To fill out a statutory declaration form in England and Wales, write your statement in numbered paragraphs on the template, use the exact opening and closing wording set out in the Statutory Declarations Act 1835, leave the form unsigned, and take it to a solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths, notary, or magistrate who will watch you sign it and add their own signature and stamp.1Legislation.gov.uk. Statutory Declarations Act 1835 Get the wording or the signing process wrong and the document will be rejected, so the details matter.
Start With Your Identifying Details
Every declaration opens with your full legal name and current residential address. That links the document to your existing records and identifies you as the declarant. If you are working from a purpose-specific template downloaded from GOV.UK, such as Form LOC021 for a deed poll name change, the fields are already laid out for you.2GOV.UK. Statutory Declaration for Changing Your Name by Deed Poll: Form LOC021 A general-purpose template needs the same information at the top.
Write the Body in Numbered Paragraphs
The body is where you set out the facts you are declaring. Use numbered paragraphs and stick to verifiable statements rather than opinions or explanations. If the declaration concerns a name change, state the old name, the new name, and the date the change took effect. If you are declaring a company’s solvency for a members’ voluntary liquidation, include the registered company number, a statement of assets and liabilities, and your opinion that the company can pay its debts within twelve months.
Keep each paragraph focused on a single fact. Short, plain sentences are easier for the receiving organization to read and harder to challenge later.
Attach Exhibits Correctly
If your declaration refers to supporting documents, attach them as numbered exhibits and reference each one in the body text. The standard phrasing looks like “a copy of my birth certificate, marked as Exhibit 1.” Each exhibit needs its own label so the witness can initial it at the signing. That initialling is what formally links the attachment to the declaration; a document sent along without being marked as an exhibit is treated as loose paperwork, not part of the declaration.
Use the Exact Wording Required by the 1835 Act
The Schedule to the Statutory Declarations Act 1835 prescribes the language every declaration must use.1Legislation.gov.uk. Statutory Declarations Act 1835 The declaration opens:
“I [full name] do solemnly and sincerely declare that…”
followed by your numbered paragraphs. It closes with:
“and I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835.”3GOV.UK. Statutory Declaration of Change of Name
This closing formula is not decorative. It is the language the Act requires, and paraphrasing it or leaving it out gives the receiving organization grounds to reject the document. If you are writing on a blank sheet rather than a printed template, copy the wording exactly.
Who Can Witness the Declaration
The 1835 Act authorises any Justice of the Peace, Notary Public, or other officer empowered by law to administer an oath.1Legislation.gov.uk. Statutory Declarations Act 1835 Section 81 of the Solicitors Act 1974 extends that authority to every solicitor holding a current practising certificate, giving them the same powers as a Commissioner for Oaths.4Legislation.gov.uk. Solicitors Act 1974 – Section 81 In practice, the people you can go to are:
- A practising solicitor, usually at a high-street law firm.
- A Commissioner for Oaths.
- A Notary Public, particularly if the declaration will be used abroad.
- A legal executive or licensed conveyancer authorised to administer oaths.
- A Justice of the Peace or magistrate at your local magistrates’ court.
The witness must have no personal connection to you and no interest in the facts you are declaring. A solicitor already acting for you in the same matter cannot witness the declaration.4Legislation.gov.uk. Solicitors Act 1974 – Section 81
What It Costs
The Commissioners for Oaths (Fees) Order 1993 sets the statutory maximum charges for solicitors and Commissioners for Oaths:5Legislation.gov.uk. The Commissioners for Oaths (Fees) Order 1993
- £5 for taking the declaration itself.
- £2 for each exhibit that needs to be marked.
These rates have not been updated since 1993. Some firms fold the cost into a broader fee if they also drafted the document for you, so ask what you will be charged before you book. A magistrates’ court charges £27 for the same service, so the solicitor route is significantly cheaper once your declaration is prepared.6GOV.UK. Guidance: Statutory Declarations for a Gender Recognition Certificate Application
What to Bring and How the Signing Works
Take the completed but unsigned declaration, any exhibits you plan to attach, and government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. Some witnesses also ask for proof of address like a recent utility bill, so bring one if you have it. Do not sign the document beforehand. The whole point of the process is that the witness sees you sign.
At the appointment, the witness checks your ID, reads the declaration, and watches you sign. They then sign immediately after you, adding their name, professional qualification, the date, and their stamp or seal. If there are exhibits, they initial each one. Both signatures have to happen in each other’s physical presence, so posting the document for remote signing is not an option.
There is no legal requirement in England and Wales to read the declaration aloud. The exception is if you cannot read the document yourself, in which case the witness must read it to you and confirm you understood it before you sign.
Once the declaration is signed and stamped, it is ready to send to whichever organization asked for it. Keep a photocopy or scan for your own records before you part with the original.
Getting the Facts Wrong on Purpose Is a Crime
Knowingly making a false statement in a statutory declaration is an offence under Section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911, carrying up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.7Legislation.gov.uk. Perjury Act 1911 – Section 5 The false statement has to be material, meaning relevant to the purpose of the declaration, rather than a trivial slip like a misspelled address. An honest mistake is not what the offence is aimed at; deliberately fabricated facts are.