diff --git a/docs/my-website/docs/proxy/guardrails/policy_templates.md b/docs/my-website/docs/proxy/guardrails/policy_templates.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6c2da70560a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/my-website/docs/proxy/guardrails/policy_templates.md
@@ -0,0 +1,298 @@
+# Policy Templates
+
+Policy templates provide pre-configured guardrail policies that you can use as a starting point for your organization. Instead of manually creating policies and guardrails, you can select a template that matches your use case and deploy it with one click.
+
+## Using Policy Templates
+
+### In the UI
+
+1. Navigate to **Policies → Templates** tab in the LiteLLM Admin UI
+2. Browse available templates (e.g., "PII Protection", "Cost Control", "HR Compliance")
+3. Click **"Use Template"** on any template
+4. Review the guardrails that will be created:
+   - Existing guardrails are marked with a green checkmark
+   - New guardrails can be selected/deselected
+5. Click **"Create X Guardrails & Use Template"**
+6. Review and customize the pre-filled policy form
+7. Click **"Create Policy"** to save
+
+![Policy Templates UI](/img/policy_templates_ui.png)
+
+### Workflow
+
+```
+Select Template → Review Guardrails → Create Selected → Edit Policy → Save
+```
+
+The system automatically:
+- ✅ Detects which guardrails already exist
+- ✅ Creates only the missing guardrails you select
+- ✅ Pre-fills the policy form with template data
+- ✅ Lets you customize before saving
+
+## Available Templates
+
+Templates are fetched from [GitHub](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BerriAI/litellm/main/policy_templates.json) with automatic fallback to local backup.
+
+### Current Templates
+
+#### 1. Advanced PII Protection (Australia)
+- **Complexity:** High
+- **Use Case:** Comprehensive PII detection for Australian organizations
+- **Guardrails:**
+  - Australian tax identifiers (TFN, ABN, Medicare)
+  - Australian passports
+  - International PII (SSN, passports, national IDs)
+  - Contact information (email, phone, address)
+  - Financial data (credit cards, IBAN)
+  - API credentials (AWS, GitHub, Slack) - **BLOCKS** requests
+  - Network infrastructure (IP addresses)
+  - Protected class information (gender, race, religion, disability, etc.)
+
+#### 2. Baseline PII Protection
+- **Complexity:** Low
+- **Use Case:** Basic protection for internal tools and testing
+- **Guardrails:**
+  - Australian tax identifiers
+  - API credentials
+  - Financial data
+
+## Creating Your Own Policy Templates
+
+You can contribute policy templates for the entire LiteLLM community to use.
+
+### Template Structure
+
+Templates are defined in JSON format with the following structure:
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "unique-template-id",
+  "title": "Display Title",
+  "description": "Detailed description of what this template protects",
+  "icon": "ShieldCheckIcon",
+  "iconColor": "text-purple-500",
+  "iconBg": "bg-purple-50",
+  "guardrails": [
+    "guardrail-name-1",
+    "guardrail-name-2"
+  ],
+  "complexity": "Low|Medium|High",
+  "guardrailDefinitions": [
+    {
+      "guardrail_name": "example-guardrail",
+      "litellm_params": {
+        "guardrail": "litellm_content_filter",
+        "mode": "pre_call",
+        "patterns": [
+          {
+            "pattern_type": "prebuilt",
+            "pattern_name": "email",
+            "action": "MASK"
+          }
+        ],
+        "pattern_redaction_format": "[{pattern_name}_REDACTED]"
+      },
+      "guardrail_info": {
+        "description": "What this guardrail does"
+      }
+    }
+  ],
+  "templateData": {
+    "policy_name": "policy-name",
+    "description": "Policy description",
+    "guardrails_add": ["guardrail-name-1", "guardrail-name-2"],
+    "guardrails_remove": []
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### Field Descriptions
+
+#### Display Fields
+- **id**: Unique identifier (lowercase with hyphens)
+- **title**: User-facing name shown in UI
+- **description**: Detailed explanation of what the template protects
+- **icon**: Icon name (must be available in UI icon map)
+- **iconColor**: Tailwind CSS text color class
+- **iconBg**: Tailwind CSS background color class
+- **guardrails**: Array of guardrail names (for display only)
+- **complexity**: Badge showing difficulty ("Low", "Medium", or "High")
+
+#### Guardrail Definitions
+- **guardrailDefinitions**: Array of complete guardrail configurations
+  - Each must be a valid guardrail object that can be sent to `/guardrails` POST endpoint
+  - If a guardrail already exists, it will be skipped
+  - Can be empty `[]` if template uses only existing guardrails
+
+#### Policy Configuration
+- **templateData**: Object that pre-fills the policy form
+  - **policy_name**: Suggested name (user can edit)
+  - **description**: Policy description
+  - **guardrails_add**: Array of guardrail names to include
+  - **guardrails_remove**: Array to remove (usually `[]` for templates)
+  - **inherit**: (Optional) Parent policy name for inheritance
+
+### Example Template
+
+Here's a complete example for a HIPAA compliance template:
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "hipaa-compliance",
+  "title": "HIPAA Compliance Policy",
+  "description": "Healthcare compliance policy that masks PHI and enforces HIPAA regulations for healthcare applications.",
+  "icon": "ShieldCheckIcon",
+  "iconColor": "text-red-500",
