Making important legal documents

Statutory declarations

Declaring a statutory declaration

You will need to declare that the contents of your statutory declaration are either:

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

Making the declaration

The witness might ask you:

‘Do you solemnly and sincerely declare that the contents of this declaration are true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief?’

Then you might respond with:

‘I solemnly and sincerely declare that the contents of this declaration are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.’

Or:

‘I do so declare.’

After your declaration

After you make the declaration, you or your substitute signatory will need to sign the statutory declaration form. You must sign it in the presence of your witness.

In this guide

  1. Download a statutory declaration form
  2. A witness for a statutory declaration
  3. Information a statutory declaration must include
  4. Making a statutory declaration
  5. Declaring a statutory declaration
  6. Signing a statutory declaration
  7. After a statutory declaration 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 a statutory declaration—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