Advance Care Directive Online: Step Guide

Making your healthcare wishes legally binding has never been more accessible than in 2025, thanks to innovative digital platforms and streamlined online processes.

Creating an Advance Care Directive (ACD) is one of the most important documents you'll ever complete, yet many Australians postpone this crucial step. With digital platforms now offering intuitive, legally compliant solutions, completing your ACD online has become remarkably straightforward. This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of the process, ensuring your healthcare wishes are properly documented and legally protected.

Understanding Advance Care Directives in 2025

An Advance Care Directive is a legal document that outlines your preferences for future healthcare when you cannot make decisions yourself . In 2025, these directives have evolved beyond simple paper forms to encompass comprehensive digital solutions that integrate with healthcare systems and emergency services.

The directive serves multiple purposes: it formally records your healthcare preferences, appoints substitute decision-makers you trust, and provides clear guidance to healthcare professionals during critical moments . Most importantly, when properly completed, healthcare professionals must follow your legally binding instructions—they cannot be overruled, even if others disagree with your choices .

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Why Create Your ACD Online?

Accessibility and Convenience: Online platforms allow you to complete your ACD at your own pace, from anywhere, at any time. Unlike traditional paper-based methods, digital solutions provide interactive guidance that adapts to your specific circumstances and state requirements .

Instant Emergency Access: Modern digital ACDs offer revolutionary emergency access features. Platforms like Evaheld provide QR emergency cards that first responders can scan to access your latest directives within six seconds, significantly improving emergency care alignment with your wishes .

Step 1: Choose Your State-Specific Platform

Understanding State Variations: Australia's federal system means each state and territory has different ACD requirements, forms, and legal frameworks . What's legally binding in Queensland may not be recognised the same way in Victoria, making it crucial to use the correct state-specific approach.

Official Government Platforms:

South Australia leads with its comprehensive online system, offering three completion methods: by hand, electronically then print, or fully online with digital signatures for substitute decision-makers . The SA Health platform includes step-by-step guidance, example statements, and comprehensive support materials.

Queensland provides both online and downloadable PDF options through its advance health directive system, with specific capacity assessment requirements and mandatory doctor and witness signatures .

Innovative Third-Party Solutions:

Evaheld has emerged as Australia's most comprehensive digital legacy and advance care planning platform, offering an intuitive digital ACD creation process that guides users through Australia's complex legal requirements . The platform provides state-specific compliance while adding innovative features like emergency QR cards and integrated family communication tools.

Step 2: Prepare Your Essential Information

Personal Details: Gather your full legal name, address, date of birth, and Medicare number. Ensure all information matches your official identification documents.

Medical History Summary: Compile current medical conditions, medications, allergies, and any specific treatments you're receiving. This context helps healthcare providers understand your directive decisions .

Values and Beliefs Documentation: Reflect on what matters most to you: pain management preferences, quality of life priorities, religious or cultural considerations, and family involvement preferences. These values guide specific treatment decisions .

Emergency Contacts: Prepare a comprehensive list of family members, close friends, healthcare providers, and legal representatives who should be notified in medical emergencies.

Step 3: Select and Brief Your Substitute Decision-Makers

Primary Decision-Maker Selection: Choose someone who is over 18, trustworthy, emotionally capable of making difficult decisions, and genuinely understands your values . Ask yourself: "Am I confident this person will make decisions based on what I would want?" .

Alternate Decision-Makers: Appoint at least one alternate who can step in if your primary decision-maker is unavailable. Some states allow up to four substitute decision-makers, with South Australia providing additional forms for appointing more than four .

Essential Conversations: Before appointing anyone, have detailed conversations about your values, preferences, and specific wishes. Your substitute decision-makers must understand not just what you want, but why those preferences matter to you.

Step 4: Complete the Online Form

Capacity Verification: All platforms require confirmation that you have decision-making capacity, meaning you understand the information, can retain it long enough to decide, can weigh pros and cons, and can communicate your decisions .

Treatment Preferences Section:

Life-sustaining treatments: Clearly specify preferences for CPR, mechanical ventilation, feeding tubes, and dialysis

Pain and comfort care: Detail your priorities for pain management versus alertness

Specific medical scenarios: Address preferences for dementia care, terminal illness, and permanent unconsciousness

Quality of life factors: Describe what constitutes acceptable versus unacceptable quality of life for you

Values and Goals Documentation: Express your personal values, cultural or religious considerations, and life goals. These guide decision-makers when facing situations not specifically covered in your directive .

Substitute Decision-Maker Appointments: Formally appoint your chosen decision-makers, including their full contact details and relationship to you.

Step 5: Review and Legal Compliance

Medical Consultation: While not always legally required, consulting with your doctor strengthens your ACD. Healthcare providers can explain potential medical scenarios, discuss treatment implications, and verify that your choices align with good medical practice .

Witnessing Requirements: Each state has specific witnessing requirements. Queensland requires signing before a justice of the peace, commissioner for declarations, notary public, or lawyer . Other states may have different requirements—check your state-specific guidelines carefully.

Digital Signatures: Advanced platforms like Evaheld enable digital signatures that meet legal requirements, streamlining the completion process while maintaining legal validity .

Step 6: Secure Storage and Distribution

My Health Record Integration: Upload your completed ACD to your My Health Record, ensuring it's available to treating doctors nationwide .

Family and Provider Notification: Distribute copies to your substitute decision-makers, family members, GP, specialists, local hospital, and ambulance service. Consider creating a master contact list to ensure consistent distribution of updates .

Emergency Access Setup: If using platforms like Evaheld, print your QR emergency card and carry it in your wallet. This ensures first responders can access your directives immediately during emergencies .

