Affidavits: prepared, sworn in person, kept.

A commissioner of oaths in South Africa takes your oath or affirmation; you sign the affidavit in front of them, in person (oath regulations, reg 3(1)). They may not charge a fee for this (reg 6). Members of the police are commissioners of oaths (GN 903 of 1998, item 63), so you can have an affidavit commissioned at a police station. KuduDoc lays out your everyday affidavit to print with the signature line blank, then seals the signed scan and keeps its date.

Need certified copies? Have them certified on paper, then keep a sealed scan in KuduDoc with the certification date. KuduDoc does not certify anything.

Last checked 25 September 2026

Prepare your affidavit Where to go On every plan, with a KuduDoc account.
Personal is free.

Prepare an affidavit

In your KuduDoc account · every plan

Proof of residence

The bill’s owner fills it in, then signs it in front of a commissioner of oaths.

Who asked for it? BankSchoolEmployerInsurerLicence officeCourt case

Deponent: the bill’s ownerThandi Grace Nkosi

Who lives thereLwazi Nkosi

Address on the bill27 Protea Road, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3201

The bill, attached as AMsunduzi municipal account, 1 September 2026

Your statement, in your own words

3. Lwazi Nkosi is my son. He has lived with me at this address since March 2024.

4. The municipal account for the property is in my name. A copy dated 1 September 2026 is attached, marked A.

Print on A4Download PDF

Print preview · page 2 of 2

Affidavit · proof of residenceT G Nkosi

Lwazi Nkosi is my son. He has lived with me at this address since March 2024.
The municipal account for the property is in my name. A copy dated 1 September 2026 is attached, marked A.

Signature of deponent

Commissioner of oaths

I certify that the deponent has acknowledged that they know and understand the contents of this declaration, which was sworn to or affirmed before me.

Signature Date Full names Place Business address Designation Area or office

Before you go

Printed 21 September 2026 · 2 pages, A4 · signature line blank

Take with you 3

PDF Proof of residence affidavitThe printed pages, unsigned Unsigned
Your IDIn case the commissioner asks to see it
PDF Msunduzi municipal account, 1 Sep 2026The affidavit refers to it, marked A

At the commissioner

Three questions about the contents and the oath
The oath, or an affirmation if you object to the oath
You sign in front of them, then they complete the certificate

Where to go

A police stationMembers of the police are commissioners of oaths. Walk in
An attorney or accountantMany commission affidavits. Ask first
A bank or Post OfficeSome staff are commissioners of oaths. Ask first

No fee for the oath (reg 6).SAPS list of stations

Affidavit, commissioned 22 September 2026

Proof of residence · filed in your Library

PDFAffidavit, commissioned 22 September 2026.pdf2 pages, in order · 1.4 MB Sealed

Commissioner’s date: 22 September 2026. Read from the certificate, confirmed by you.
Sealed: 22 September 2026, 16:40 SAST
Age limit: None set. Add the receiver’s limit

Kept in your Library 3

PDF Affidavit, commissioned 22 September 2026Proof of residence · 2 pages Sealed
PDF B-BBEE sworn affidavit, commissioned 3 March 202612 months from the commissioner’s date · first reminder 2 Dec 2026 Lasts until 2 Mar 2027
JPG Sealed scan of a certified copy · IDCertified on 15 Sep 2026 · shared view-only with Karoo Lettings until 15 Oct 2026 Usable until 15 Dec 2026

Reminders 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before, by default.Choose the days

Fill it in, print it with the signature line blank, and sign it in front of a commissioner of oaths. The signed scan comes back to KuduDoc, sealed, with the commissioner’s date.

How it works, in five steps

Fill in an everyday affidavit in KuduDoc, with the facts in your own words.
Print it on A4 and leave the signature line blank.
Take it to a commissioner of oaths, such as a police station, with your ID and anything it refers to.
Sign in front of the commissioner, who takes your oath or affirmation and completes the certificate below your signature.
Photograph the signed pages. KuduDoc seals the scan and files it with the commissioner’s date.

What a commissioner of oaths does

A commissioner of oaths takes your oath or affirmation and certifies below your signature that you made it. Some are appointed for an area, and others hold an office the Minister of Justice has designated in the Government Gazette (Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act, ss 5 and 6).

The three questions, then the oath

The commissioner asks whether you know and understand the contents, whether you object to taking the oath, and whether you consider it binding on your conscience (reg 2).

Then you say the oath:

“I swear that the contents of this declaration are true, so help me God.”

