How much does a statutory declaration cost?

The total can include several different services: drafting the statement, taking the declaration, marking exhibits and, for overseas use, notarisation or legalisation. Keep these separate when comparing prices. An advertised PDF price usually concerns preparation, while a professional appointment may include additional work you need to identify and agree in advance.

Start with the recipient’s request. If it provides the correct free form, you may not need a paid drafting service at all. If it asks for a notary, a translation or an apostille, a basic witnessing quote will not cover the complete process.

Write a short shopping list before booking: document or form, number of people making the declaration, exhibits, witness type and destination. Ask for a price against that list. It makes quotes easier to compare and helps you see whether a higher charge reflects extra work or a different service.

The statutory declaration guide explains the document and the appointment itself.

The Commissioners for Oaths (Fees) Order 1993 sets a £5 fee for each person making an affidavit, declaration or affirmation within its scope. It also sets £2 for each exhibit or schedule required to be marked. This is the taking-of-declaration fee, not a price cap covering every possible drafting or legal service.

For an England and Wales appointment, ask whether the professional is taking your ready-prepared declaration in the capacity covered by the Order. Explain that you are not requesting drafting or advice if those are not needed.

A vague request to “do a statutory declaration” can be interpreted as preparing and checking the statement as well as witnessing it. Be specific about what you already have and what you want them to do. If the quotation is higher, ask for the components and the basis of the charge.

Do not assume a notarial service, a remote service or an appointment elsewhere in the UK falls under exactly the same fee arrangement.

Source: Commissioners for Oaths (Fees) Order 1993, articles 1 and 2.

The 1993 Order states that its prescribed fees are inclusive of VAT where payable. That means the statutory taking-of-declaration fee is not simply £5 plus VAT. Separate services, such as drafting or advice, may have their own VAT treatment and pricing, so ask for an itemised total rather than assuming all charges follow one rule.

Ask the professional to distinguish the prescribed fee from any optional or separately agreed service. Avoid treating unexplained “administration” or “appointment” charges as automatically part of the statutory fee. Request an explanation before agreeing to them.

For other work, ask whether the quote includes VAT and whether anything could increase the amount. A clear written quote should identify the service, the assumptions behind it and the total you expect to pay.

Our preparation price and the professional’s appointment charge are separate purchases. Paying one does not settle the other.

Source: The Order’s VAT-inclusive fees.

An exhibit is a supporting document referred to in the declaration and formally identified as required by the process. The Order charges £2 for each exhibit or schedule required to be marked. That is different from automatically charging £2 for every page, every photocopy or every identity document brought to the appointment.

Ask the witness how many exhibits are needed for your actual declaration and how they should be labelled. A multi-page document might be treated differently from several separately identified documents. Do not choose the count yourself purely to obtain a lower quote.

For a name-history statement, supporting certificates may be referred to as exhibits if the recipient or witness requires that structure. For a different declaration, identity documents may only be used to identify you. The professional should explain the distinction.

Bring the relevant paperwork and agree the exhibit arrangement before the declaration is made, so its references and the attached material match.

For one person using a £9.99 prepared PDF and a £5 witnessing appointment, the illustrative total is £14.99 with no exhibits. Each required marked exhibit adds £2 under the same fee regime. These examples assume no drafting, advice, notarisation, legalisation, delivery or other additional service is needed or agreed.

The table is arithmetic, not a fixed quote from a particular solicitor. Confirm suitability and the actual appointment price first. Printing, travel and postage are not included in these examples. If a different professional role or fee arrangement applies, use its confirmed price instead.

For more than one person making the declaration, the Order’s base fee is per person. Ask the witness how a joint declaration and its exhibits will be charged.

Our price covers preparing a personalised PDF using the selected form and your information. Most declaration types start at £9.99, and single-status or freedom-to-marry PDFs cost £14.99. You still check the contents, print the document and arrange an authorised witness. Legal advice, witness appointments and government legalisation are not included.

The practical value is having your details arranged in a document ready to review. The form does not independently verify facts, decide foreign acceptance or investigate the records you describe. Read the draft before relying on it.

Use the declaration form when the recipient accepts the relevant general format. If the authority has supplied an official form, use that instead. If you need advice on what the statement should say, discuss that with a qualified professional before buying a preparation product.

Check the final price for the selected document before payment. Preparation is optional; you may prefer a suitable free form or a professional drafting service.