Safe Physical Storage: Keep your original ACD in a secure, accessible location. Inform trusted family members where to find it, and consider storing copies with your lawyer or financial advisor.

Step 7: Regular Reviews and Updates

Scheduled Reviews: Review your ACD at least every two years, or whenever your health, family situation, or preferences change significantly . Major life events—marriage, divorce, births, deaths, new diagnoses—all warrant immediate review.

Version Control: When updating your ACD, ensure all previous versions are replaced. Digital platforms excel at version control, automatically notifying all relevant parties of updates and maintaining historical records for legal purposes.

Ongoing Family Communication: Use your ACD creation as an opportunity for ongoing family discussions about values, preferences, and wishes. Regular conversations help ensure everyone understands your evolving preferences.

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Addressing Common Challenges

Interstate Recognition: If you move between states or travel frequently, understand that documents aren't automatically recognised across borders . Consider completing ACDs in states where you spend significant time, or choose platforms that provide multi-state compliance guidance.

Family Disagreements: ACDs reduce family conflict by providing clear guidance, but preparation helps. Include family members in your decision-making process and clearly document your reasoning for specific choices.

Technology Concerns: Modern platforms prioritise user-friendly interfaces and provide phone and email support. Many offer hybrid approaches—complete online with the option to print hard copies for your records.

The Future of Digital Advance Care Planning

AI-Assisted Guidance: Platforms are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence to help users navigate complex scenarios and ensure comprehensive coverage of potential medical situations.

Healthcare System Integration: Digital ACDs are becoming more deeply integrated with hospital systems, ambulance services, and GP practices, ensuring smoother emergency access to your wishes.

Continuous Engagement: Modern platforms facilitate ongoing family conversations through secure messaging systems and regular prompts to review and update preferences.

Creating an Advance Care Directive online represents a significant step toward ensuring your healthcare wishes are respected and legally protected. By leveraging digital platforms, you gain access to comprehensive guidance, emergency access features, and streamlined legal compliance that makes this crucial planning more accessible than ever before.

The investment of a few hours today provides peace of mind for decades to come, ensuring your voice is heard even when you cannot speak for yourself. Whether you choose government platforms or innovative solutions like Evaheld, the key is taking that first step toward securing your healthcare autonomy and protecting your family from difficult decision-making during already challenging times.

Ready to start? Visit your state health department website or explore comprehensive platforms like Evaheld to begin creating your legally binding Advance Care Directive today. Your future self—and your loved ones—will thank you for taking this important step.

Future-Proof Your Family’s Story with the Evaheld Legacy Vault

Imagine a single, permanent home for your life's most precious layers: the laughter in your stories, the wisdom in your wishes, and the clarity of your care plans. The Evaheld Legacy Vault is that home—a guaranteed sanctuary for your legacy, designed to outlive the digital noise and ensure your voice is heard for generations.

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Your All-in-One Legacy Solution

Preserve a Rich, Living History: Build a first-person narrative with video messages, audio recordings, legacy letters, and recipes—a digital heirloom where your wisdom and memories are kept safe and searchable.
Co-Create in Family Rooms: Spark conversations and gather memories together in shared, collaborative spaces. It’s a living scrapbook that grows with every contribution from your family.
Simplify Every Step with Charli, Your AI Legacy Preservation Assistant: From onboarding and inviting family to sending content requests and articulating your stories, Charli provides proactive guidance throughout your entire legacy-building journey—ensuring nothing is forgotten while keeping the process effortless.
Honour Your Care Wishes: Complete your legally valid Digital Advance Care Directive with our intuitive tool. Grant loved ones and clinicians instant, secure access, ending frantic document searches for good.
Grant Emergency Access in Seconds: Share or print your unique QR Emergency Access Card. A single scan gives first responders immediate access to your directives, enabling faster, better-aligned care when every second counts.
Safeguard Every Essential Document: Consolidate your will, power of attorney, superannuation details, and more in one bank-grade encrypted vault. Your family will always find what they need, securely.

How to Secure Your Legacy in Minutes

Start Your Free Vault: Claim your personal, secure space in under a minute. No cost, no commitment.
Add Your People & Open Rooms: Invite family to shared Rooms to begin co-creating your story and sending content requests.
Build Your Legacy: Use your built-in AI assistant to help capture memories and refine your messages. Upload documents and record your care wishes. Your voice, preserved forever.

Why Thousands Are Choosing Evaheld

By starting your free Evaheld Legacy Vault, you gain:

A Living Time Capsule — preserve your family’s identity, values, and care choices in one lasting digital home.
With Charli, Your AI Assistant, Preserving Your Story is Effortless
Ease & Organisation — everything important, easily shared and always up to date.
Peace of Mind for All Generations — loved ones know exactly what you wish, and where to find it.
Free to Begin, Forever to Keep — create your vault now and secure lifetime access

Watch our Cofounder's Story to learn why we’re so passionate about Legacy Preservation and Advance Care Planning

The Best 3 Resources to Get Started

Start Your Vault — It’s Free and Forever Yours

Building your Evaheld Legacy Vault takes minutes — and protects your stories, care plans, and family legacy for generations. Give your loved ones the greatest gift of all: peace of mind that never expires.

Create your free Evaheld Legacy Vault today — safeguard your memories, protect your wishes, and keep your story alive forever.

Our Promise: No One Left Behind

Evaheld’s “Connection Is All We Have” Hardship Policy ensures that financial barriers never silence a story. If you or someone you love needs assistance, we’ll help you secure your vault — because every life, every voice, and every legacy deserves to be remembered, honoured, and preserved.

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Step-by-Step: Creating an Advance Care Directive Online