If you object, or it does not bind your conscience, you affirm instead:

“I truly affirm that the contents of this declaration are true”

(regs 1 and 2(3)).

Knowingly making a false statement in an affidavit is an offence, with the penalties for perjury (Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act, s9).

Sign in front of the commissioner

You sign the affidavit in the commissioner’s presence (reg 3(1)), so take it unsigned. If you cannot write, you make your mark in front of the commissioner instead (reg 3(2)).

What the commissioner writes under your signature

The commissioner certifies that you acknowledged you know and understand the contents, and states the manner, place and date. They sign, print their full name and business address, and state their designation and the area of their appointment or the office they hold (reg 4). The regulations do not require a stamp; some commissioners use one to print these details.

What it costs

Nothing for the oath. A commissioner of oaths may not charge a fee for administering an oath or affirmation or attesting a declaration (reg 6).

When a commissioner must say no

A commissioner may not administer an oath or affirmation about a matter in which they have an interest, apart from a few declarations listed in a schedule (reg 7). Choose one who has nothing to do with your matter.

What to take

The printed affidavit, unsigned.
Your ID, in case the commissioner asks to see it.
Anything the affidavit refers to, such as the bill for a proof-of-residence affidavit.
For certified copies, the originals and your own copies: SAPS does not certify a copy unless you bring the original.

Where to go

Many people are commissioners of oaths because of the office they hold. The holders of the offices in the Minister’s notice are commissioners for the whole of South Africa, so the nearest one is fine (GN 903 of 1998).

Where	Who is a commissioner there	Good to know
A police station	Members of the police (GN 903 of 1998, item 63)	Walk in. SAPS says copies can be certified at any police station, at any time, free of charge, if you bring the originals and your own copies. SAPS asks you to be patient: a station has other priorities.
An attorney’s office	Many attorneys (item 2)	Ask whether they commission affidavits, and when. They may not charge for the oath (reg 6).
An accountant or another professional	Members of listed professional bodies who hold the designation the notice names, for example chartered and professional accountants and tax practitioners (items 61A to 61C)	Ask whether they commission affidavits, and when.
A bank	Some bank staff: employees with a rank of supervisor or higher (item 9)	Not every employee. Ask at the branch first.
A Post Office	Some Post Office staff: clerical staff at set pay levels (item 64)	Not every counter. Ask first.
Outside South Africa	A South African embassy or consulate, or another office holder designated for that country (Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act, s8)	They add the seal or stamp of their office (s8(2)).

Find your nearest police station on SAPS’s own list of stations.

Everyday affidavits, printed to sign in person

An affidavit is a written statement you swear, or affirm, is true before a commissioner of oaths. You sign it in the commissioner’s presence (reg 3(1)), so KuduDoc does not send the affidavits it prepares for electronic signature: you print each one and sign it in front of a commissioner of oaths.

The forms

Form	When people need it	What you get
General sworn statement	Facts you have to state under oath, for an employer, insurer, school or bank	Your details and numbered paragraphs, with room for the facts in your own words.
Proof of residence	A bill is not in your name, so the bill’s owner confirms under oath that you live at the address	A form for the bill’s owner to complete and sign, with the bill listed as attached. Ask first: some receivers do not accept an affidavit as proof of address, and some take a proof of residence letter from your landlord instead.
B-BBEE sworn affidavit (EME or QSE)	Tenders and supplier registration	Filled with the official forms: the B-BBEE sworn affidavit, filled from your company details.

You write the facts in your own words. Each form is a starting point, not legal advice.

Everyday affidavits, not court papers

The forms are for everyday affidavits: for a bank, school, employer, insurer or licence office. Only a practising legal practitioner may draw up documents for use in court proceedings for a fee or reward (Legal Practice Act, s33(1)(b)), so when you say an affidavit is for a court case, KuduDoc stops and does not prepare it.

How KuduDoc prints it

KuduDoc fills in your full name, ID number and address, numbers each paragraph and lays the affidavit out on A4 with your signature line blank. Below it is the certificate the commissioner completes: that you acknowledged you know and understand the contents, the manner, place and date, and the commissioner’s signature, full name, business address, designation and area or office (reg 4). If you cannot write, there is room for your mark.

See the documents that need a commissioner or a notary →

After the appointment

One sealed PDF, with the commissioner’s date.

Photograph the signed pages with your phone, or scan them. KuduDoc puts the pages in order as one PDF, seals it and files it as ‘Affidavit, commissioned [date]’, with the date on the commissioner’s certificate.
Anyone you send it to can check it.

