La Rioja is a province and autonomous community of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. It covers an area of 5,045 km². As of 2007, the population was 308,968 and the density 61.24/km².

• In the Autonomous Region of La Rioja, Advance Directives have been regulated at regional level since 2002: Ley 2/2002 de Salud [Law 2/2002 concerning Health] which enshrines the right of users to have their advance directives statement adhered to via the Advance Directives Document.

• The official name of Advance Directives in the Autonomous Region of La Rioja is "Instrucciones Previas".

• Any individual over 18 years of age who is legally qualified and acting freely may draw up an advance directives document.

• One or more proxies may be assigned to make decisions on behalf of the executor, act as interlocutors with the doctor or medical staff and interpret the document. The proxies must be duly identified, aged 18 years or over, qualified to act in this capacity and in accordance with their assignation.

• In order to be valid, the healthcare directives document must be executed via one of the following procedures:

a) Before the individual in charge of the Department of Health’s Advance Directives Registry Office.

b) Before a notary.

c) Before three witnesses.

• The advance directives document may be extended, modified, substituted or revoked at any time.

• In addition to the National Registry of Advance Directives, La Rioja has created its own registry, a dependency of the Department for Health, wherein executors may register their documents. This registry is connected to the National Registry of Advance Directives.

• As of the 1^st of January 2010, 614 advance directives have been registered in the Autonomous Region of La Rioja (the equivalent of 190.9 healthcare directives per 100,000 inhabitants).

Advance Directives in La Rioja are in keeping with legislation at national level (refer to the report on advance directives in Spain).

The Autonomous Region of La Rioja has developed its own legislation with regards to advance directives. Ley 2/2002, de Salud, de 17 de abril [Law 2/2002 of April 17^th, concerning Health], enshrines the right of users to have their advance directives statement adhered to via the Advance Directives Document.

In 2005, La Rioja passed Ley 9/2005, de 30 de septiembre, reguladora del documento de instrucciones previas en el ámbito de la sanidad [Law 9/2005 of September 30^th, for the regulation of the advance directives document within the health sector].

Subsequently, La Rioja passed Orden 8/2006, de 26 de julio, de la Consejería de Salud, sobre la forma de otorgar documento de instrucciones previas ante personal de la administración [Order 8/2006 of July 26^th, issued by the Department for Health, concerning the method of executing advance directives documents before personnel within the administration].

Finally, in 2006, La Rioja passed Decreto 30/2006, de 19 de mayo, por el que se regula el Registro de Instrucciones Previas de La Rioja [Decree 30/2006 of May 19th, for the regulation of the Advance Directives Registry of La Rioja].

• In order to be valid, the healthcare directives document must be executed via one of the following procedures:

a) Before the individual in charge of the Department of Health’s Advance Directives Registry Office.

b) Before a notary.

c) Before three witnesses: the witnesses must be duly identified, of legal age and legally qualified to act in this capacity. At least two of the witnesses must not be related to the executor further than the second degree, bonded to the executor through marriage or a similar relationship or linked to the executor through shared estate.

• Documentation required:

Where drawn up before a notary

1. Request for registration.

2. An uncertified copy or authorised copy of the document.

Where drawn up before witnesses

1. Request for registration.

2. Copy of the document.

3. Photocopy of a valid identity document pertaining to the executor.

4. Photocopies of the valid identity documents pertaining to the witnesses and, where applicable, the proxies.

Where drawn up before the person in charge of the registry

1. Request for registration.

2. The original copy of the document.

3. Photocopy of a valid identity document pertaining to the executor.

4. Photocopies of the valid identity documents pertaining to the proxies, where applicable.

The Government of La Rioja provides a model for the advance directives document.  

It also provides a model for request before witnesses.