Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Georgia: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care, Home Nursing, and Health Coverage

   • Universal Healthcare Programme coverage: Under Georgia's state-funded Universal Healthcare Programme overseen by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia and administered through the National Health Agency, Georgian citizens and eligible residents with chronic, oncological, or terminal conditions are entitled to subsidised inpatient and outpatient palliative care, pain management, and oncology treatment [2] [5].
   • Inpatient hospice and home-based palliative teams: Ask the treating specialist or oncologist for a formal clinical summary (Forma IV-100/a) documenting the diagnosis, symptom-control plan, and palliative care needs [5] [6]. This medical certificate is required to enrol your family member in licensed inpatient palliative care units, specialized hospices, or mobile home-nursing and analgesic prescription programmes in Tbilisi and regional centres [5].
   • Private insurance coordination: If the ill person holds supplementary private medical insurance in Georgia, submit the Forma IV-100/a medical report early to pre-authorise home nursing visits, specialist consultations, and medical equipment [5].
2. 2

   Record Advance Healthcare Directives and Designate a Medical Representative

   • Statutory right to advance directives and informed consent: Under the Law of Georgia on Patient Rights and the Law on Health Care (published via the Legislative Herald of Georgia), every patient with decision-making capacity has the right to give or refuse informed consent to medical interventions and to express advance written wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment, resuscitation, and palliative pain relief during a terminal stage of illness [5] [6].
   • Appointing a healthcare representative: Under Georgian patient rights legislation, a capable citizen may execute a written advance directive naming a trusted person (healthcare proxy or medical representative) who will make medical and care decisions if the patient later becomes unconscious or unable to communicate [3] [6].
   • Notarial certification and medical chart filing: To ensure hospital staff and emergency clinicians honour the directive without delay, it is advisable to have the advance medical statement and healthcare proxy appointment notarised by a notary of the Notary Chamber of Georgia and to place certified copies directly in the patient's hospital file alongside a physician's note confirming full mental capacity at the time of signing [3] [6].
3. 3

   Execute Powers of Attorney and Bank Mandates While Capacity Is Intact

   • Notarial Power of Attorney (mindobiloba): While your family member retains full legal and mental capacity, they should execute a comprehensive notarial Power of Attorney before a licensed notary of the Notary Chamber of Georgia [3] [6]. A Georgian notary can visit the patient at home or in a hospital ward if mobility is limited, or witness the mandate via official video-notarisation where permitted, verifying identity and mental capacity before registering the instrument [3].
   • Scope of financial and property authority: To prevent bank freezes or administrative blocks if the illness progresses, the notarial Power of Attorney should explicitly authorise the representative to manage commercial bank accounts, collect pensions or social transfers, represent the person before the Public Service Hall and tax authorities, and administer or lease real estate [1] [3].
   • Direct commercial bank mandates: Because Georgian commercial banks verify powers of attorney strictly, we suggest presenting the notarised Power of Attorney (and completing each bank's internal authorised-signatory mandate) while the account holder is still able to confirm instructions directly [3].
4. 4

   Activate Disability Benefits, Critical-Illness Support, and Caregiver Allowances

   • Medical-Social Expertise and disability status: If the illness causes severe functional impairment, the treating clinic issues Forma IV-100/a and refers your family member for a Medical-Social Expertise assessment to establish formal disability status (Category I - severe disability, or Category II - significant disability) under the standards of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia [2] [5].
   • State disability social package: Once disability status is certified, submit an application to the Social Service Agency to activate the monthly state social package for persons with severe disabilities, as well as municipal utility or medication subsidies available in cities such as Tbilisi and Batumi [2].
   • Workplace sick leave and caregiver flexibility: Under the Labour Code of Georgia, an employed person facing serious illness is entitled to temporary incapacity (sick) leave supported by an official medical certificate (biuletini), and family caregivers may request flexible working arrangements or unpaid family care leave from their employer [2] [6].
5. 5

   Review the Will, Beneficiary Designations, and Property Documents

   • Executing a notarial Will (anderdzi): Under Book Six of the Civil Code of Georgia, the most secure testamentary instrument is a notarial will drafted or deposited with a notary of the Notary Chamber of Georgia (either signed in the notary's presence or lodged as a closed will in the presence of witnesses) and recorded in the electronic registry of wills [3] [6].
   • Accounting for statutory forced-share (savaldebulo wili) rules: When planning an estate in Georgia, note that the Civil Code of Georgia grants the testator's spouse, children, and parents a mandatory reserved share equal to one-half of the share each would have received under intestate succession, regardless of the terms of a will [6].
   • Verifying civil status and property records: Obtain updated civil status certificates (birth and marriage records) and real estate title extracts (amonaweri) from the Public Service Hall and the Public Service Development Agency so that family links and asset ownership are free of spelling or registration discrepancies [1] [4].
   • Cross-border powers of attorney and Apostilles: If a designated representative or heir resides outside Georgia, any Power of Attorney executed abroad for use in Georgia must be authenticated with a 1961 Hague Apostille (or consular legalisation) and translated into Georgian, while Georgian documents sent abroad can be Apostilled through the Public Service Development Agency at any Public Service Hall [1] [4].

   Step	Deadline	Authority
   1. Palliative care and UHC coordination	Immediately upon clinical diagnosis	Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia
   2. Advance directive and medical proxy	While the patient retains full mental capacity	Notary Chamber of Georgia
   3. Notarial Power of Attorney and bank mandates	Before any loss of legal decision-making capacity	Notary Chamber of Georgia
   4. Disability certification and social package	Upon issuance of clinical report Forma IV-100/a	Social Service Agency
   5. Will registration and civil/property verification	While capacity is intact	Public Service Hall

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Public Service Hall (PSH) - Civil Registry and Property Registration Services — Ministry of Justice of Georgia
2. [2]
   Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Asia and the Pacific - Georgia (Disability and Sickness Benefits) — U.S. Social Security Administration / ISSA
3. [3]
   Notary Chamber of Georgia - Powers of Attorney, Wills, and Remote/Home Notarial Services — Notary Chamber of Georgia
4. [4]
   Georgia - Competent Authorities under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)
5. [5]
   Georgia Health System Overview and Ministry of Health Services — World Health Organization (WHO)
6. [6]
   Legislative Herald of Georgia - Law on Patient Rights and Civil Code of Georgia — Ministry of Justice of Georgia (Matsne)