Pennsylvania: your 18-year-old’s paperwork

What this covers: how a Pennsylvania student signs the four Covered18 documents (health care directive, financial power of attorney, HIPAA release, FERPA consent) and what to do afterward. It does not say which choices are right for your family.

0. Before you start

• Age: Health care POA: 18 or older, or a high school graduate, married or emancipated (20 Pa.C.S. §5452(a)). The general statute 1 Pa.C.S. §1991 says "adult" is 21 unless context indicates otherwise; Title 20 controls these documents but flag for counsel. Sign on or after the 18th birthday.
• Talk with the person you plan to name (and a backup) before anything is printed. They need to agree and know where the papers will be.
• Schools, hospitals and banks sometimes ask for their own forms. Ask the school's registrar and student health center what they accept.
• If any item below says UNVERIFIED, confirm it with the notary, the state source, or a lawyer before relying on it.

1. Health care directive

Durable Health Care Power of Attorney and Health Care Treatment Instructions (Pennsylvania example form)
Statutory form text reproduced verbatim from the official source (see Sources). Example form in the statute, 20 Pa.C.S. §5471 (any written form that meets §5452 can work).

• Principal dates and signs in front of two witnesses, each 18 or older, who sign (20 Pa.C.S. §5452(b)). Notary not required.
• The text read bars the person signing for the principal from witnessing; it does not list the agent. Kit default: the agent and agent's family should not witness. UNVERIFIED whether another section bars the agent.
• The example form says the two witnesses should witness the signature in each other's presence.

Watch for: - Two witnesses, 18 or older, are required. The form says notarization is not required. - The form combines a power of attorney with a living will; use the parts the student wants.

2. Financial power of attorney

Financial power of attorney: fill-in guide and required notice (Pennsylvania)
No form text reproduced. Pennsylvania has NO statutory financial POA form. Covered18 does not write POA language. This packet gives the statute's required NOTICE and AGENT ACKNOWLEDGMENT (verbatim, below) and a checklist.

• Capital-letter NOTICE signed by the principal; principal signs and dates; notary acknowledgment; TWO witnesses 18 or older (not the agent or notary) (§5601(b)); the agent signs the acknowledgment before acting (§5601(d)).

3. HIPAA authorization and FERPA consent

• The HIPAA release and FERPA consent are separate papers built from the federal required elements (45 CFR 164.508; 34 CFR 99.30). The student signs and dates each. Neither gives anyone the power to make decisions; they only allow information to be shared.
• Notarization is not required by the federal rules. Some schools and providers want their own form; ask first.
• Pennsylvania mental-health and drug-and-alcohol record rules were not researched. UNVERIFIED.
• Ask the registrar and student health service which forms they accept.

4. Remote (online) options

Question	What we found
Remote notarization	PA allows remote notarization by a Pennsylvania notary with audio-video recording (57 Pa.C.S. §306.1). Whether it works for a POA that also needs two witnesses, and whether witnesses may be remote: UNVERIFIED. Treat as in-person only.

If the table says UNVERIFIED, plan on signing in person. See the notary options page for online notary services and their public prices.

5. If the student is signing from another state

• Another state's HCPOA: valid in Pennsylvania if it conforms to that state's laws (20 Pa.C.S. §5464).
• Another state's POA: valid if it complied with the law of the jurisdiction indicated in the POA, else where executed (§5611).

Banks and hospitals decide for themselves what they accept. Whether yours accepts an out-of-state document is UNVERIFIED.

6. Stop and ask a lawyer if

• Student or family expects the agent to witness.
• Anything in your situation does not match this guide (for example guardianship, a disability, or a business interest).

7. Checklist to bring to the notary

• ☐ Government photo ID that is current (the notary will check it against the name on the papers).
• ☐ The documents, printed, unsigned. Do not sign ahead of time.
• ☐ Every person who must be present: the student, any witnesses (see Section 1 and 2), and the notary.
• ☐ Names, addresses and phone numbers for the agent(s) and backups.
• ☐ A black-ink pen. Print the HIPAA release and FERPA consent on their own pages.
• ☐ Ask the notary what the fee is before the appointment. Notary fees are not included in Covered18's price.
• ☐ Do not bring the agent as a witness unless the state section above says it is allowed.

8. After signing

• Make copies. Give a copy to the agent, the backup agent, the student's doctor or campus health center, and the bank if the financial document is meant to be used there. Keep the original somewhere safe and tell people where.
• Keep a scan in a place the agent can reach.
• Review once a year and after any big change (new school, move, relationship change). The HIPAA release has its own expiry date; set a reminder.
• If the student wants to change or cancel a document, ask the notary or a lawyer how to do that in your state.

9. UNVERIFIED items

• Whether the agent may witness the HCPOA.
• Remote notarization and witnessing for the POA.
• 2026-session amendments to chapters 54 and 56.
• Acceptance by banks; whether title-company/real-estate uses need extra steps.