+  "iconBg": "bg-red-50",
+  "guardrails": [
+    "phi-detector",
+    "medical-record-blocker",
+    "patient-id-masker"
+  ],
+  "complexity": "High",
+  "guardrailDefinitions": [
+    {
+      "guardrail_name": "phi-detector",
+      "litellm_params": {
+        "guardrail": "litellm_content_filter",
+        "mode": "pre_call",
+        "patterns": [
+          {
+            "pattern_type": "prebuilt",
+            "pattern_name": "us_ssn",
+            "action": "MASK"
+          },
+          {
+            "pattern_type": "prebuilt",
+            "pattern_name": "email",
+            "action": "MASK"
+          },
+          {
+            "pattern_type": "prebuilt",
+            "pattern_name": "us_phone",
+            "action": "MASK"
+          }
+        ],
+        "pattern_redaction_format": "[PHI_REDACTED]"
+      },
+      "guardrail_info": {
+        "description": "Detects and masks Protected Health Information (PHI)"
+      }
+    }
+  ],
+  "templateData": {
+    "policy_name": "hipaa-compliance-policy",
+    "description": "HIPAA compliance policy for healthcare applications",
+    "guardrails_add": [
+      "phi-detector",
+      "medical-record-blocker",
+      "patient-id-masker"
+    ],
+    "guardrails_remove": []
+  }
+}
+```
+
+## Contributing Templates
+
+To contribute a policy template for everyone to use:
+
+### Step 1: Create Your Template JSON
+
+1. Create a JSON file following the structure above
+2. Test it locally by adding it to your local `policy_templates.json`
+3. Verify all guardrails work correctly
+4. Ensure descriptions are clear and helpful
+
+### Step 2: Submit a Pull Request
+
+1. Fork the [LiteLLM repository](https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm)
+2. Add your template to `policy_templates.json` at the root
+3. Add your template to `litellm/policy_templates_backup.json` (keep both in sync)
+4. Create a pull request with:
+   - Clear description of what the template protects
+   - Use case examples
+   - Any relevant compliance frameworks (HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, etc.)
+
+### Guidelines
+
+**DO:**
+- ✅ Use clear, descriptive names
+- ✅ Include comprehensive descriptions
+- ✅ Test all guardrails thoroughly
+- ✅ Document pattern sources (e.g., "Based on NIST guidelines")
+- ✅ Group related guardrails logically
+- ✅ Consider different complexity levels
+
+**DON'T:**
+- ❌ Include credentials or secrets
+- ❌ Use overly broad patterns that may have false positives
+- ❌ Duplicate existing templates
+- ❌ Use custom code without thorough testing
+
+## Using Templates Offline
+
+For air-gapped or offline deployments, set the environment variable:
+
+```bash
+export LITELLM_LOCAL_POLICY_TEMPLATES=true
+```
+
+This forces the system to use the local backup (`litellm/policy_templates_backup.json`) instead of fetching from GitHub.
+
+## Template Sources
+
+- **GitHub (default):** https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BerriAI/litellm/main/policy_templates.json
+- **Local backup:** `litellm/policy_templates_backup.json`
+
+Templates are automatically fetched from GitHub on each request, with fallback to local backup on any failure.
+
+## Available Pattern Types
+
+When creating guardrails for templates, you can use these prebuilt patterns:
+
+### Identity Documents
+- `passport_australia`, `passport_us`, `passport_uk`, `passport_germany`, etc.
+- `us_ssn`, `us_ssn_no_dash`
+- `au_tfn`, `au_abn`, `au_medicare`
+- `nl_bsn_contextual`
+- `br_cpf`, `br_rg`, `br_cnpj`
+
+### Financial
+- `visa`, `mastercard`, `amex`, `discover`, `credit_card`
+- `iban`
+
+### Contact Information
+- `email`
+- `us_phone`, `br_phone_landline`, `br_phone_mobile`
+- `street_address`
+- `br_cep` (Brazilian postal code)
+
+### Credentials
+- `aws_access_key`, `aws_secret_key`
+- `github_token`
+- `slack_token`
+- `generic_api_key`
+
+### Network
+- `ipv4`, `ipv6`
+
+### Protected Class
+- `gender_sexual_orientation`
+- `race_ethnicity_national_origin`
+- `religion`
+- `age_discrimination`
+- `disability`
+- `marital_family_status`
+- `military_status`
+- `public_assistance`
+
+See the [full patterns list](https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/blob/main/litellm/proxy/guardrails/guardrail_hooks/litellm_content_filter/patterns.json) for all available patterns.
+
+## Related Docs
+
+- [Guardrail Policies](./guardrail_policies)
+- [Policy Tags](./policy_tags)
+- [Content Filter Patterns](../hooks/content_filter)
+- [Custom Code Guardrails](../hooks/custom_code)
diff --git a/docs/my-website/sidebars.js b/docs/my-website/sidebars.js
index 579b5699101..60c87ddc458 100644
--- a/docs/my-website/sidebars.js
+++ b/docs/my-website/sidebars.js
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ const sidebars = {
       label: "Policies",
       items: [
         "proxy/guardrails/guardrail_policies",
+        "proxy/guardrails/policy_templates",
         "proxy/guardrails/policy_tags",
       ],
     },
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/management_endpoints/policy_endpoints.py b/litellm/proxy/management_endpoints/policy_endpoints.py
index ad8d0643d0c..a7e2bae3268 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/management_endpoints/policy_endpoints.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/management_endpoints/policy_endpoints.py
@@ -60,11 +60,18 @@ def fetch_remote_policy_templates(url: str, timeout: int = 5) -> List[Any]:
     """
     Fetch policy templates from a remote URL.
 
