Vorsorgevollmacht

With a health care proxy, you can transfer the management of some or all of your affairs to another person in the event that you lose the ability to make decisions yourself.

With a power of attorney, you can make provisions in the event that you are no longer able to manage your own affairs, for example as a result of an accident or illness. Your relatives cannot automatically represent you legally in this situation.
A power of attorney for advance care gives you a high degree of self-determination. You nominate one or more people you trust who are prepared to act on your behalf if necessary. In the power of attorney, you can specify in detail which areas of responsibility it applies to and what powers the authorized representative should have. If there is an effective and sufficient power of attorney, the care court may not order legal care for you in its area of regulation.
Lasting powers of attorney can be registered with the Central Register of Lasting Powers of Attorney of the Federal Chamber of Notaries for a small fee.

Please note:
For reasons of clarity and probative value, it is advisable to draw up the power of attorney in writing. In some cases, e.g. if the authorized representative is to be able to conclude certain legal transactions (e.g. a consumer loan agreement), notarization may be required.
It is advisable to involve the desired authorized representative(s) when drafting the power of attorney.

Costs (registration fees) are incurred in the event of registration in the register of advance provisions. Detailed information on this can be obtained from the Federal Chamber of Notaries.

Further information can also be found on the websites of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV), the state government of Schleswig-Holstein and the German Medical Association.

To the Federal Chamber of Notaries - Central Register of Lasting Powers of Attorney (for the registration of the Lasting Power of Attorney).