An affidavit of single status is a document that is used by US citizens that plan to get married in another country. It is not a required form in some jurisdictions, but having an affidavit is necessary to confirm that a person does not have a current marriage and is free to enter into official relationships under the laws of the country of destination.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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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.
To be legally valid, an affidavit has to be acknowledged by a notary public. It might also need to be apostilled in order to be accepted by the foreign country.
Whether or not you will need to apostille the affidavit depends on the destination country. Affidavits have to be apostilled when you plan to get married in a country that is a member of the Hague Convention of 1961. In countries that are not members of the Convention, the affidavit needs to be legalized.
There is no government-issued document that would state that a person can legally marry. This is why you should not request any form letters from local county clerks because a letter cannot then be acknowledged by notary public, and consequently, does not have required legal force.
A single status affidavit is short. It names you, states your marital status, and carries your signature and a notary acknowledgement. The first list below shows the basic details. The second list shows extra details that some countries may ask you to add.
New to this step? Read about the notary acknowledgement before your appointment.
This fillable affidavit form always has to include the following information:
Some countries might also require affiants to include in their affidavits:
An affidavit of single status is a relatively simple document that is easy to fill out once you have found a good form. If you want to save time, use the affidavit form provided on our website – it is totally free and easy to download.
Many jurisdictions require affidavits of single status to be apostilled. Along with that, you might need to attach a copy of your driver’s license, a document proving that you have divorced or that you are a widow or a widower (divorce decree or death certificate of your former spouse respectively).
Please note that in such cases, you might have to wait a state-required period before you can get married again. For example, if you plan to get married in Italy after divorce or death of your former spouse, you might need to wait for at least three hundred days before you can remarry.
This is why you should carefully check current regulations of the destination country in relation to marriage.
Filling out a single status affidavit takes five short steps. You enter your personal details, choose a sworn statement, and add the date and your signature. Then a notary completes the notarization. Have these details ready before you start:
Step 1 – Name and address of the affiant
The affidavit of single status should start with you stating your name and place of residence (including street, city, state, and postal code). The document should then state that you have personally appeared in front of the notary public and under oath or affirmation made the following statements.
Step 2 – Place of birth, citizenship, and number of the document provided
Then, the document should tell when you were born and where (including city and county). Next, specify citizenship of what country you have. After that, mention the number of your passport or driver’s license.
Step 3 – Sworn statement
In the next part of your affidavit, write down one of the statements. First one should be that you are currently single and have never been married before. The second one should be that you were divorced or widowed and are currently single.
Step 4 – Date and signature
Date your affidavit and put your signature along with your print name.
Step 5 – Notary acknowledgement
The last step to filling out the affidavit and making it legally valid is acknowledging the document in front of a notary public. They should state that the affidavit was signed before them and that you are the person whose name is presented in the document that you provided. Then, the notary should sign the document and stamp it including the date of executing the affidavit. The date of their commission expiration should be included as well.
You can build the affidavit on this page in about 4 steps. Each step is quick, and you can stop and come back later.
Here is how a completed single status affidavit might read. The details are made up.
A few small slips can make a single status affidavit harder to use. The list below covers the 5 most common ones, so you can avoid typos, missing papers, and extra trips to the notary.
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 flat folder keeps your papers clean and uncreased on the trip.
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. Getting clear answers early makes the whole trip, and the marriage plans behind it, much less stressful.
These answers cover the questions people ask most often while they fill out a single status affidavit. They explain how the online form works, which statement to choose, and what to do with the finished document.
The form asks for 5 groups of details: your name and address, your date and place of birth, your citizenship, and your ID number. It then asks you to choose a sworn statement, and it has space for the date and your signature.
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. Ask for 2 copies of the notarized affidavit if you plan to hand one to a foreign office and keep the other.
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. Confirm the details with them before you travel. Then you will know whether it also wants other papers, such as your birth certificate.
Yes. FormsPal's form asks a few questions, then builds the document for you. You can save your progress, finish on any device, and download or print the complete form. If you prefer the PDF file, you can fill it in with the online PDF editor.
The form offers two statements:
Choose the one that describes you.
No. In 2 of the 2 states FormsPal's verified state data covers, the office issues a document saying that a search was made and nothing was found when the search of the vital records system finds no matching record. A single status affidavit is a different document. You sign it yourself and state your marital status under oath.
Ask the office, embassy, or consulate that requested the affidavit what it wants to see, such as wording, extra pages, or copies. Compare that list with your form before you sign.
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.
You can create one with FormsPal above or download the PDF file.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
