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An affidavit of identity is a sworn statement of who you are. This fillable affidavit form is a free identity verification form with a signature and notary block. Banks, courts, agencies and businesses ask for it, especially when they need sworn identity proof.
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An affidavit of identity is a written statement in which you swear to your name and identity, then sign it so that a named recipient can rely on it. It serves two main purposes: to authenticate your identity and to verify your signature. The recipient gets more than your word, because the statement is sworn and tied to a document that shows who you are.
The person who signs is called the affiant. The recipient is the government agency or business that asked for the statement.
An affidavit of identity is one kind of identity verification form, the sworn kind, and the FormsPal template is signed by you and completed by a notary. Who may take an affidavit varies by state: in Virginia, for an oath or affidavit required by law that need not be made in court, Va. Code § 49-4 lists a magistrate, a notary, a commissioner in chancery, a judge or court clerk and other officers. Other identity verification forms are an organization’s own worksheet, which collects your details for that organization alone. If an organization hands you its own form, complete that one first, then ask whether it also wants a general affidavit.
You need an affidavit of identity when a bank, court, agency or business asks for sworn, written proof of who you are, and that recipient usually tells you so. Requests tend to come up in these situations:
Without an affidavit of identity, the agency or business asking for one might hold up the transaction until you can prove who you are some other way. That can cost you time and money, so ask early which proof the recipient accepts and whether a general affidavit is enough.
An identity theft affidavit reports that someone else used your information, while an affidavit of identity only swears to who you are. They are separate documents, so ask the agency or creditor which one it wants. FormsPal also has the FTC identity theft affidavit and the IRS identity theft affidavit.
The IRS Identity theft guide for individuals says most people don’t need to file Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. The IRS Identity theft guide for individuals says to file it only if the IRS tells you to, you can’t use the Identity and Tax Return Verification Service, or you want to tell the IRS about possible tax-related identity theft it doesn’t have on file, like a data breach. The IRS Identity theft guide for individuals also lists cases where you should not file, including identity theft that isn’t tax-related, and its steps for a stolen identity include the recovery steps on IdentityTheft.gov.
An affidavit of identity includes your full name, a statement tying you to an attached document, the recipient’s name, a promise to cover claims, the date, your signature and a notary section. This table shows each part on the FormsPal template.
| Part of the form | What goes in it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Affiant name | Your full name, as on your ID | Says who is swearing |
| Identity statement | The name shown in the attached document, with “am” or “am not” | Links you to that document |
| Recipient statement | The agency or business receiving the affidavit | Says who can rely on it |
| Hold harmless statement | The recipient’s name again | Promises to cover claims if a statement proves wrong |
| Date and signature | The date, then your signature | Shows when you made the statement |
| Notary section | Completed by the notary public | Records where and before whom you swore |
Some recipients also want your date of birth, your address or the ID document details, which they can match to their own records. Extra details are especially useful if you have a common name, such as James Williams or Tom Johnson, because they separate you from other people with that name.
Add your Social Security number only when the recipient asks for it, and ask whether its last digits are enough. An affidavit is a paper you hand to other people, so leave out what they do not need.
Tip: Check that your name, date of birth and address match your official ID exactly before you sign.
Fill out an affidavit of identity by entering your name, the numbered statements and the date, then signing with the notary in front of you. You can use our free affidavit of identity form, which comes in three formats: PDF, DOC, or ODT. Go through the steps below in order and complete the template by entering your details on the matching lines. Download the PDF, fill it in on screen, then print it to be signed.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Affidavit of Identity template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Start with your full name. Write it on the line after “the undersigned” in the opening sentence. The form calls you the Affiant: “Being first duly sworn, the undersigned, [Name of the affiant] (“Affiant”), hereby states as follows.”
Item 1 says who you are. Write the name shown in the attached document and keep the “am” or “am not” that applies to you: “I am/am not the same person known as [Name of the affiant] shown in the document attached hereto.”
Item 2 names the government agency or business entity that will receive the affidavit: “This affidavit is given to [Name of the Recipient] and may be relied upon by them in good faith.”
Item 3 says you will hold the recipient harmless if the information turns out to be wrong. Enter the recipient’s name here. The wording on the form is:
“If any representation made herein provides to be incorrect for any reason, and a claim is made, Affiant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless [Name of the recipient] from any and all claims and damages, including litigation costs and attorneys’ fees arising as a result of such claim.”
Read that statement before you sign, because it is a promise to pay for the recipient’s losses if your information proves wrong. The date of the affidavit goes next, along with this statement: “IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Affiant has executed this Affidavit of Identity as of the date and year first above written.” Your signature comes last, so leave that line blank until you meet the notary.
Sign on the signature line under the IN WITNESS WHEREOF statement, with the notary watching. The notary block sits below it. Make a copy of the finished affidavit for your records, and ask the recipient whether they need the original or a copy.
