Plain-English guide · Updated for 2026 · No funeral-home referrals

Free New York Living Will2026 edition · Plain-English explainer

A living will (sometimes called a "declaration", "directive to physicians", or "advance directive") puts in writing the medical treatment you do — and don't — want if you are dying or permanently unconscious and can no longer tell doctors yourself.

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~3 minutes
Most people finish in one sitting
2 witnesses
Per N.Y. Pub. Health Law § 2980
Free PDF
Print, sign, and you're done

What a New York living will actually does

A living will (sometimes called a "declaration", "directive to physicians", or "advance directive") puts in writing the medical treatment you do — and don't — want if you are dying or permanently unconscious and can no longer tell doctors yourself.

Common decisions covered: CPR, ventilators, feeding tubes, dialysis, antibiotics for a terminal infection, and comfort care. You can be specific ("no ventilator longer than 14 days") or broad ("keep me comfortable, do not prolong dying").

In nearly every state the living will is bundled with the medical power of attorney into a single statutory advance directive form. Signing one document gets you both protections.

Governing statute
N.Y. Pub. Health Law § 2980
Official document name
Health Care Proxy
Witnesses
2 adult witnesses required.
  • Witnesses must be 18+
  • Witnesses cannot be your appointed agent
Notarisation
Not required.

New York separates the Health Care Proxy from the Living Will. Both are recommended.

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What's in a living will

Treatment preferences
Plain-English answers to questions like "if I'm permanently unconscious, do I want a feeding tube?" — captured in the form's wording your state recognises.
Comfort care directive
Authorises pain medication and palliative care even when curative treatment has been stopped.
Organ donation
Records whether you wish to donate organs and tissues at the time of death.
Religious or personal notes
Optional free-text section so your spiritual and cultural wishes are on the record alongside the medical instructions.

After you sign, where does your living will live?

The signed PDF in your filing cabinet does no good at 2 a.m. when your spouse is in an ER three states away. GuardianStep solves the "where is the document?" problem:

  • Encrypted vault — only you and the people you authorise can read it.
  • Print-ready PDF copy plus a typed summary so first-responders can act on it without scrolling.
  • Emergency-access QR code on a printable wallet card — scan it and the right paperwork loads on any phone.
  • Renewal reminders so your document doesn't sit unsigned in a drawer past your statute's review window.

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GuardianStep is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Information on this page is for general guidance — please review your specific situation with an attorney licensed in New York.