Build a proper affidavit, free
Proof of residence for the bank, an unemployment affidavit for a grant, a lost ID for Home Affairs, two spellings of your name that need reconciling. All of them are the same document underneath: a sworn statement in the form the oath regulations require, signed in front of a commissioner of oaths. Choose what it is for, fill in the facts, and the affidavit builds itself here in your browser. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Then do this, in this order
- 1Print it, do not sign itRegulation 3 says you sign in front of the commissioner. A signature done at home makes it worthless.
- 2Take it and your ID to a commissioner of oathsAny SAPS station does this at the counter. So do attorneys, bank branch managers and postmasters. Regulation 6 says they may not charge you for it.
- 3Answer the three questions honestlyThe commissioner must ask whether you know and understand the contents, whether you object to the oath, and whether you consider it binding on your conscience. Then you say the words, sign, and initial every page.
- 4Check the certificate before you leaveThe commissioner must sign, print their full name and business address, and state their designation and area, or the office they hold. A stamp with those details is fine. Without them the affidavit is not properly commissioned.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get an affidavit commissioned, and does it cost anything?
Any commissioner of oaths: a police officer at a SAPS station, an attorney, a bank branch manager, a postmaster, and many other office holders the Minister of Justice has designated. Regulation 6 of the oath regulations says a commissioner of oaths may not charge any fee for administering an oath or attesting a declaration, so the commissioning itself is free.
Do I sign the affidavit at home?
No. Regulation 3 says the deponent signs in the presence of the commissioner. Print it, take it and your identity document to the commissioner, and sign only when they tell you to. A pre-signed affidavit is invalid and most commissioners will refuse it.
What is the difference between swearing and affirming?
Both make the statement legally binding. An oath uses the words “I swear that the contents of this declaration are true, so help me God”. If you have a religious or personal objection to taking an oath, or do not regard it as binding on your conscience, the commissioner administers an affirmation instead: “I truly affirm that the contents of this declaration are true”. The builder lets you choose.
What happens if I lie in an affidavit?
A false statement in a sworn affidavit is perjury, a criminal offence. Say only what you personally know to be true, and say how you know it. If something is what you believe rather than know, the affidavit should say so.
Will SASSA, Home Affairs or the bank accept this affidavit?
Usually. It follows the standard South African form and the commissioner’s certificate required by Government Notice R1258 of 1972. Some institutions insist on their own printed form, so check first, and if they do, the wording here still tells you what to say on it.
Do I need to initial every page?
Yes, both you and the commissioner initial each page and sign the last one. That is why the builder keeps the affidavit short and why the sheet has an initials line at the foot.
Need a B-BBEE affidavit for a tender instead?
That one is on the dtic template with the ownership and turnover tests built in. Use the free B-BBEE affidavit builder, or have us prepare the whole tender pack for R490.
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This builder produces a template affidavit from your inputs, entirely in your browser; nothing is stored or sent to us. The oath, affirmation and certificate wording follow the Regulations Governing the Administering of an Oath or Affirmation, Government Notice R1258 of 21 July 1972 as amended, made under the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act 16 of 1963. It is a starting point, not legal advice. You are responsible for the truth of what you swear to.