An Alaska living will is a legal document that allows you to outline your preferences for medical treatment if you cannot make decisions for yourself. This is part of what is known as an advance directive. The main purpose of a living will is to give instructions about life-sustaining treatment if you become terminally ill or enter a persistent vegetative state.
Last Updated: September 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Alaska law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
You can state whether you want treatments that prolong life, such as mechanical ventilation, feeding tubes, or resuscitation. This applies if you are in a condition with no expected recovery. You can also include desires for pain relief and other palliative care.
The Alaska living will form comes with a durable power of attorney for health care. This document lets you name an agent to make health care decisions for you if you cannot make them yourself.
Alaska Stat. § 13.52.300 sets the signing rules for your living will, also called an advance health care directive. You must sign it, or acknowledge your signature, in front of two qualified adult witnesses who are present and personally know you. You can also have your signature acknowledged before a notary public in Alaska instead. You must date the declaration when you sign it.[2]
Your witnesses to the declaration must not be:
The durable power of attorney for health care that comes with your directive has its own signing rules under Alaska Stat. § 13.52.010. You must sign it as the principal. Two people who personally know you must witness your signature, or acknowledge that it is yours. A notary public in Alaska can acknowledge it instead.[1.1]
At least one witness must not be related to you by blood, marriage, or adoption, or entitled to a share of your estate. No witness may be a health care provider, an employee at the facility treating you, or the agent you name.[1.1]
In practice, once you have signed and witnessed your directive, health care providers who have a copy of it generally follow its instructions.
A health care provider or insurer cannot make you sign a health care directive to get or keep health coverage. They also cannot require you to get a do not resuscitate order or carry do not resuscitate identification.[1.3]
Your primary physician decides whether you have a qualifying condition, such as permanent unconsciousness or a terminal illness. A second physician must also weigh in when one is available. A determination of permanent unconsciousness must be made in consultation with a neurologist. The physician who makes either determination must document the grounds for it in your medical record.[1.4]
If your directive allows it, your agent or a surrogate may agree to your admission to a mental health facility. That admission cannot exceed 17 days.[1.2] A copy of your signed and witnessed directive has the same legal effect as the original.[2]
| Document Name | Alaska Living Will Form |
| State Form Name | Alaska Advance Health Care Directive |
| Signing Requirements | Two Witnesses or Notary Public |
| Validity Requirements | Alaska Stat. §§ 13.52.010 (health care POA) and 13.52.300 (directive) |
| Powers Limitation | Not specified in general statute; can be outlined in the document |
| State Laws: Alaska Statutes, Title 13, Chapter 52 | |
Your Alaska living will and the durable power of attorney for health care work as one package. Filling out both gives your agent clear written instructions to follow and the legal authority to act on them.
Filling out the Alaska Advance Health Care Directive lets you name a person to make medical decisions for you and state your health care wishes. Below are the steps to fill out this form correctly.
Before you start, gather:
1. Declaration - Your Name and the Date
On page 2, print your name and enter the date you are completing the declaration.
2. Health Care Instructions
On page 2, initial the treatments you want withheld if you cannot make your own decisions, such as artificial nutrition or resuscitation.
3. End-of-Life Care Conditions
On pages 2 and 3, initial the conditions, such as a terminal condition or permanent unconsciousness, under which your instructions should apply.
4. Additional Instructions
Page 3 gives you space to add any other health care wishes the printed choices do not cover. This section is optional.
5. Medical Power of Attorney - Name Your Agent
On page 3, name the health care agent you want to make medical decisions for you, along with their address and phone number.
6. Name a Substitute Agent
Page 4 lets you name one substitute agent who can act if your first choice is unable or unwilling to serve.
7. Agent's Powers and Conservator Nomination
Pages 4 through 7 let you set when your agent's power begins and list any limits on it. You can also name your agent as your conservator if a court ever needs to appoint one.
8. Sign and Date
On page 8, sign and date the declaration yourself.
9. Witness Acknowledgment and Signatures
Have your two witnesses complete the acknowledgment on page 8 and sign in your presence.
An Alaska living will, also called an advance health care directive, is a written document that states your medical treatment wishes if you cannot make decisions for yourself. Alaska Stat. § 13.52.300 lets you pair it with a durable power of attorney for health care, so one document names your agent and records your treatment instructions.[2] FormsPal's version follows this same structure in a simpler, ready-to-sign format.
Yes. Alaska Stat. § 13.52.300 offers one statutory form for this. It combines a durable power of attorney for health care with your treatment instructions. The statutory form covers five parts of your health care and estate wishes.[2]
You may use this option, write your own directive, or use a simplified version like the one FormsPal provides. Any version you use must meet the requirements of Alaska Statutes Title 13, Chapter 52.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the Alaska Statutes.
