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21 April 2021

A guide to Oaths and Affirmations in the UK

Woodcock Notary explains the difference between an oath and an affirmation.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Please note: this blog was last updated 26 March 2025.

If you are attending your British citizenship ceremony, you will be asked to take either an oath or an affirmation of your allegiance to the Monarch and the United Kingdom.

Similarly, if you are called as a witness to give evidence in a criminal proceeding, you will be asked to take an oath or affirmation that you will tell the truth to the court.

Notaries have the power to witness the signing of both oaths and affirmations. Additionally, if you need to use your oath or affirmation abroad, we can notarise it for you. If you need our assistance with any of these services, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Difference between an oath and affirmation

An oath is a solemn promise to tell the truth that is sworn to God and is a religious pledge. This is sometimes made on the Bible, or the Holy Book of the faith that the person giving the oath follows. If you wish to swear on your faith’s Holy Book, you must bring it with you.

An affirmation, which has existed in English law since the Quakers Act 1965, is a solemn and formal declaration that the statement to be made is true. The affirmation includes no reference to God. It is a secular pledge that can be made by:

Someone who does not believe in God
Anyone without a strong religious commitment
Somebody who has conscientious objections against swearing to God

An affirmation and an oath are of equal value and have the same legal effect. The two versions exist to fit religious and secular individuals, and it is up to you which one you choose.

Examples of oaths and affirmations

Below are examples of allegiance oaths and affirmations, and witness oaths and affirmations.

Allegiance Oath – Christian

“I, [name], swear by almighty God that, on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her Heirs and Successors, according to the law.”

Allegiance Affirmation

“I, [name], do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her Heirs and Successors, according to law.”

Witness Oath – Christian

“I swear by almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

Witness Affirmation

“I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

British overseas territories have their own variants of the oaths for those who are applying for citizenship.

Notarise oaths or affirmations

Oaths and affirmations can be made for many reasons, and in many situations, you may also need to use them abroad. For example, if you have made an oath or affirmation in the UK for legal proceedings in another country.

For you to be able to use your statement in a foreign jurisdiction, it will first need to be notarised so that it is recognised as a valid document. Our Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock, can carry out this incredibly important task for you, as well as act as a witness to you signing your oath or affirmation.

To book your notary appointment, you can contact us by phone, email, our website chatbot, or by using our submission form. Then, you can discuss your needs with a friendly member of our experienced team.

Your appointment can take place at one of our offices in London, Manchester or Sheffield, whichever is the most convenient for you. If you do not live near one of these places or cannot make it to one of our offices, then you can use our mobile notary service through which we serve areas throughout the UK. This allows you to have your notary appointment at your home, office, café, or another suitable location, and it can even be outside of our usual office hours.

Once it has been notarised, your oath or affirmation will then need to be legalised for it to be accepted as a valid document where you want to go. Depending on where you are going to, it will either need an apostille, or go through embassy legalisation. We can assist you with both.

Get in touch with us today to discuss the witnessing, notarising, and legalising of your oaths and affirmations.

What is the British citizenship ceremony?

Oaths and affirmations can be given in either Welsh or English. Examples in both English and Welsh can be found on the Government’s guidance for citizenship ceremonies.

The citizenship ceremony is for those who have successfully applied and are over 18; it is a requirement that they attend. Children can attend with their family members if the child applied with their parents. Children do not have to do the oath or affirmation, but they can if they wish. Two guests can be invited, but you can ask about inviting more.

More information on British citizenship

If you read this post as you wanted to know about oaths and affirmations as part of the British citizenship ceremony, then we recommend that you read posts on our Woodcock Law website, which cover different aspects of naturalisation and British citizenship.

We have a general guide to British naturalisation certificates for those who want general information.

There is also a post on how to go about replacing your naturalisation certificate.

Additionally, we have created a guide on when the best time to start preparing your naturalisation application documents is.

Finally, we have a useful guide on naturalisation referees that are needed for a successful application.

READY FOR ASSISTANCE?

If you have any questions about our notary, apostille or consular services,
contact Woodcock Notary Public today.

Call us on 0800 049 2471 (free to call) or email info@woodcocknotarypublic.com.

If you have any questions about our notary, apostille or consular services, contact Woodcock Notary Public today.