Official Documents

Statutory Declarations (Stat Decs)

A statutory declaration, also known as a ‘stat dec’, is a written legal document that is used when a person needs to declare something to be true in the presence of a witness authorised by the government - such as a Justice of the Peace (JP), lawyer or notary public. Most local councils will have a list of JPs and other authorised witnesses.

The NSW Department of Communities and Justice website has statutory declaration forms that you can download, as both PDFs and Word documents. These forms are available here.

You can use the below template for updating things like your name and gender marker (once legally affirmed) with the ATO, Centerlink, and other organisations. Attach this stat dec to any of the downloadable letter templates we have developed for you to use.

Statutory Declaration

OATHS ACT 1900, NSW, EIGHTH SCHEDULE

I, [name of declarant] , do solemnly and sincerely declare that

[Statement here] ___________________________________________________________

and I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the provisions of the Oaths Act 1900.

Declared at: [place] on [date] [signature of declarant]

in the presence of an authorised witness, who states:

I, [name of authorised witness] , a [qualification of authorised witness],
certify the following matters concerning the making of this statutory declaration by the person who made it: [* eithery]

1. *I saw the face of the person OR *I did not see the face of the person because the person was wearing a face covering, but I am satisfied that the person had a special justification for not removing the covering, and

2. *I have known the person for at least 12 months OR *I have confirmed the person’s identity using an identification document and the document I relied on was [describe identification document relied on]

________ [signature of authorised witness] [date]

Certified Copies

A copy of a primary document that has been endorsed by an authorised person is a certified copy. This is so that the information and legitimacy of a document can be confirmed without having to provide the original document.

The following individuals are authorised to certify a copy of a document:

  • An accountant (member of a recognised professional accounting body or a Registered Tax Agent).

  • A person listed on the roll of the Supreme Court of a State or Territory or the High Court of Australia as a legal practitioner.

  • A barrister, solicitor or patent attorney.

  • A police officer.

  • A postal manager.

  • A principal of an Australian secondary college, high school or primary school.

  • A medical practitioner.

  • A Justice of the Peace (with a registration number in the State in which they are registered).

  • A minister of religion (registered under Subdivision A of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961).”

A certified copy must include the statement "I certify that this is a true copy of the original document".

The certifier must also include their full name, signature, date, registration number (if any) and qualification or occupation which makes them authorised to certify documents, on each of the photocopied identification documents. If the original is a multiple page document, each page must be checked against the copy to ensure that it is correct. The certifier can then sign or initial each page.