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A Virginia medical power of attorney is a written document that lets you name an agent to make health care decisions for you if you cannot make them yourself. Virginia law calls it an advance directive.[1] You can create the form online with FormsPal or download the PDF, then follow the signing rules and the part-by-part steps below.
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Looking for another document? See our Virginia power of attorney templates, or read about the medical power of attorney form in general.
Virginia sets the signing rules for a medical power of attorney in one section of its code. The section covers the points that matter to you as the declarant, the person who makes the directive. They include who may make a written directive, how it is signed, what it may let your agent do, when an oral directive is allowed, and who tells the attending physician.[1]
A written advance directive shall be signed by the declarant in the presence of two subscribing witnesses and may specify the health care the declarant does or does not authorize.
In plain words, a written directive needs your signature and two witnesses who are there when you sign. If you are an adult capable of making an informed decision, you may make a written advance directive at any time.[1]
Your advance directive may authorize your agent to take any lawful actions needed to carry out your decisions, including releasing your medical records.[1]
Virginia’s suggested advance directive form, in Va. Code § 54.1-2984, has a line for a successor agent. The successor serves if your primary agent is not reasonably available or is unable or unwilling to act.[2]
The code also allows an oral directive in one situation. An adult capable of making an informed decision who has been diagnosed by the attending physician as being in a terminal condition may make an oral advance directive.
An oral advance directive must be made in the presence of the attending physician and two witnesses.[1]
It is the responsibility of the declarant, which means you, to provide for notification to your attending physician that an advance directive has been made.[1]
| Document Name | Virginia Medical Power of Attorney Form |
| State Form Name | Virginia Advance Medical Directive |
| State Laws | Virginia Code, Title 54.1, Chapter 29, Article 8, including § 54.1-2983[1] |
| Signing Requirements | Signature of the declarant and two subscribing witnesses[1] |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 8 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 29 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
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The FormsPal Virginia medical power of attorney template is an advance directive form with six parts to complete. They run in this order: the agent, the alternate agent, your signature, the notary acknowledgment, the officer's seal line and the two witness blocks. Fill it out on screen with the online PDF editor or print it and write by hand.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Virginia medical power of attorney template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Once the form is filled out, check every entry, sign your advance directive with your witnesses present and tell your attending physician. Then store the original where your agent can find it when healthcare decisions come up. These steps are the process around the form, so they do not follow its pages.
You can download the Virginia medical power of attorney as a PDF or create the healthcare document online with FormsPal and print it. The advance directive template has the parts described in the steps above: the agent and alternate agent, your signature, the notary acknowledgment and two witness blocks.
These short answers cover the witness, oral directive and physician notice rules for a Virginia medical power of attorney. Each answer comes from the Virginia advance directive law listed in the Sources section.
Yes, a written advance directive does. It must be signed by the declarant in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.[1]
In one case, yes. An adult capable of making an informed decision who has been diagnosed by the attending physician as being in a terminal condition may make an oral advance directive. It must be made in the presence of the attending physician and two witnesses.[1]
In Virginia, it is the responsibility of the declarant to provide for notification to the attending physician that an advance directive has been made.[1]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Virginia law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.