This document, also known as a living will, saw a significant increase in registrations in both Álava and throughout Euskadi (with 15,000 entries) compared to the previous year. In addition to new registrations, the Euskadi Advance Directives Registry also processed 819 substitutions or modifications of previously registered documents.
Currently, 37 out of every 1,000 adults have their advance directives registered. By age group, 1 in 9 people over 75 years old (117 per 1,000 inhabitants) in Euskadi have their advance directives in force and registered with the RVVA. Of the total new registrations recorded in 2025, three out of four individuals were between 46 and 75 years old. In Álava, 1,889 registrations were made.
It is noteworthy that 86% of those who registered their document chose a representative, a non-mandatory but highly recommended figure.
When the person can no longer express their will, the representative ensures the correct interpretation and fulfillment of the signatory's wishes. The Basque Advance Directives Registry, established in 2004, guarantees that personal preferences regarding medical care and treatments are accessible to healthcare professionals when the individual cannot express them personally.
The advance directives document can be formalized before authorized medical and nursing staff, the person in charge of the Basque Advance Directives Registry, before three witnesses, or before a notary, with the latter option incurring notary fees. Currently, a total of 890 medical and nursing professionals within the Basque public health system are authorized to formalize these documents; in 2025 alone, 447 professionals did so.
