Guardian nomination for Pennsylvania
A guardian nomination puts on the record who you want to raise your children if you and the other parent cannot.
$14, or $7 for a second household member ($21 for both). Includes 6 months of changes.
What you pay counts in full toward a package.
Who this is for
- You have children under 18 and nobody outside your head knows who you would choose.
- Your family would not agree, and you want your choice written down.
- You are a single parent and the fallback is not obvious.
- You are travelling or being deployed and want the question settled before you go.
What it does not do
- It is a nomination, not an appointment. A court decides guardianship and weighs the child's best interests; your nomination is strong evidence of your wishes, not a binding instruction.
- It does not cut out a surviving parent with legal rights.
- A standalone nomination has limited effect in Pennsylvania, where the will is the usual vehicle. If you are also making a will, put the nomination in it.
- It gives the guardian no authority while you are alive and able. For a short absence, the temporary guardian consent is the right document.
How to sign it in your state
Pennsylvania
Guardianship Nomination / Standby Guardian
Follow the acknowledgment and consent sections printed for the selected guardianship document.
- Witnesses: none required for this signing route. Use them only if the printed signing page calls for them.
- Notary: yes, the signature is acknowledged before a notary.
New York
Guardianship Nomination / Standby Guardian
Follow the acknowledgment and consent sections printed for the selected guardianship document.
- Witnesses: none required for this signing route. Use them only if the printed signing page calls for them.
- Notary: yes, the signature is acknowledged before a notary.
New Jersey
Guardianship Nomination / Standby Guardian
Follow the acknowledgment and consent sections printed for the selected guardianship document.
- Witnesses: none required for this signing route. Use them only if the printed signing page calls for them.
- Notary: yes, the signature is acknowledged before a notary.
Get started
This is the question that makes most parents finally sit down and do something. It is also the one where an honest page has to be careful, because a nomination is not an appointment.
What you are doing is putting your choice in front of a judge who has to decide. Judges take a parent's written nomination seriously, and in a family that disagrees it is often the piece of paper that ends the argument. What it cannot do is remove a surviving parent's rights or bind a court that sees a reason to decide otherwise.
If you are making a will, the nomination belongs in the will and is included there. This document is for the parent who wants it recorded now.
Common questions
Does naming a guardian mean the court has to appoint them?
No. The court decides, applying the child's best interests. Your nomination tells the court what you wanted, which is usually the single most influential piece of evidence in front of it, and it is not the last word.
Should this be in my will instead?
In Pennsylvania, usually yes, and Airlooms says so on this page rather than after you have paid. The will is the recognised vehicle. This standalone document exists for people who are not making a will yet and want something on the record now.
Can I name a couple?
You can, and think about what happens if they separate. Naming one person with a named successor is often cleaner.
What about money?
Guardianship of the person and control of the money are different jobs and can go to different people. A will or a trust is where you set up how money reaches the child.
Do I have to tell the person?
You should. A guardian who first hears about it from a social worker is not set up to succeed.
Included in
- Will & Essentials, $69 for 18 documents, 55% less than buying the pieces. See what is in it
- Trust & Property, $129 for 28 documents, 57% less than buying the pieces. See what is in it