Notary glossary
Sworn Statement
A sworn statement is any statement made under oath or affirmation that its contents are true. The oath is what makes it sworn, taken in front of someone authorised to administer one, which for most everyday paperwork means a notary public.
What makes a statement sworn
Two things. You declare, out loud and to an authorised officer, that what the document says is true. And that officer records the fact that you did so, which for a notary means completing a jurat certificate: “sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me.”
Signing a document on your own does not make it sworn, however serious the wording. Without the oath and the certificate there is nothing to show the statement was made under oath, and a receiving agency will usually send it back.
Sworn statement and affidavit
An affidavit is a sworn statement in writing. Every affidavit is a sworn statement; not every sworn statement is called an affidavit. “Sworn statement” is the broader phrase and shows up on forms that avoid legal-sounding titles, insurance loss statements, contractor statements, employment declarations.
The practical difference is naming, not substance. Both are made under penalty of perjury before a notary, and most take a jurat rather than an acknowledgment: the vital-records sworn statements described below are the main exception.
Where sworn statements show up
Insurance claims, construction paperwork, permit applications, school residency forms, estate matters and small-claims filings all use them. Many are city or county forms that carry the oath language and notary block already printed at the bottom. California and Texas vital-records offices use one too: the sworn statement on the birth or death certificate application is how you prove you are entitled to a certified copy.
If a form says “being duly sworn,” “under penalty of perjury” alongside a notary block, or “sworn to before me,” it is a sworn statement and you will take an oath during the appointment.
Saying it without swearing
If you would rather not swear, you can affirm instead. An affirmation is a solemn declaration that the statement is true, made without religious reference, and it carries exactly the same legal weight. Notaries offer it routinely, the certificate wording already allows for it.
What a sworn statement looks like
The most widely used sworn statement in the country is probably the one on the last page of California’s birth certificate application (form VS 111; the statement itself is numbered VS 20). It is a good model because it has the three parts every sworn statement needs: the facts being sworn to, the penalty-of-perjury wording, and a notary certificate completed in the signer’s presence.
Sworn Statement
I, ______ (applicant’s printed name), declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that I am an authorized person, as defined in California Health and Safety Code Section 103526(c), and am eligible to receive a certified copy of the birth, death, or marriage certificate of the following individual(s):
Registrant: ______ Applicant’s relationship to registrant: ______
(The remaining information must be completed in the presence of a Notary Public.)
Subscribed to this ___ day of ______, 20__, at ______, ______. ______ (Applicant’s signature)
Certificate of Acknowledgment: State of ______, County of ______. On ______ before me, ______, personally appeared ______, who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person whose name is subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that they executed the same. Witness my hand and official seal. (SEAL)
Condensed from CDPH form VS 111 (01/2026), page 4. One wrinkle: California and Texas attach a certificate of acknowledgment to the sworn statement rather than a jurat, so the notary certifies who signed and the penalty-of-perjury wording in the statement carries the oath. New York City’s application does it the other way, with a jurat: “subscribed and sworn before me.”
Which states use the name “sworn statement”
“Sworn statement” is not a term of art in most state notary laws; it is a title agencies put on forms. Two states put it on one of the most-requested government documents there is, the application for a certified birth, death or marriage certificate. Several more require a notarized signature on that application without calling it a sworn statement, and a handful use the phrase for construction-lien paperwork.
Vital records: the form is titled “Sworn Statement”
California · Sworn Statement (VS 20), page 4 of the birth, death and marriage certificate applications VS 111, VS 112 and VS 113
Required for every authorized (certified) copy and must be notarized when the application is mailed; not needed for an informational copy. Health & Safety Code §103526. County recorders use the same page.
Texas · Sworn Statement with Certificate of Acknowledgment, attached to county-clerk and local-registrar birth and death certificate applications
Since 1 September 2015, Health & Safety Code §191.0031 bars a registrar from mailing a certified copy without notarized proof of identity. The state office (DSHS) has you sign the application before a notary; most county clerks (Tarrant, Bexar, Johnson and others) add a separate page titled Sworn Statement.
Vital records: notarized signature required, under another name
New York City · Birth certificate application VR 69, Section Four “Notarize Your Application”
A jurat (“subscribed and sworn before me”) plus a copy of photo ID, on every mailed request. New York State outside the five boroughs does not require a notary.
Minnesota · Birth and death certificate application: “Sign this form in front of a notary public”
Required on every mailed or faxed request for a certified copy, whatever ID you enclose (Minnesota Rules 4601.2600). Non-certified copies are exempt.
