Clear Money Guide
What this state guide covers
A quick view of the questions, practical details and source notes below.
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Updated August 3, 2026. Quick answer: Washington calls this instrument health care directive. To execute it you need 2 witnesses — and the state requires witnesses OR a notary — either one. Getting that conjunction wrong is the most common way a directive fails when it is needed. Note the scope as well as the conjunction: RCW 70.122.030 governs a directive about life-sustaining treatment in a terminal condition or permanent unconscious condition, not health care generally.
The execution box
| What the state calls it | health care directive |
|---|---|
| Witnesses required | 2 |
| Witnesses or notary? | witnesses OR a notary — either one |
| Also required | RCW 70.122.030(1) governs a directive directing the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in a terminal condition or permanent unconscious condition. That is the scope of the instrument this page describes; it is not a general grant of authority over your care. |
| Who may NOT witness | Persons related to the declarer by blood or marriage; persons entitled to any portion of the declarer’s estate upon death; the attending physician; an employee of the attending physician or health facility; any person with a claim against any portion of the declarer’s estate. |
| If you are in a care facility | No special rule found in the text we read |
| Authority | RCW 70.122.030 |
What the statute says
Any adult person may execute a directive directing the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in a terminal condition or permanent unconscious condition. The directive shall be signed by the declarer and acknowledged before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments or signed by the declarer in the presence of two witnesses not related to the declarer by blood or marriage and who would not be entitled to any portion of the estate of the declarer upon declarer’s decease under any will of the declarer or codicil thereto then existing or, at the time of the directive, by operation of law then existing.
— RCW 70.122.030 (RCW 70.122.030(1), quoted continuously and verbatim)
The form
The statute refers to a form, but we could not retrieve an official copy to link. Ask your state health department or check the statute itself — many states publish one free. We are not linking a commercial seller in its place.
Why the witness rules matter more than the wording
People spend their effort on what the directive says and almost none on how it is signed. A directive that expresses your wishes perfectly but was witnessed by someone the statute disqualifies may not be honoured. The disqualification lists exist because the people most likely to be in the room — family, the treating doctor, facility staff — are the people with an interest in the outcome.
Two practical consequences. Ask who is signing before the appointment, not during it. And if you are already in a hospital or care facility, check the facility rule row above — several states add a requirement that applies only to patients and residents, and it is the one nobody mentions.
This is the medical instrument, not the financial one
A financial power of attorney is a different document with different execution rules. Having one does not give anyone authority over your medical care, and having this one gives nobody authority over your money. Most people need both, and they are executed separately.
What could not be verified
None.
Related: all states compared · living will versus healthcare proxy · what it costs.
General information drawn from state statutes and official state materials, not legal or medical advice. Advance-directive law is STATE law and the execution requirements differ in ways that decide whether a document works: some states require witnesses AND a notary, some accept either, and the list of people who may not witness varies. A directive executed the wrong way may not be honoured when it matters. Many states publish a free official form – you should not have to buy one.