The template ends with a notary section, which the notary public completes. It shows the state and county where you sign, a statement that the affidavit was signed and sworn before the notary, the notary’s signature and the date the notary’s commission expires. That wording is a signed and sworn statement, not a notary acknowledgment.
Tip: Bring an official photo ID when you meet the notary public, so it is easy to verify your identity.
Most problems with an affidavit of identity are small mismatches that a recipient or notary can spot quickly, so check the form for these before your appointment:
This affidavit of identity sample shows how the template’s wording reads once it is filled in, using made-up entries so you can compare it with your own draft before printing.
Sample only. Every name and date below is made up.
AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY
Being first duly sworn, the undersigned, Jordan A. Sample (“Affiant”), hereby states as follows.
1. I am the same person known as Jordan A. Sample shown in the document attached hereto.
2. This affidavit is given to Example Community Bank and may be relied upon by them in good faith.
3. If any representation made herein provides to be incorrect for any reason, and a claim is made, Affiant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Example Community Bank from any and all claims and damages, including litigation costs and attorneys’ fees arising as a result of such claim.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Affiant has executed this Affidavit of Identity as of the date and year first above written. March 3, 2026. Signature: Jordan A. Sample.
Notary section: Example State, Example County. Signed and sworn to before me by Jordan A. Sample. Notary signature: Casey Example. Commission expires: June 30, 2029.
To get an affidavit of identity notarized, take the completed but unsigned form and your ID to a notary public, then swear to the statement and sign while the notary watches. A visit usually runs in this order:
Notary rules vary by state. This table covers only California and Virginia, the states whose official sources we read for this page.
| State and topic | What the official source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California: appearing before the notary | A person must be physically present before the notary for acts like acknowledgments or jurats. A video image is not a personal appearance. | California Secretary of State notary FAQ |
| California: passports as ID | A U.S. passport can be accepted as satisfactory evidence of the signer’s identity, and a California notary can accept a U.S. Passport Card. | Cal. Civ. Code § 1185(b)(3)(B) |
| Virginia: documents as ID | Satisfactory evidence of identity includes unexpired documents with your photo and signature, such as a U.S. passport, a state driver’s license or a state ID card. | Va. Code § 47.1-2 |
| Virginia: witnesses as ID | Identity can also rest on the oath of one credible witness personally known to the notary who personally knows you, or of two credible witnesses who each personally know you and show the notary such a document. A witness has to be unaffected by the document or transaction. | Va. Code § 47.1-2 |
| Virginia: expired ID in care homes | Only for a resident of an assisted living facility or nursing home covered by the section, a listed ID that expired within five years of its use can also identify that person. | Va. Code § 47.1-2 |
| Virginia: online notarization | Remote online notarization is an electronic notarization where the signer is not in the notary’s physical presence. Identification can use video and audio conference technology if it meets the section’s standards and is confirmed by personal knowledge, a credible witness or at least two listed identity checks. | Va. Code § 47.1-2 |
In any other state, ask the notary before your visit which ID they accept and whether they can work online.
After you sign your affidavit of identity, deliver it to the recipient in the way they ask, and keep your copy somewhere safe because it holds your personal details. Check whether the recipient wants anything sent with it, such as a copy of the document your identity statement mentions.
Ask the recipient to confirm that the affidavit arrived and is enough for their process. If they find a mismatch, correct the details on a new form and swear to it again, rather than changing a signed copy by hand.
You can get an affidavit of identity by building one with the Create My Document button on this page or by downloading the free template as a PDF, DOC or ODT file. Either way, you finish the FormsPal form by signing in front of a notary.
No single standard affidavit of identity form appears in the official sources we read for this page, and a recipient can have wording of its own. Before you write an affidavit of identity from scratch, ask the recipient whether it has a preferred form. If it does not, use the parts in the table above as your outline.
The FormsPal affidavit of identity template prints no expiry date for your statement, but the recipient decides how recent an affidavit has to be. The only expiry date on the form belongs to the notary’s commission. The official sources we read set no shelf life for this document, so ask the recipient if yours is not recent.
One FormsPal affidavit of identity names one recipient, in the second and third statements, so each recipient normally gets its own copy with its own name. A recipient that is not named has no statement saying it can rely on the form, so fill out a new one for each.
Fill in your name, the recipient and your other details before you see the notary, but leave the signature line blank until you are with them. Signing in front of the notary lets them watch you sign, and the form’s notary section says the affidavit was signed and sworn before them.
An affidavit of identity is your own sworn statement, while a notary acknowledgment is a notarial act about your signature on a document. Va. Code § 47.1-2 defines an acknowledgment as a notarial act where you, at a single time and place, appear in person before the notary, present the document, are personally known to the notary or identified through satisfactory evidence of identity, and indicate that your signature was voluntarily affixed for the purposes stated in it and, if applicable, that you had due authority to sign in a representative capacity. Other states word this differently.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
