What Is a Statutory Declaration? (UK Guide)
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Who should skip this
Skip a statutory declaration for PE2/PE3 parking forms, Gender Recognition Act forms, or professional admission declarations: those have free official forms. Skip it if a court wants an affidavit instead.
Checked by Sarah Ellison, paralegal — last reviewed 22 August 2026
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What is a statutory declaration?
A statutory declaration is a written statement of fact that you declare to be true before an authorised witness. The Statutory Declarations Act 1835, section 20 and its Schedule, prescribe the exact form. It is not sworn on oath: that is an affidavit, which is sworn evidence for court under the Oaths Act 1978.
Stat decs are for non-court, administrative matters: name changes in Scotland, proving you are free to marry abroad, identity discrepancies, lost documents. WARNING: it is a criminal offence under section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911, punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment, knowingly to make a false statutory declaration. Do not sign this document until you are in front of your witness.
If a court has asked for an affidavit, skip this product. If you need a deed poll for an everyday UK name change in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that is usually the simpler instrument — two independent witnesses, no solicitor visit.
What can I use one for?
We generate tailored PDFs for a change of name (£9.99 — the standard route in Scotland), single status or freedom to marry abroad (£14.99), one-and-the-same-person identity discrepancies (£9.99), lost documents (£9.99), and a general-purpose generator (£9.99) where you write your own numbered paragraphs.
Links: name-change declaration, single status, identity, lost documents. Parking PE2/PE3 forms, Gender Recognition Act forms and professional admission declarations have free official forms — do not pay us for those.
How much does a statutory declaration cost?
The witnessing fee is fixed by law at £5 plus £2 per exhibit. Many high-street solicitors charge only that. Others add £10–£30 appointment fees; remote video witnessing is often around £55 plus VAT; notaries charge £50–£150. JPs and county-court officers can witness free by appointment.
A solicitor may quote £25–£55 to draft a statutory declaration. Our tailored PDF is £9.99, and the statutory witnessing fee is fixed by law at £5. Full breakdown: statutory declaration costs. Who can sign: who can witness. Apostilles for use abroad are extra: £45 paper or £35 e-Apostille (GOV.UK legalisation, checked 13 August 2026).
Does a statutory declaration expire?
Not by law — there is no statutory expiry date. Recipients impose their own freshness rules: banks commonly want a declaration made within the last three months, and HM Passport Office around six. Check what your receiving organisation requires before you book the witnessing appointment.
For weddings abroad, confirm the local authority’s window with the planner before you pay a solicitor. Generating the PDF is instant; the appointment and any apostille are the slow steps.
Which stat decs should I NOT pay for?
Some declarations have free prescribed forms, and paying anyone for them is a waste: PE2 and PE3 parking declarations (free GOV.UK forms, witnessed free at a county court), Gender Recognition Act declarations, and SRA or GPhC professional admission declarations. Use the official form, not a generic generator.
Read the free PE2/PE3 route and when to use the free official forms. If a destination needs a Certificate of No Impediment rather than a declaration, that is a register-office product we do not sell — see freedom to marry.
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