Making important legal documents

Affidavits

Oaths and affirmations for an affidavit

You will need to take an oath or affirmation to confirm the affidavit is either:

  • true
  • true to the best of your knowledge if stated on the basis of information and belief.

The witness will ask you what form of oath or affirmation you would like to make and then administer the oath or affirmation.

Oaths

For a Christian oath, the witness might ask:

‘Do you swear that the contents of this affidavit are true and correct, so help you God?’

Then you might respond with:

‘I swear that the contents of this affidavit are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, so help me God.’

Or:

‘So help me God.’

You can choose to hold the Bible while taking an oath.

Other religious oaths

If you wish to swear an oath of another religion, you should use wording you believe to be solemn and binding. You can choose to hold your specific religious text while taking an oath.

More information on oaths and affirmations (e.g. what you and the witness might say) can be found in Chapter 4.6 of the Duties of Justices of the Peace (Qualified) and Commissioners for Declarations handbook.

Affirmations

For an affirmation, the witness might ask:

‘Do you solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that the contents of this your affidavit are true and correct to the best of your knowledge?’

Then you might respond with:

‘I solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that the contents of this my affidavit are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.’

After your oath or affirmation

After you take the oath or affirmation you or your substitute signatory will need to sign the affidavit. You must sign it in the presence of your witness.

In this guide

  1. How to download an affidavit form
  2. A witness for an affidavit
  3. Information an affidavit must include
  4. Making an affidavit
  5. Oaths and affirmations for an affidavit
  6. Signing an affidavit
  7. After an affidavit is made

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Legislation changes

The law has changed and you can now execute and witness statutory declarations and affidavits electronically. These changes were made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about the legislative amendments in the:

Read our fact sheets for more information, including the History of legislative reforms fact sheet.

Contacts

For more information on how to make an affidavit—or if you have concerns about your own or someone else’s safety (e.g. due to domestic, family or sexual violence)—contact:

Last updated:
3 February 2025