Make Your Own Statutory Declaration
Statutory declarations are frequently required both in the UK and overseas. If presenting the statutory declaration abroad you may require an apostille on the document.
What is a Statutory Declaration?
A statutory declaration is a written statement made by one person to confirm facts they wish to prove to another person. In the UK statutory declarations are governed by The Statutory Declarations Act 1835 and must follow a prescribed format and be witnessed correctly.
A statutory declaration is a person confirming facts or a statement as true to the best of their knowledge. To make a false statutory declaration is a criminal offence which could lead to prosecution.
Why do I Need a Statutory Declaration?
Statutory declarations can be used to confirm lots of different facts but for our clients are commonly used to prove single status or to prove they are not currently married. This is often required to allow the person to marry outside of the UK, overseas.
Statutory declarations are also commonly used to confirm a person’s name has changed.
You will see from the below template document the declaration can state anything a person is able to honestly state is true to the best of their knowledge.
How do I Create a Statutory Declaration?
The simplest way to make a statutory declaration is:
Download a template – there are many free templates available online including the following:
Free Statutory Declaration for Single Status - Template Statutory Declaration of Single Status
Free Statutory Declaration to Add Your Own Statements- Sample Generic Statutory Declaration
Edit the template - edit the statutory declaration template document to include the information specific to you and the statement you wish to make.
Contact a local UK solicitor to arrange a witness signature – contact any UK practising solicitor, notary public or commissioner for oaths and ask them to witness you sign a statutory declaration you have already prepared. They will usually offer you an appointment and ask you to bring the statutory declaration and proof of identity documents (passport and utility bill).
We understand there is legislation stating a solicitor or commissioner for oaths should charge £5 per person for signing a statutory declaration and £2 for each exhibit which is required to be marked and attached to the declaration. Some solicitors may want to charge more for their time but this is a guide price. Notaries will charge more and this may be significantly more per signature required.
Apostille or Legalise the Statutory Declaration
If using the statutory declaration outside of the UK it will usually need to be legalised. Our apostille service can be ordered here - apostille certificate for a statutory declaration
Please note we are unable to provide a statutory declaration witnessing service for you. We can apostille and legalise the statutory declaration after it has been witnessed. Get a fast apostille for your statutory declaration
Where do I buy a prepared readymade statutory declaration?
If you do not want to prepare your own statutory declaration from a free template you can contact any UK practising solicitor, notary public or commissioner for oaths and ask them to prepare the document for you. They will charge a fee for this service based on the time it takes them to understand what you need and to then prepare the document and arrange for you to sign it in front of them. The wording of the document will be very similar to the free templates you can prepare yourself.
Is a statutory declaration the correct document for me?
In some cases, the alternative is a ‘Certificate of No Impediment’. Read about the Certificate of No Impediment
It is also possible to obtain a No trace of Marriage Document from the GRO (General Register Office). The GRO can issue a letter confirming no trace of marriage during a set period of time. Please contact the GRO on 0300 1231 837 for information on requesting this document. It takes around 3 weeks to obtain the document.
Can you help me prepare a statutory declaration?
We can advise on legalising a statutory declaration for use outside of the UK. Unfortunately, we do not provide advice on preparing individual statutory declarations. Hopefully, this article and the template document provides enough information for you to prepare the document yourself, but if you do need advice on how to prepare a statutory declaration, please contact a local solicitor or notary public.
We are a UK based apostille service. We add the UK apostille to UK documents. Unfortunately, we cannot prepare the declaration for you.