You may be able to obtain the correct form free from the authority requesting it, but that does not always make the completed process free. Witnessing arrangements depend on the procedure and venue. Check the official instructions and confirm availability and charges with the court or professional before travelling or booking an appointment.

Examples of official forms include those for particular parking enforcement processes and Gender Recognition Certificate applications. A generic paid declaration should not replace a prescribed form.

Some court procedures provide free witnessing, but it is misleading to promise that every court, justice of the peace or magistrate will witness every general declaration free on request. Ask about your specific document and whether an appointment is available.

Start with the free official forms guide. If the purpose is simply an ordinary name change and a deed poll is accepted, consider whether a free DIY deed poll avoids the need for a declaration appointment altogether.

Source: GOV.UK PE3 forms and procedure guidance.

Notarial work is a distinct service, often requested for documents used abroad. The quote may include checking identity and documents, preparing a notarial certificate or arranging further steps. It should not be compared with a basic taking-of-declaration fee as though the two purchases are identical. Confirm what the receiving authority actually requires first.

A destination may accept a solicitor’s signature, require a UK notary or prescribe another official. Ask it to state that requirement before booking. Paying for notarisation you do not need adds cost; paying for a cheaper service the recipient cannot accept wastes time.

Ask the professional what is included, whether VAT applies, how copies are charged and whether they handle legalisation. There is no single notarial price quoted here because the document, destination and service can differ.

GOV.UK’s legalisation guidance links to the official lists of UK solicitors and notaries for the relevant jurisdictions.

Source: GOV.UK checking who must sign a document.

FCDO lists £45 per document for a standard paper apostille, plus return courier or postage, and £35 for an eligible e-Apostille. Those charges are separate from preparation, witnessing and any notary’s work. Ask the overseas recipient which format and signatures it accepts before choosing the cheaper option or assuming legalisation is needed.

An apostille authenticates the relevant signature, seal or stamp. It does not guarantee that the overseas authority accepts the declaration’s content. A single-status PDF is not automatically a Certificate of No Impediment, and the two should not be bought interchangeably.

Source: GOV.UK legalisation fees and formats.

Do not apply the England and Wales commissioner-for-oaths example to every appointment. Scotland, Northern Ireland, overseas services and remote offerings may involve different authority, procedure or pricing. Ask the provider to confirm the legal basis, the recipient’s acceptance and the full price. Preparing a document online does not remove the need to complete it properly.

If you are searching for a statutory declaration solicitor near you, include the purpose and destination when asking for a quote. It is more useful than asking only for the cheapest signature.

For video appointments, obtain confirmation from both the witness and recipient that the process is permitted for your document. A service being advertised online does not settle whether your particular declaration can be completed remotely.

Our main guide explains preparation and witnessing as separate steps. Budget for the valid process your recipient requires, rather than assuming that delivery of a PDF is the end of the task.

Tell the provider you have a prepared declaration, explain its purpose and destination, and ask whether it can take the declaration in the required capacity. Confirm the number of declarants and exhibits, what identification to bring, whether the document should remain unsigned, and the itemised total including any separately agreed services.

You can adapt this enquiry:

I have a prepared statutory declaration for [purpose], to be used in [country or organisation]. There is [one declarant / number of declarants] and [number or description of possible exhibits]. Can you confirm that you can take it in the required capacity?

Please confirm the witnessing and exhibit charges, any separate services, the total including VAT where applicable, and what I should bring. I will bring the document unsigned unless you advise otherwise.

If you do not know whether a supporting document is an exhibit, say so. A precise question is more helpful than an assumed count. Keep the reply with your appointment details and bring the recipient’s instructions.

Confirm the document type and wording before paying for preparation, then confirm the witness and any overseas requirements before the appointment. Check the draft carefully and take the required identification. The lowest useful price is the cost of the correct complete process, not a cheap document that the recipient cannot use.

• Use the recipient’s prescribed form when there is one.
• Do not buy a declaration if an existing certificate or accepted deed poll already meets the need.
• Separate the statutory witnessing fee from drafting, advice and notarial services.
• Check whether more than one original or more than one declarant is required.
• Arrange an apostille or translation only after confirming it is necessary.
• Check every name, date and statement before signing.

If a general declaration is suitable and you want help with preparation, the PDF service below is an optional way to get the document ready. The free official-form route remains the first check.