Record your choices in the Northern Territory

Record your wishes and preferences

In the Northern Territory, an Advance Personal Plan is a legal document that lets a person with decision-making capacity record future health and personal care wishes. This includes future medical treatments you would accept or refuse and is legally binding. This document also includes choices for financial, cultural and lifestyle matters. It’ll only take effect if you lose the ability to make or communicate decisions.

Learn more about expressing your values and preferences or making specific instructions.

Appoint a substitute decision-maker

In the Northern Territory, you can appoint a trusted person to be your decision-maker. They can consent to or refuse treatment on your behalf or to make decisions about your care or financial matters. You record this appointment in your Advance Personal Plan.

You may appoint one or more adults to this role, and you can appoint separate decision-makers for different purposes including care and health or financial matters. You may appoint a person who is under 18 to become your decision-maker when they turn 18.

For more information about substitute decision-makers, read about choosing someone to speak for you.

Storing and sharing your documents

In the Northern Territory, you can register your plan for free with the Public Guardian and Trustee to ensure there’s a record of your plan.

To do this, fill in the Application to register an advance personal plan [DOCX 50 KB] and provide the original document to the Public Guardian and Trustee. They'll scan and stamp the original document to show that it's registered with the Public Trustee, then return the original plan to you. Registration of the plan is a free service.

If your plan includes a person who can make decisions about land you own, you must register the original with the Land Titles office. This must happen before that person can action decisions about your property. You’ll also need to pay a fee for the registration of the Advance Personal Plan.

Read our general recommendations about storing and sharing your documents.

Making changes to documents

In the Northern Territory, you can change the Advance Personal Plan by writing on the document and having it witnessed, or by creating a new one.

Multiple Advance Personal Plans can exist, but when there are inconsistencies the most recent plan will apply. It ends if you cancel it, it expires on the included expiry date, or you die.

Learn more about making changes to documents.