Signing guide · Lasting Power of Attorney
How to sign your Health and Welfare LPA
Your LPA has to be signed by several people, in a set order. Get the order wrong and the Office of the Public Guardian will send it back. This guide takes you through it, one signature at a time.
Who’s who
The people who sign your LPA
Everyone must be aged 18 or over. Here’s what each person does.
You (the donor)
The person making the LPA. You always sign first.
Your witness
Watches you sign, then signs too. Must not be one of your attorneys or replacement attorneys. Your certificate provider can do this.
Certificate provider
Confirms you understand the LPA and aren’t under pressure. Signs after you and before your attorneys.
Attorneys
The people you’ve chosen to make decisions for you. Each signs their own page, last.
Replacement attorneys
Step in if an attorney can’t act. They sign in the same way as your attorneys.
Attorneys’ witnesses
Watch an attorney sign, then sign too. Can be another attorney or your certificate provider, but never you.
Step by step
Signing in the right order
Follow these steps in this exact order. Everyone can sign on the same day, or on different days, as long as the order is right.
Write the real date, every time.
Each person dates their own signature with the day they actually sign. The dates must show the order below. Never change a date to make the order look right.
- You + your witness · Section 5, page 6
Choose life-sustaining treatment
Sign either Option A or Option B, never both, in front of your witness. Option A lets your attorneys make decisions about life-sustaining treatment. Option B leaves those decisions to your doctors. Sign the option you chose with your adviser.
Write the date, then your witness signs straight away and adds their full name and address.
- You · only if your pack has them
Sign any continuation sheets
If your pack includes continuation sheets (for extra attorneys, or extra instructions), sign and date them now, before Section 9. Most people won’t have any.
- You + your witness · Section 9, page 10
You sign Section 9
Sign and date Section 9 while your witness watches. Your witness then signs straight away and writes their full name and address.
Your witness must not be one of your attorneys or replacement attorneys. Your certificate provider can be your witness.
- Certificate provider · Section 10, page 11
Your certificate provider signs Section 10
Only after you’ve signed Section 9. Your certificate provider reads Sections 8 and 10, then signs and dates Section 10 to confirm you understand the LPA and nobody is pressuring you. Their signature doesn’t need a witness.
- Each attorney + a witness · Section 11, pages 12–15
Each attorney signs Section 11
Only after Section 10 is signed. Every attorney and replacement attorney signs their own Section 11 page in front of a witness, who then signs and adds their full name and address.
You can’t witness your attorneys’ signatures. Another attorney, or your certificate provider, can. Attorneys can sign on different days and in different places, as long as Section 10 was signed first.
- Whoever is registering · Section 15
Sign Section 15 to register
Only after every attorney has signed Section 11. The person applying to register the LPA (usually you) signs and dates Section 15. We’ll have marked where you need to sign.
- You
Send everything back to us
Return the whole LPA, with every page, by Royal Mail Tracked 48 (or another tracked service). Don’t remove or staple any pages. If we left your attorneys’ pages with you to pass on, wait until they’re all signed and send them back together.
We send your LPA to the Office of the Public Guardian within a week of having every signed page back.
Avoid these
Why LPAs get sent back
If the Office of the Public Guardian finds a mistake, parts of the LPA may need signing again, which adds weeks.
Signing out of order
The most common reason LPAs are rejected. Donor first, then certificate provider, then attorneys. The dates must show that order.
Changing the dates
Always write the real date you sign. Never date a page ahead, or back, to make the order look right.
An attorney witnessing you
Your attorneys and replacement attorneys can’t witness your signature. Ask your certificate provider or another adult instead.
You witnessing an attorney
You can’t witness any of your attorneys’ signatures, even if you’re in the room.
Section 5 left blank, or both options signed
Sign exactly one of Option A or Option B, before you sign Section 9, and have it witnessed.
Correction fluid or crossings-out
Don’t alter anything yourself. Call us first and we’ll tell you how to put it right.
Can everyone sign on the same day?
Yes, and it’s often easiest. Just make sure everyone signs in the right order: you, then your certificate provider, then your attorneys.
Can one person witness everyone?
Often, yes. For example, your certificate provider can witness your signature and then your attorneys’ signatures. The only rules are that an attorney can’t witness you, and you can’t witness an attorney.
Who can be my certificate provider?
Someone aged 18 or over who has known you well for at least two years, or a professional such as a doctor or solicitor. They can’t be your family or your attorneys’ family (including in-laws), your partner or an attorney’s partner, one of your attorneys, a business partner or employee of you or an attorney, or anyone who runs or works at your care home.
What if an attorney lives far away?
That’s fine. They can sign their Section 11 page wherever they are, in front of their own witness, as long as your certificate provider has already signed. Call us if they live abroad.
I’m making both LPAs. Do I sign twice?
Yes. Each LPA is a separate document, so follow this guide for your health and welfare LPA, then follow the Property and Financial Affairs guide for the other one.
What if I can’t sign my name?
Please don’t sign anything. Call us. You can sign with a mark, or someone can sign for you, but there are extra steps and witnesses, so we’ll walk you through it.
What happens after you send it off?
The Office of the Public Guardian registers your LPA and sends it back. It can only be used once it’s registered. With Legacy Connect, we keep it safe and you can see a copy in your vault.
Not sure about anything? Ask us first.
It’s far quicker to check before anyone signs than to get an LPA back from the Office of the Public Guardian.