Affidavit in Punjab and Chandigarh: stamp paper, oath and notary

What is an affidavit in Punjab and Chandigarh?

An affidavit is a plain sworn statement of your own facts, given to an office, bank, school or other institution that asks you for one: for example your address, a fact about your family, or a straightforward declaration that something is true. It is one-sided. The person swearing, called the deponent, signs alone and is personally responsible for the truth of every statement in it. It is not an agreement, and nobody signs opposite the deponent.

An unsworn affidavit is only a signed statement and carries no weight as one, so the oath is what makes it an affidavit. If you swear for a child, or for someone who cannot swear for themselves, say so in the first statement and give the basis of your authority.

Every sworn document we carry is on one page: see all our affidavits for Punjab and Chandigarh, grouped by what they are for.

Which affidavit should you use?

Start with the purpose. Where an affidavit exists for one particular purpose, use it: each matches the proforma an office expects, and an authority familiar with its own standard form may query a generic one.

• The Name Change Affidavit (Adult) to change your own name; see our name change affidavit guide.
• The Income Affidavit for a declaration of income.
• The Lost Document Affidavit (Passport / Share Certificate) when a document has been lost.
• The Affidavit of One and the Same Person to reconcile different spellings of a name you already have.

If the affidavit supports a case or application pending before a court or tribunal, use the General Court Affidavit instead; it is stamped differently, as the next section explains. Only where none of these fits is the General Affidavit (Shapath Patra) the right one: up to five numbered statements in your own words.

Does an affidavit need stamp paper?

Normally yes. In Punjab an affidavit is charged under Article 4 of the Indian Stamp Act schedule as it applies in the state, on non-judicial stamp paper that is e-stamped through SHCIL (shcilestamp.com) or bought from a licensed vendor. Chandigarh follows its own schedule at the same nominal denomination, with paper from SHCIL or from the Treasury in Sector 17.

Some banks, schools and employers accept an affidavit on plain paper for an internal file, so confirm what the recipient wants before you buy stamp paper. An affidavit filed in a pending court case is different: it carries the court’s own court-fee stamp instead.

Buy the stamp paper before your notary appointment, not after. Our name change affidavit pages say a notary will not swear an affidavit onto paper bought afterwards.

Does an affidavit need a notary or witnesses?

The oath is the one step you cannot skip. The deponent appears in person with photo identification and signs in front of the attesting officer, who writes the register serial number, the date and the seal on the affidavit. Notaries act under the Notaries Act, 1952. Some offices ask for a photocopy of your photo identification to be attached, so check with the recipient before you swear.

What mistakes make an affidavit fail?

• Leaving it unsworn. Without the oath it is only a signed statement.
• Writing what you do not know yourself. State only what you know yourself, and mark anything that is information or belief.
• Using the general affidavit where the office expects its own proforma.
• Sending one original to several offices. Each recipient keeps its copy, so get one sworn for each.
• Giving an Aadhaar number the office did not ask for in full. Our form steers you to the last four digits, but some counters insist on the full number, so ask first.
• Stating something untrue. A false statement exposes the deponent to prosecution for giving false evidence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

How do you make an affidavit on Kagaznama for free?

Fill in our free General Affidavit (Shapath Patra) on this site. You give your name, parentage, age and address, say what the affidavit is for, and write your statements in your own words. The draft supplies the heading, the oath wording, the verification and the notary’s block, and you can read the whole draft on screen before you decide anything about it.

Then take the draft and your photo identification to the notary or Oath Commissioner. It is a carefully drafted template, not advice about your own facts.

Questions people ask