibility of medical procedure or period of hospitalization
• You have been diagnosed with a terminal condition

Whether this New Mexico Advance Directive is being created in response to a change in your health or as part of a long-term plan, witnesses and notarization can often help to protect your document if anyone challenges its credibility.

Making an Advance Directive is normally straightforward, but you may have legal questions. Depending on whom you contact, some attorneys won't even accept requests to review documents that they did not author. An easier approach might be through the On Call attorney network. If you sign up for a Premium membership, you can request advice from an On Call attorney with relevant experience or get answers to other questions related to your Advance Directive. Rocket Lawyer is here for you.

The cost of working with your average legal provider to write an Advance Directive might add up to anywhere from two hundred to one thousand dollars, depending on where you are. Different from many other websites that you might come across, Rocket Lawyer offers much more than an Advance Directive template. If you ever require help from a lawyer, your membership provides up to a 40% discount when you hire an attorney from our On Call network.

Once you've made a customized Advance Directive with Rocket Lawyer, you can retrieve it anytime and anywhere. With a Premium membership, you may make edits, print it out, or sign it. Your New Mexico Advance Directive has a list of next steps you should take once the document is finished. You should ensure that your agent(s) and care providers get their copy of your fully executed document.

The specific requirements for Advance Directives will vary in each state; however, in New Mexico, neither witnesses nor notarization are legally required. That said, both are recommended to help reinforce the legitimacy of your document. As a general principle, your witnesses should be at least 18 years old, and none should simultaneously be named as your agent.

Legal references for an Advance Directive in New Mexico: Section 24-7A-2