Statutory declaration

A statutory declaration is a legal document defined under the law of certain Commonwealth nations and in the United States. It is similar to a statement made under oath, but it is not sworn.

Statutory declarations are commonly used to allow a person to declare something to be true for the purposes of satisfying some legal requirement or regulation when no other evidence is available. They are thus similar to affidavits, which, however, are made on oath.

Depending on jurisdiction, statutory declarations can be used for:

• Declarations of identity, nationality, marital status, etc. when documentary evidence is unavailable.
• Declaring the intention to change one's name.
• Affirming the provenance and nature of goods for export or import.
• Statements of originality for patent applications.