On this page· 7 sections
A statutory declaration in Singapore is a written statement of facts that you formally declare to be true, in front of a commissioner for oaths. It’s made under the Oaths and Declarations Act 2000 and used outside court: by HDB, CPF Board, banks, insurers, schools and employers. It costs S$25, plus S$5 for each exhibit.
I’m Wahab, a commissioner for oaths in Singapore, and statutory declarations are most of what people bring me to commission. Most of them are simple. The ones that go wrong usually go wrong before the person walks in, so this guide covers what goes in one, how to make it, and the mistakes that send people home to start again.
What a statutory declaration is
The law is in Part 3 of the Oaths and Declarations Act 2000. Section 9 says any person may make a statutory declaration about any matter. Section 11 sets two rules for one made in Singapore:
- It must follow the form in the First Schedule to the Act.
- It must be made before a court, a person acting judicially, or a prescribed person. In practice, that means a commissioner for oaths.
The form is short. It opens with your name, address and occupation, then “do solemnly and sincerely declare”, then the facts, set out in numbered paragraphs if there are several. It closes by saying you make the declaration “conscientiously believing the statements contained in this declaration to be true in every particular”. You sign it in front of the commissioner, who signs and stamps it.
When you’ll be asked for one
Singapore bodies ask for statutory declarations when they need you to confirm something they can’t check themselves. The ones I see most often:
- Lost documents. A lost share certificate, insurance policy, title document or certificate.
- Housing and CPF. Declarations about who lives in a flat, a change of circumstances, or a relationship HDB or CPF Board needs confirmed.
- Names and identity. Confirming that two spellings of a name belong to the same person, or supporting a change of name by deed poll.
- Employment and education. Declaring past employment, income, or that a qualification is yours.
- Insurance claims. Setting out what happened, often with receipts or photos attached as exhibits.
If the body that asked for it gave you a template, use theirs. They’ll process it faster.
Statutory declaration or affidavit?
People mix these up, and they’re close cousins. The difference is where they go.
| Statutory declaration | Affidavit | |
|---|---|---|
| Used for | Agencies, banks, insurers, employers | Court proceedings |
| Law | Oaths and Declarations Act 2000 | Rules of Court and Family Justice Rules |
| Made before | Commissioner for oaths | Commissioner for oaths |
| Fee | S$25, plus S$5 per exhibit | S$25, plus S$5 per exhibit |
| If false | Offence under s14 of the Act | Offence of giving false evidence under the Penal Code |
If your document has a case number on it, it’s an affidavit.
How to make a statutory declaration in Singapore, step by step
- Write it or fill in the template. Put the facts in numbered paragraphs. Keep to what you personally know, and say where something is based on what you were told.
- Prepare the exhibits. Any document the declaration refers to (“a copy of the police report is attached and marked ‘A’”) must be attached, in order. Each one costs S$5 to mark.
- Leave it unsigned. Don’t sign or date it at home. The commissioner has to watch you sign.
- Book a commissioner. Message ahead so someone who can take the declaration is in the office. At A.W. Law we’re at Chinatown Point.
- Bring your original NRIC, FIN card or passport. A photo on your phone won’t do.
- Declare and sign. The commissioner checks your identity and that you understand the document. You declare it true and sign, and the commissioner signs and stamps it.
For one person with a finished declaration, it takes about 15 minutes.
Do you need a notary public for a statutory declaration?
Not if it’s going to be used in Singapore. A commissioner for oaths is all section 11 requires. Plenty of people pay a notary public for a declaration that HDB or their bank would have accepted with a commissioner’s stamp, and it costs them several times as much.
You need a notary public only when the declaration is going to a body overseas, which will usually also want an apostille from the Singapore Academy of Law. The fees for that are set out in notary public fees in Singapore, and the wider question of which one you need is covered in notary public vs commissioner for oaths.
The reverse situation is covered too. If you’re overseas and a Singapore body wants a declaration from you, section 12 of the Act lets you make it before a notary public or justice of the peace in a Commonwealth country, or before a Singapore consul or any locally authorised person elsewhere.
The part that matters most: it has to be true
A false statutory declaration is a crime. Under section 14 of the Act, knowingly declaring something false on a material point is punishable with up to 3 years’ jail and a fine. If the declaration is used in a court case, that goes up to 7 years.
I read every declaration with the person before they sign, and now and then someone realises a paragraph isn’t quite right. That’s the moment to fix it, not after it’s filed. Watch for dates you’ve guessed, amounts you’ve rounded, and statements about other people’s knowledge or intentions that you can’t actually confirm.
If the facts are disputed, or the declaration supports a claim for money, have it drafted properly. That’s legal work, quoted separately from the commissioning fee.
What to do next
If you have a statutory declaration ready, you can make it before a commissioner for oaths at our office at Chinatown Point for S$25, plus S$5 per exhibit. Message us with what it’s for and how many exhibits it has, then bring it in unsigned with your ID. You’ll leave with it declared and stamped, usually in about 15 minutes.
