Bundesministerium der Justiz Edition Formular Betreuungsverfügung — Stand: Januar 2023 1 page

Betreuungsverfügung — Care Directive Naming Your Legal Guardian

The German Justice Ministry's one-page model form for choosing who a court should appoint as your legal guardian, if it ever has to.

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Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form) · Betreuungsverfügung — care directive naming who should (and should not) become your legal guardian
The official Bundesministerium der Justiz form, edition Formular Betreuungsverfügung — Stand: Januar 2023 — blank
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Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form) (2023) Betreuungsverfügung — care directive naming who should (and should not) become your legal guardian — page 1 of 1
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Fill this form online Blank PDF from Bundesministerium der Justiz

What is Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form)?

A Betreuungsverfügung is a written directive for the German guardianship court (Betreuungsgericht). If illness or disability ever means you can no longer handle your affairs yourself and the court has to appoint a legal guardian (Betreuer or Betreuerin), it tells the court whom you want, whom you never want, and how you would like your affairs to be handled. The Federal Ministry of Justice (Bundesministerium der Justiz) publishes a free one-page model form; the current edition is dated January 2023.

It is different from a Vorsorgevollmacht (a lasting power of attorney), which authorises a person you trust to act for you so that a court-appointed guardian is usually not needed at all. The Betreuungsverfügung is the fallback: it steers the court's choice and the guardian's conduct if a guardianship does become necessary. Many people make both, often together with a Patientenverfügung about medical treatment.

FileIt explains each part of the form in English with the German term alongside, prints your answers onto the Ministry's own PDF (names with Polish, Czech or Romanian letters print correctly), and saves a copy in your vault. You then print it, sign it by hand and keep it where it will be found. FileIt does not send it anywhere.

Who fills it
Any adult, for themselves
Given to
Nobody straight away — kept safe, and handed to the guardianship court if a guardianship is ever needed
Length
1 page
Signatures
Yours, by hand, with place and date
Edition
Formular Betreuungsverfügung — Bundesministerium der Justiz, Stand: Januar 2023

Who needs to fill out Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form)?

  • Adults in Germany who want a say in who would be appointed as their legal guardian.
  • People who have not made a Vorsorgevollmacht, or want a fallback in case it can't be used.
  • Anyone who wants to rule out a particular person as their guardian.
  • People with firm wishes about where they want to live or how they want to be cared for if they can no longer decide for themselves.

When to use Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form)

  • While you are able to decide for yourself — a directive has to be made in good time.
  • When you make or update a Vorsorgevollmacht or Patientenverfügung.
  • After a change in your life, such as a new partner, a separation, or the person you named moving away.
  • Whenever your wishes change: make a new one, date it, and destroy the old one.

What you need before you start

  • Your own name, date and place of birth, address and contact details.
  • The same details for the person you want as your guardian — ask them first.
  • Optionally, a second person as a fallback, and the name of anyone who must never be appointed.
  • Up to four short wishes for how your affairs should be handled (longer wishes on a separate signed sheet).

What’s on Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form)

The 2023 edition has 1 page. FileIt asks for it in 6 parts, and it is signed by You (the person making the directive):

  1. About you (Ich)You (the person making the directive)
  2. The person you want as your guardian (Zu meinem Betreuer/meiner Betreuerin soll bestellt werden)You (the person making the directive)
  3. Fallback guardian (Falls die vorstehende Person nicht bestellt werden kann)You (the person making the directive)
  4. A person who must never be your guardian (Auf keinen Fall soll bestellt werden)You (the person making the directive)
  5. Your wishes for how your guardian handles your affairs (Wünsche)You (the person making the directive)
  6. Place, date and signature (Ort, Datum, Unterschrift)You (the person making the directive)

How to fill out Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form), step by step

1 Ich — about you

Your name, date and place of birth, address and phone, fax or email. This identifies you as the person the directive is about.

2 Zu meinem Betreuer soll bestellt werden — your preferred guardian

The person you want the court to appoint, with their date and place of birth, address and contact details. Choose someone you trust who is willing to take on the role, and tell them where the document is kept.

3 Falls die vorstehende Person nicht bestellt werden kann — a fallback

Optional. A second person for the court to appoint if your first choice can't be — for example because they are ill, have died or don't want the role.

4 Auf keinen Fall soll bestellt werden — someone you exclude

Optional. A person who must never become your guardian. Give enough detail for them to be identified.

5 Wünsche — your wishes

Four short lines for how your guardian should look after your affairs: where you want to live, a care home you prefer, who looks after a pet, daily habits that matter to you. Put anything longer on a separate sheet that you also sign and date.

6 Ort, Datum, Unterschrift — place, date and signature

Write where and when you sign, and sign by hand. The model form needs no witness or notary.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Naming someone without asking them first.
  • Leaving out the date of birth or address, so the court can't be sure who is meant.
  • Keeping it where nobody will find it — tell your chosen guardian or family where it is.
  • Squeezing long wishes into the four short lines instead of adding a signed sheet.
  • Confusing it with a Vorsorgevollmacht: a Betreuungsverfügung doesn't let anyone act for you now; it guides the court if a guardianship becomes necessary.
  • Not signing it.

After you fill it out

Print the form, check it and sign it by hand. Keep the original in a safe place that your family or your chosen guardian knows about, and consider giving a copy to the person you named.

You can register the existence of your Betreuungsverfügung with the Zentrales Vorsorgeregister of the Bundesnotarkammer, which guardianship courts check. Registration is optional.

Keep a copy in your FileIt vault alongside your other care documents, and review it every few years.

Fill out Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form) online with FileIt

  1. Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
  2. Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 30 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
  3. Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real Bundesministerium der Justiz form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
  4. Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault. Sign it, or send it for e-signature.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form) now — it’s free

Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form): frequently asked questions

Is the Betreuungsverfügung the same as a Vorsorgevollmacht?

No. A Vorsorgevollmacht authorises someone to act for you, which usually makes a court-appointed guardian unnecessary. A Betreuungsverfügung only applies if a court does appoint a guardian: it says whom you want and how they should act. Many people make both.

Does the court have to follow my choice?

The guardianship court takes your wishes into account when it appoints a guardian and generally follows them, unless the person you chose is unsuitable or appointing them would go against your wellbeing.

Does it need a notary?

No. The Ministry's model form is signed by you by hand; no notary or witness is required.

Can I fill out the Betreuungsverfügung online?

Yes. FileIt guides you through the form in English, prints your answers onto the Ministry's official PDF and saves it in your vault. You then print and sign it yourself.

Where should I keep it?

Somewhere safe where it will be found if needed, and tell your chosen guardian or family. You can also register it with the Zentrales Vorsorgeregister so the court can find out that it exists.

Is there an English version?

The Ministry also publishes a German–English version of its forms on the same page as the German one. FileIt fills the German model form and explains every question in English.

Official sources

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bundesministerium der Justiz or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-09-28.

Fill out Betreuungsverfügung (BMJ model form) online