Will My Estate Planning Documents Be Recognized in Vermont?

Yes. Vermont has an explicit reciprocity statute18 V.S.A. § 9716Verified Oct 15, 2026View source: a healthcare directive executed in another state is honored in Vermont if it was valid where signed. Vermont has not adopted the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act. A directive signed in another state in compliance with that jurisdiction's law is recognized in Vermont without limitation (18 V.S.A. § 9716), so recognition turns on where it was signed. The Vermont document portability tool carries the recognition rule by document type.

Yes. Vermont recognizes an out-of-state power of attorney under its Uniform Power of Attorney Act validity provision14 V.S.A. §§ 4006, 4007Verified Sep 20, 2026View source: a foreign POA is valid in Vermont if it was valid under the law of the place of execution. Vermont adopted the Uniform Power of Attorney Act in 2023. Under § 4006(c), a power of attorney signed outside Vermont is valid here if, when it was signed, it complied with the law of the jurisdiction named in the document — or, if the document names none, the law of the jurisdiction where it was signed (§ 4007) — or if it meets the requirements for a military power of attorney under 10 U.S.C. § 1044b. Vermont does not apply a separate test based on where the principal lives. The Vermont document portability tool carries the recognition rule by document type.

Yes, with one caveat. A trust is a private agreement governed by its own choice-of-law clause, not by any state's filing system, so a trust validly executed in another state has the same force in Vermont for cash, accounts and personal property. The caveat is real estate: Vermont property is deeded into the trust through a Vermont deed before the trust controls it. The Vermont document portability tool carries the recognition rule by document type.