Lasting power of attorney for health, care and property (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
The German Federal Ministry of Justice publishes a free model of the Vorsorgevollmacht; this document is our own wording. You authorise someone you trust to act for you in health and care, on where you live, with authorities and in all financial matters once you can no longer do so yourself. It names medical decisions, detention and coercive measures expressly, as § 1820(2) of the German Civil Code (BGB) requires, and works towards third parties without conditions. In German, to print and sign by hand.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Principal
- Principal's date of birth
- Principal's address
- Agent
- Agent's date of birth
- Agent's address
- Dealings of the agent with themselves (§ 181 BGB)
- Effect of the power after death
- City
- Date
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Is there a free model of the lasting power of attorney in Germany?
- Yes. The German Federal Ministry of Justice offers a model free of charge, as does the Bavarian Ministry of Justice in its brochure on planning for accident, illness and old age. This document is our own wording: it names the measures § 1820(2) BGB requires to be named expressly, keeps the unconditional effect towards third parties apart from what you agree with your attorney, and lets you choose whether the power outlasts your death and whether the attorney may deal with themselves.
- When is a signature enough, and when should a German lasting power of attorney be certified?
- By law your handwritten signature on paper is usually enough, and for the medical and detention measures this written form is a condition (§ 1820(2) BGB). Banks and authorities accept a power more readily when the signature is publicly certified. The care authority (Betreuungsbehörde) of your district or city does this for €10 (§ 7 BtOG), but its certification only works until your death. A certification at the citizens' office is not a public certification and does not help with banks or the land registry. In Hesse the local Ortsgerichte certify too.
- When does a German lasting power of attorney need a notary?
- If the attorney is to buy, sell or mortgage land or a flat, the land registry requires at least a publicly certified power (§ 29 GBO); if it should also work after your death, use a notary, because the care authority's certification ends at death. For a consumer loan the power must contain the statutory loan details or be notarially recorded (§ 492(4) BGB). Disclaiming an inheritance (§ 1945(3) BGB) and filings with the commercial register (§ 12 HGB) also need a certified power. Banks often insist on their own forms.
- What does registering a German lasting power of attorney in the central register achieve?
- The Zentrales Vorsorgeregister of the Federal Chamber of Notaries records that your power exists, who the attorney is and where the original is kept. Since 1 October 2026 a copy of the document itself can also be deposited there; you cannot upload it yourself, but a notary, a lawyer, the care authority or a care association can. Guardianship courts check the register before appointing a carer, and doctors may consult it when an urgent treatment decision is due (§ 78b BNotO). Registration is voluntary; the one-off fee depends on how you apply and how many attorneys you name, and starts at €20.50. Your attorney still proves their authority with the original.
- Can't my spouse decide for me in Germany anyway?
- Only to a limited extent. Since 2023 one spouse may represent the other in health matters when the other is unconscious or unable to decide through illness — but for six months at most, and not for banking or general financial affairs (§ 1358 BGB). Children, unmarried partners and siblings have no such right. Anyone who wants to be represented fully needs a lasting power of attorney; otherwise the guardianship court appoints a carer. You can object to the spouses' emergency right in advance in the central register.
- How do I sign a German lasting power of attorney, and who keeps the original?
- Print the document and sign it by hand with place and date; an e-mail or a scan does not satisfy the written form required for the medical and detention measures (§ 1820(2) BGB). The attorney proves their authority with the original (§§ 172, 174 BGB), so hand it over now or keep it where they can reach it quickly in an emergency. After a revocation it must be returned (§ 175 BGB). To appoint several people, fill in a separate document for each.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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