Iowa · Application for a certified copy of a vital record
“All applications must be notarized,” plus a photocopy of government photo ID.
Arizona · Application for Certified Copy of an Arizona Birth Certificate
By mail, a photocopy of both sides of your ID or a notarized signature on the application. In person, ID only.
Montana · Birth and death certificate application; Notarized Statement to Identify Applicant
Enclose a copy of your ID or have the application notarized. Applications are not accepted by email.
Wyoming · Notarized Statement of Identification (“Notarized Signature Statement”)
A notarized signature takes the place of the ID photocopy. The excessive-copies form (four or more lifetime copies) must be notarized as well.
Missouri · Application for Missouri Vital Record: “Mail-in requests must be notarized”
Every mailed application is signed before a notary, who completes “subscribed, declared and affirmed before me”; the notary’s identity check replaces the ID copy.
North Dakota, South Dakota and Tennessee · Birth record request forms
A copy of your photo ID or, if none is enclosed, the application signed in front of a notary.
Construction and lien law: “sworn statement” is the statutory name
Michigan · Sworn Statement, Construction Lien Act (MCL 570.1110)
Contractors and subcontractors give the owner a notarized sworn statement listing everyone who supplied labor or materials before each payment.
Illinois · Contractor’s sworn statement (770 ILCS 60/5)
Due before an owner pays a general contractor; under oath or verified by affidavit, so in practice notarized.
Florida · Sworn Statement of Account (§713.16, Florida Statutes)
A lienor must answer an owner’s written demand with a statement under oath within 30 days or lose the lien.
Minnesota · Sworn Construction Statement
Lenders and title escrow companies require it from the owner and general contractor on construction loans, signed before a notary.
Not every document called a sworn statement is notarized. Army DA Form 2823 is sworn before an officer, and CalFresh and Medi-Cal income sworn statements are signed under penalty of perjury with no notary at all. When a form says “sworn statement” and has a notary block, assume it must be notarized. Form names and rules checked October 2026; confirm with the issuing office before mailing.
Common questions
What is the difference between a sworn statement and an affidavit?
An affidavit is a sworn statement in writing. The terms are used interchangeably in practice; “sworn statement” is simply the broader phrase, and many forms use it instead of “affidavit.” Both need an oath before a notary and both take a jurat.
Does a sworn statement have to be notarized?
It has to be sworn before someone authorised to administer an oath, which in most everyday situations is a notary. Some court filings accept an unsworn declaration made under penalty of perjury instead, check what the receiving party requires.
Which states require a notarized sworn statement to get a birth certificate?
California and Texas put a page titled “Sworn Statement” in their vital-records applications and require it to be notarized when the request is mailed. New York City, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri require the application signature itself to be notarized. Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Tennessee accept a notarized signature in place of a photocopy of your ID. Most other states ask for a copy of your ID instead.
Related terms
Affidavit
A written statement of facts that the signer swears or affirms is true in front of a notary. City permit packets are full of them: owner-builder affidavits, roofing affidavits, survey affidavits. An affidavit needs a jurat, not an acknowledgment.
Jurat
A notarial act where you sign the document in the notary's presence and swear or affirm that its contents are true. The certificate reads "sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me". Affidavits and sworn applications use a jurat.
Acknowledgment
A notarial act where you declare to the notary that you signed a document willingly. You can sign before the meeting; the notary confirms your identity and your acknowledgment, then completes the certificate. Deeds, powers of attorney and most agreements use an acknowledgment. Contrast a jurat, where you sign in front of the notary and swear the contents are true.
Oath
A sworn promise that a statement is true, made to the notary before signing an affidavit or sworn application. An affirmation is the non-religious equivalent.
Declaration
An unsworn written statement signed under penalty of perjury. Federal law and most states let a declaration stand in for an affidavit in many filings, which means it usually needs no notary at all. An affidavit is the sworn version, and that one does.
Self-proving affidavit
A sworn statement attached to a will, signed by the testator and the witnesses in front of a notary, confirming that the will was properly signed and witnessed. It lets a probate court accept the will without tracking the witnesses down years later.
General notary practice, not legal advice, rules on identification, witnesses and which documents may be notarized online are set by each state. See the requirements page for your state, or browse the full notary glossary.
The notary guides cover where to get a document notarized and what each option will and will not handle, the FAQs explain how a session runs, and the document guides cover specific paperwork. When you are ready, start a session.