Advance Personal Plan

An Advance Personal Plan is a legal document that you can use to plan for what happens if you can't make decisions for yourself, for example if you have an accident or become unwell.

Advance personal planning replaces enduring power of attorney in the Northern Territory (NT). It does not replace your will and only applies while you are still alive.

Make a plan

If you change your mind about your plan and are able to make decisions, you can create a new plan at any time.

It is your choice what you include in your plan, you can record:

  • an advance care statement, this will help other people make decisions for you based on your views, wishes and beliefs
  • an advance consent decision, a decision about your future care
  • a decision maker, to make decisions for you.

It can include decisions about:

  • your health care, including mental health care
  • lifestyle needs such as:
    • living arrangements
    • diet
    • entertainment
    • clothing
  • property or other finance matters.

You can include as much detail as you like. For instance, you may wish to only appoint a trusted decision-maker and not make any specific statements about your future health care or lifestyle needs.

You can appoint a trusted person to be your decision-maker.

This can be any of the following:

  • your spouse or partner
  • a relative or friend
    • if they are under 18 when you appoint them, they won't be able to make decisions for you until they turn 18
  • the Public Guardian
  • the Public Trustee.

You can appoint separate decision-makers for different purposes, for example you could appoint one decision maker for financial matters and another decision maker for all other matters.

To make an Advance Personal Plan follow the steps below.

Step 1. Fill in the form

Fill in the Advance Personal Plan form or call the Public Guardian and Trustee to have a copy posted to you.

Advance Personal Plan form PDF (153.8 KB)
Advance Personal Plan form DOCX (77.9 KB)

To help you fill in your Advance Personal Plan you can talk to:

  • anyone you want to be a decision maker about your views, wishes and beliefs
  • your family about what your plan says
  • your doctor or other treating health professional for medical advice.

Step 2. Get your plan witnessed

Get your plan witnessed by one of the following:

Step 3. Register your plan

Land Titles Office

If your plan includes a person who can make decisions about land you own, you must register the original with the Land Titles office and pay a fee.

Public Guardian and Trustee

You can register your plan at no cost with the Public Guardian and Trustee.

Fill in the application to register an advance personal plan form below.

Application to register an advance personal plan PDF (98.0 KB)
Application to register an advance personal plan DOCX (50.0 KB)

To register your plan, you must provide the original to the Public Guardian and Trustee.

Step 4. Update your health record

If your plan includes health care, you should:

  • provide a copy to relevant health professionals
  • upload a copy to your My health record.

If you don’t have a My Health record, you can register:

Step 5. Store your plan safely

Store your plan somewhere safe, such as with your will, and give a certified copy to:

  • anyone named as decision-maker
  • family
  • friends
  • carer.

Sharing your plan means others are aware of your plan in situations when you aren't able to tell them. Consider putting a notification card in your purse or wallet.

Step 6. When to update your plan

You should consider making a new plan if:

  • things change in your life
  • a person you previously appointed as a decision maker stops being a decision maker for you
  • your plans for the future change, for example if you make changes to your will.

More information

For general information about planning for your future health care, visit  Advance Care Planning Australia.

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