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An affidavit of single status is your sworn statement of being unmarried. US citizens use it to show a registry office abroad that they are free to marry. Our free form and PDF fit never-married, divorced and widowed people planning a marriage abroad.
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You get an affidavit of single status by preparing it yourself from a form, then swearing to it and signing it at a jurat appointment. No office writes it for you. The form below does the drafting part, and the steps after it walk you through the rest.
The form is free to create, save, download and print. You can stop partway and finish on another device.
A single status affidavit is a short written statement about your marital status. You sign it under oath and say that you are currently unmarried. That can be true for one of three reasons:
People usually ask for a single status affidavit when they plan to marry in another country.
The person who signs it is the affiant. The affiant writes and swears to the statement. The notary gives the oath and completes the jurat, which records that you swore to and signed the statement (Fla. Stat. § 117.05 words it "Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me"). The jurat does not prove whether you are married; your oath covers that part.
Offices and search engines use several names for this paper. An affidavit of marital status, an affidavit of singleness, an affidavit of bachelorhood and a declaration of single status usually mean the same sworn statement. A request may instead name a certificate of no impediment or a certificate of free status. The requesting office decides which paper it accepts, so ask it which name and wording it wants, then match your title to it.
A single status affidavit is short. It names you, says that you are unmarried, and carries your signature and a jurat block. The first list shows the basic details. The second list shows extra details that some countries may ask you to add.
Every version of this fillable affidavit form carries these basic details:
Some countries might also require affiants to include in their affidavits:
A divorced or widowed affiant usually backs the affidavit with proof of how the last marriage ended. The usual papers are:
Ask the registry office of the destination country whether a waiting period applies to a divorced or widowed person before you book a date.
You fill out a single status affidavit by entering your personal details, choosing one sworn statement, and dating it, then swearing to it and signing it at the jurat appointment. Have these details ready before you start:
Start the affidavit with your full name and your home address, including street, city and postal code. The next line says that you appeared in person and made the statements that follow under oath or affirmation.
Then write when and where you were born, including city and county. Name the country of your citizenship. Add the number of your passport or driver's license, copied exactly from the card.
Pick the one statement that is true for you. The first says that you are single and have never been married. The second says that you were divorced or widowed and are single now.
Print your name under the signature line and leave the date and signature for the appointment. Wait to sign until the notary tells you to.
The jurat is the last block of the affidavit, where the officer certifies that you swore or affirmed the statement and signed it in their presence. An acknowledgment is a different certificate with no oath wording: Florida words a jurat "Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me" and an acknowledgment "The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me" (Fla. Stat. § 117.05). What else the certificate shows, such as a seal or a commission date, differs from place to place. Check the date, the signature and the stamp before you leave.
You can build the affidavit on this page in about 4 steps. Each step is quick, and you can stop and come back later.
Prefer paper? Download the single status affidavit PDF and fill it in by hand, or type into it with the online PDF editor.
Here is how a completed single status affidavit might read. The details are made up.
Sample wording: "I, Anna Baker, being duly sworn, say that I am single and have never been married."
A single status affidavit is a statement you make yourself under oath, while a single status certificate is a paper that an office issues about you. They answer the same question from two sides. One is your own sworn word; the other is an office's answer. If a request names a certificate of no impediment or a certificate of free status, ask the requesting office which paper it accepts.
Searchers often ask for a "single status certificate" or for "proof that I am single". Which of the two papers counts as that proof is up to the office that asked for it. Some offices take the affidavit alone, some want both, and some want their own form. Ask before you prepare anything, so you do not pay for an appointment twice.
An apostille or a legalization is an extra certificate that lets an office in another country accept a notarized affidavit from the US. The affidavit itself stays the same; the certificate is added after the jurat.
In Texas, the Secretary of State is the only agency that can issue apostilles for Texas public records used outside the United States, and its list of documents includes original notarized affidavits (Texas Secretary of State). For a country outside the Apostille Convention, the same page says you also need an authentication from the Office of Authentications at the U.S. State Department (Texas Secretary of State). An affidavit signed at a US embassy or consulate abroad is a separate case: ask the requesting office what it needs for it.
Which of the two you get depends on the destination country, and the requesting office or that country's embassy can tell you. Ask these questions before your appointment:
Get the answers in writing, by email if you can, and keep them with your papers.
Most problems with a single status affidavit come from small slips on the page or missing papers at the appointment. The list below covers the usual ones:
If you need to change something after printing, create a new copy online instead of crossing out words on a signed page.
Once the affidavit is notarized, treat it like any other important paper. Store the original in a folder with your other personal documents, and keep a scan on your phone or in a secure cloud folder.
When you travel to marry abroad, carry the original and at least one copy. Some places keep the paper you hand over, so a spare copy saves you from starting again.
A short list of questions helps you avoid surprises at the registry office. Ask whoever requested the affidavit:
Write the answers down and keep them with your papers. Official websites and consulates in your area can often answer these questions by email or phone.
These answers cover the questions people ask most often about a single status affidavit, from writing it yourself to using it abroad.
Yes, you write the affidavit of single status yourself; the jurat only records that you swore to it and signed it. Our form gives you the wording, so you only add your details and choose your statement.
You can create one with FormsPal above or download the PDF file. Both are free, and the online version lets you save your progress and print the finished affidavit.
Our form is one general affidavit of single status, not a version for a single US place. What matters most is the destination country, so ask its registry office or embassy whether it wants special wording before you sign.
Choose the statement that describes you today. The first says that you are currently single and have never been married. The second says that you were divorced or widowed and are currently single.
Bring your printed single status affidavit, your photo ID, and any papers the requesting office asked for. Wait to sign until the notary tells you to. If you plan to hand one original to a foreign office and keep another, print a second copy and sign both at the appointment, so each is an original; a photocopy is only for your own files.
If you plan to marry abroad, ask the registrar in that country whether it accepts a notarized single status affidavit as proof of your marital status, or wants it sworn at a US embassy or consulate instead. Confirm the details with them before you travel. Then you will know whether it also wants other papers, such as your birth certificate.
Give it to the office or embassy that asked for it, together with any other papers on its list. Keep a copy for your own records.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
