Making a Commonwealth statutory declaration with a witness

To make a valid declaration, you must use an approved form. You cannot create your own form.

You can use the online form on our website or fill in the blank PDF or Word document versions.

Download the Commonwealth statutory declaration form – to be made with a witness

If someone has given you a copy of the form, you should first confirm it is a Commonwealth statutory declaration in the approved form.

If it is a state or territory declaration, find out more about state and territory statutory declarations.

Fill in sections 1, 2 and 4 of the statutory declaration (details of the declarant and the matter to be declared).

Do not sign the form, add the date or include witness details until you are with your witness (whether in person or remotely).If you require more space than the blank PDF form allows, you can use the Microsoft Word (DOCX) or online-generated version of the form.

Alternatively, you can print out a blank form and handwrite your statutory declaration. Ensure that your handwriting is legible and attach additional pages if you run out of space. You may use any colour pen you like, as long as it is easy to read and legible. We do not recommend using pencil as it can be easily erased.

If you are meeting with your witness in person and signing with wet ink, print your completed Commonwealth statutory declaration to prepare for witnessing.

If you are having your statutory declaration witnessed remotely and are signing electronically , save a copy ready to provide to your witness.

It is your responsibility to locate and arrange witnessing with an approved person. This may be someone you know or an approved witness with a business location nearby. We suggest contacting the approved witness ahead of time to ensure they are available and willing to witness your declaration.

If you plan to use a video link to complete the Commonwealth statutory declaration (where you and the witness are not physically in the same room and the witnessing will take place through a video link program such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype), you should verify the contact details of the witness, their email address, and their comfort level with the remote-witnessing process. This will help to ensure a smooth and successful process.

If the approved witness is unsure how to witness a Commonwealth statutory declaration, you can direct them to this page for instructions, and information for approved witnesses for further information.

Please note that we do not maintain a list of specific witnesses and are unable to help you locate one. If you are having trouble finding an approved witness in your area, Justices of the Peace are a commonly accessible witness.

Meet with your approved witness, either in person or through video link (for example, over Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams or Facetime).

When the approved witness is ready to observe you, you can sign section 3 - the ‘declarant’ signature section. You will need to sign every page of the declaration, including any extra pages or attachments. You can sign by pen (a ‘wet-ink’ signature) or electronically.

The witness needs to watch you as you are signing. If the witness is witnessing your signature over video link, you must position the camera so that the witness can see you sign the form (whether by pen or through electronic signature).

Next, fill in sections 5-7, which indicate where and when the declaration was made.

Once you have signed the Commonwealth statutory declaration, it's time for the witness to sign it as well. There are several ways to do this, including handing it over in person, emailing a scanned copy, or sharing the document with the witness on your device.

The witness does not need to sign the same document as you have signed, as long as they are satisfied it is a genuine copy. They can do this by checking that the number of pages, name of the declarant, and the number of paragraphs match up with the original declaration.

If the witness has any doubts about the validity of the declaration, they have the right to refuse to witness it. For example, if they suspect that the declarant is being coerced or acting fraudulently.

If the witness is satisfied, they will complete sections 8, 9 and 10 of the form, which provide the signature and details of the witness.. They must sign and date every page of the declaration, including any extra pages or attachments.

Signatures can be done by hand with a pen, or electronically.

Finally, the witness can return the completed form to the declarant in person or by email..

Once your witness has signed and returned the Commonwealth statutory declaration to you, follow the instructions of the person or organisation that asked for the declaration regarding where and how to submit it.

Do not send your statutory declaration to us. We do not process statutory declarations.

If you have further questions or concerns about how to execute the document, or where to send it, contact the person or organisation that asked for it.

If you are the person making the Commonwealth statutory declaration, you have to be the person to sign it. You can make another mark (like an ‘X’) in place of a signature if you are:

• unable to read
• visually impaired or blind
• physically unable to sign.

If you cannot read or are visually impaired or blind, your approved witness must:

• read the Commonwealth statutory declaration aloud or have the document read aloud to you in their presence
• be satisfied that you have understood what was read aloud
• certify on the statutory declaration:
  • that the statutory declaration was read aloud to you
  • they are satisfied that you have understood what was read aloud.

Your witness must then write next to the mark you have made:

'I, being the person before whom this Commonwealth statutory declaration is made, certify that this mark was placed by [declarant's full name] on this Commonwealth statutory declaration in my presence.'

When signing a Commonwealth statutory declaration, both you and the approved witness have the option to use an electronic signature or a traditional 'wet ink' (pen) signature. There are several ways to include an electronic signature in the Microsoft Word or PDF versions of the form, such as:

• Pasting an image of your handwritten signature
• Creating an electronic signature using the 'draw function' in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat
• Utilizing a program or software that supports electronic signatures, like Adobe or DocuSign
• Typing your name into the signature section

If you're uncertain how to add an electronic signature, the internet offers a number of helpful resources and guidance for incorporating them into Microsoft Word and PDF documents.

The declarant and witness should sign and complete their respective sections and return the completed Commonwealth statutory declaration to the declarant in the same space of time.

This should be in the course or a single in-person visit or video call.

Visit information for approved witnesses for further information and frequently asked questions.

The Statutory Declarations Act 1959 does not require any party to record the witnessing of a Commonwealth statutory declaration.

You may choose to record the conversation if you wish, or if required under other legislation. However, you must have both parties’ permission to do so.