Can I decide my healthcare in advance?
Yes: any capable adult can make a living will (advance directive), free and revocable. The basis is Law 25/2012. The Advance Healthcare Directive lets you decide, in writing, which care you want or refuse if you become unable to express yourself. You must be an adult, capable and resident; it's filled in on an official form and registered in RENTEV (in person at a desk or with a notarised signature by post). It lasts 5 years, renewable indefinitely, and you can revoke it at any time. You can also name one or two healthcare proxies, whose decision prevails in case of conflict. It's free and viewable via SNS 24. In short: yes, it's a right.
📋 The rules
- Adult, capable and resident; on an official form
- Registered in RENTEV (desk or notarised signature)
- Lasts 5 years, renewable indefinitely
- Revocable at any time
- You can name a healthcare proxy
🔓 Exceptions
- A doctor may disregard an outdated, unsuitable or illegal directive
- It can't demand euthanasia (separate regime)
- A professional's conscientious objection is recorded, but the directive is honoured by another
⚠️ Penalties & fines
There's no "fine" or cost — the whole RENTEV process is free (€0) and Law 25/2012 has no penalty regime for the citizen. The only possible, and avoidable, cost is notarising the signature (about €15 to €20), waived if you sign in person at a desk. Beware a myth: a living will isn't for life — it expires after 5 years if not renewed. And don't confuse it with Brazil: there the "advance directive" rests only on a medical-council resolution (no law, no state registry); Portugal has its own law and a registry (RENTEV). To make yours: fill in the official form, register in RENTEV, consider naming a proxy and renew before 5 years.
📎 Official sources
- ePortugal — registering a living will →
- Law 25/2012 — advance healthcare directives →
- SNS 24 — living will →
❓ Frequently asked
What is a living will?
It's the Advance Healthcare Directive, a document in which, being an adult and capable, you decide in writing which care you want or refuse, in case you later become unable to express yourself. It also lets you name a healthcare proxy to decide on your behalf, and is registered in RENTEV.
How much does a living will cost?
It's free. Both filling in the official form and registering it in RENTEV have no cost. The only possible cost is notarising the signature, if you choose to send the document by post rather than signing it in person at a RENTEV desk, but that step is avoidable.
How long is it valid?
A living will is valid for five years from signing, renewable indefinitely. Each change resets the period. The services warn you as expiry approaches, but you should stay alert, because if it isn't renewed, it lapses. It's a myth to think it's a lifetime document.
Can I change my mind later?
Yes. A living will is freely revocable or modifiable at any time, with no need to justify. You just express that wish under the legal terms. So even after registering it, you always keep control over the decisions about your future healthcare.
Can I name someone to decide for me?
Yes. You can name one or two healthcare proxies, to whom you grant powers to decide on your care if you become incapable. In case of conflict between the proxy's decision and the written text of the directive, the proxy's decision generally prevails, within the limits of the law.
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