-    Returns the parsed JSON list. Raises on network/parse errors.
+    Returns the parsed JSON list. Falls back to local backup on any error.
     """
-    response = httpx.get(url, timeout=timeout)
-    response.raise_for_status()
-    return response.json()
+    try:
+        response = httpx.get(url, timeout=timeout)
+        response.raise_for_status()
+        return response.json()
+    except Exception as e:
+        verbose_proxy_logger.warning(
+            f"Failed to fetch policy templates from {url}: {e}. "
+            "Falling back to local backup."
+        )
+        return load_local_policy_templates()
 
 
 def get_policy_templates_list() -> List[Any]:
@@ -86,36 +93,24 @@ def get_policy_templates_list() -> List[Any]:
         )
         return load_local_policy_templates()
 
-    # Try to fetch from GitHub
-    try:
-        templates = fetch_remote_policy_templates(POLICY_TEMPLATES_GITHUB_URL)
+    # Fetch from GitHub (automatically falls back to local on any error)
+    templates = fetch_remote_policy_templates(POLICY_TEMPLATES_GITHUB_URL)
 
-        # Validate it's a non-empty list
-        if not isinstance(templates, list):
-            verbose_proxy_logger.warning(
-                f"Fetched policy templates is not a list (type={type(templates).__name__}). "
-                "Falling back to local backup."
-            )
-            return load_local_policy_templates()
-
-        if len(templates) == 0:
-            verbose_proxy_logger.warning(
-                "Fetched policy templates is empty. Falling back to local backup."
-            )
-            return load_local_policy_templates()
-
-        verbose_proxy_logger.debug(
-            f"Successfully fetched {len(templates)} policy templates from GitHub"
-        )
-        return templates
-
-    except Exception as e:
+    # Validate it's a non-empty list
+    if not isinstance(templates, list):
         verbose_proxy_logger.warning(
-            f"Failed to fetch policy templates from {POLICY_TEMPLATES_GITHUB_URL}: {e}. "
-            "Falling back to local backup."
+            f"Policy templates is not a list (type={type(templates).__name__}). "
+            "Using local backup."
         )
         return load_local_policy_templates()
 
+    if len(templates) == 0:
+        verbose_proxy_logger.warning("Policy templates is empty. Using local backup.")
+        return load_local_policy_templates()
+
+    verbose_proxy_logger.debug(f"Successfully loaded {len(templates)} policy templates")
+    return templates
+
 
 @router.post(
     "/policy/validate",