Anyone you send it to can check that their copy is unchanged since sealing. A match means unchanged since sealing — a fact about the file’s bytes, not about what the document says, who signed it or who owns anything. See what a seal records.
1. 3 March 2026B-BBEE affidavit commissioned
2. 2 Dec · 1 Jan · 31 Jan · 23 FebReminders, by default
3. 2 March 2027The 12 months end
A reminder before it is too old.

If whoever asked for the affidavit wants it no older than a set time, tell KuduDoc, and it reminds you before then: 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before, by default — or the days you choose.

A B-BBEE sworn affidavit states its own period, 12 months from the date the commissioner signed it, and KuduDoc counts from that date. Read how long a B-BBEE sworn affidavit lasts.

A sealed scan is a copy. Keep the signed paper, and hand it over when someone needs the original.

Certified copies: certified on paper, kept in KuduDoc

People are asked for certified copies of IDs, qualifications and certificates: for a job, a bank, a university, or certified copies of directors’ IDs for a tender.

How it works

Take the originals and your own copies to a commissioner of oaths, who certifies each copy on paper. At a police station, SAPS certifies copies free of charge.
Photograph each certified copy. KuduDoc seals the scan and records the certification date written on it.
Tell KuduDoc how recent the receiver wants the copy. It reminds you before the copy gets older than that, on the schedule you set.
Share it view-only, with an end date.

The same steps keep and share a certified copy of your ID. Whoever you share it with opens it with a free KuduDoc account. How recent a certified copy must be is up to whoever asked for it.

A seal is not a certification

KuduDoc does not certify anything. Its seal shows that a file is unchanged since sealing; that is not a certification, and the sealed scan is a copy of your certified copy, not a certified copy itself. Whether a receiver accepts a scan is its choice: the ECT Act lets it set its own requirements (s4(2)). Copies issued from a Controlled Original are not certified copies either.

Questions people ask

Where to go →

Where can I find a commissioner of oaths near me?

At a police station: members of the police are commissioners of oaths (GN 903 of 1998, item 63), and SAPS publishes a list of its stations. Many attorneys and accountants, other professionals in listed bodies, and some bank and Post Office staff are commissioners of oaths too. Outside South Africa, go to a South African embassy or consulate, or another office holder designated for that country under section 8 of the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act.

How much does a commissioner of oaths charge?

Nothing for the oath. A commissioner of oaths may not charge any fee for administering an oath or affirmation or for attesting a declaration (Regulations Governing the Administering of an Oath or Affirmation, 1972, reg 6). SAPS says it certifies copies of documents free of charge at any police station.

Can I sign my affidavit before I get to the commissioner?

No. You sign it in front of the commissioner (oath regulations, reg 3(1)), so KuduDoc prints the affidavits it prepares with your signature line blank. At the appointment the commissioner asks whether you know and understand what it says, whether you object to taking the oath and whether you consider it binding on your conscience, then takes your oath or affirmation (reg 2).

What does the commissioner write under my signature?

A certificate that you acknowledged you know and understand the contents, with the manner, place and date. Then they sign, print their full name and business address, and state their designation and the area of their appointment or the office they hold (oath regulations, reg 4). The regulations do not require a stamp; some commissioners use one to print these details.

Can a commissioner of oaths take my oath over video?

No. The regulations in force require you to sign in the commissioner’s presence (Regulations Governing the Administering of an Oath or Affirmation, 1972, reg 3(1)). Draft regulations published for comment on 31 July 2026 propose allowing the oath over an audio-visual link; they are not in force.

Can I get documents certified online in South Africa?

KuduDoc does not certify documents. Have your copies certified on paper: SAPS certifies copies free of charge at any police station if you bring the originals and your own copies. Then photograph each certified copy. KuduDoc keeps the sealed scan with its certification date and shares it view-only, with an end date.

Is a scan or a sealed PDF a certified copy?

No. A scan is a copy, and KuduDoc’s seal shows only that a file is unchanged since sealing; it is not a certification. Where a law requires or permits a certified copy of a paper document, an electronic copy counts only if the certifier confirms the certification with their own advanced electronic signature (ECT Act s18(3)). Whether a receiver accepts a scan of a paper certified copy is the receiver’s choice (s4(2)), so ask first.

Can KuduDoc prepare an affidavit for a court case?

No. KuduDoc’s affidavit forms are for everyday statements, such as for a bank, school, employer or insurer, and you write the facts yourself. Only a practising legal practitioner may draw up documents for use in court proceedings for a fee or reward (Legal Practice Act, s33(1)(b)), so the forms stop when you say the affidavit is for a court.

The law behind each step