New Jersey Single Status Affidavit Apostille Guide

A single status affidavit apostille certifies your sworn statement that you are free to marry so a foreign government will accept it. This guide walks you through doing it yourself for the New Jersey state apostille fee only — Standard Service (Non-Adoption): $25.00 per record (+ card/e-check service fee).

A single status affidavit is a sworn statement, signed under penalty of perjury, in which you declare your current marital status — single, widowed, or divorced — and that you are free to marry. You draft it yourself. It is not a vital record: unlike a birth or marriage certificate, no government office issues it or keeps it on file. It is your own sworn declaration, not government proof of the fact. An apostille only makes the document acceptable in countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention. If your destination country is not a member of that convention, an apostille will not be enough — you will need consular legalization instead. Always confirm which path your destination requires before you start.

Whether you need a single status affidavit depends entirely on the country where you plan to use it — the destination country sets the exact requirement, so confirm with the receiving authority or your local consulate first. Common reasons people obtain one include:

• Marriage abroad (proof you are free to marry)
• Residency / partnership / family-based visas
• Other consular matters — name change, adoption, or inheritance where civil status is relevant

Check before you draft and notarize so you prepare the version your destination will actually accept.

This is a practical checklist, not legal advice. A single status affidavit should clearly contain:

• Your full legal name, spelled exactly as it appears in your passport
• Your date and place of birth
• Your current address
• A clear statement of your current marital status (single, widowed, or divorced)
• A statement that you are free to marry
• If you are divorced or widowed, a brief note that any prior marriage was legally dissolved, with the year and jurisdiction
• The destination country (and city, if known) named in the body
• The date
• A signature line to be signed before a notary

Leave enough blank space below your signature for the notarial certificate (an acknowledgment or jurat) and the notary's stamp. New Jersey affidavits are sworn under a specific perjury clause: your statement must declare that the contents are "true and correct under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of New Jersey". Some consulates supply their own required affidavit template or wording — when they do, follow it exactly.

1. 1

   Bring the unsigned affidavit and a valid photo ID to a notary commissioned in this state.

2. 2

   Sign in the notary's presence (or swear/affirm if a jurat is used).

3. 3

   The notary verifies your identity, completes the acknowledgment or jurat certificate, signs, and affixes an official seal.

Your affidavit should affirm that the statements are "true and correct under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of New Jersey."

Instead of (or alongside) a self-drafted affidavit, some applicants use an official no-record route: an authoritative document showing no marriage record exists. This can be a county clerk's Letter of No Record, or a certificate / statewide search from the state vital-records office. In New Jersey, that office is the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry. Request the no-record search or letter directly from that office and follow its ordering instructions.

The destination country decides whether your personal affidavit or an official no-record document is accepted — confirm before you order. Keep in mind that this official document may itself need to be apostilled the same way before it can be used abroad.

As of 2026-02-25, the New Jersey timelines are: "Regular Processing (Standard Service): 12-20 business days from the date the document is received and entered in the system" and "Expedited Processing: 8.5 business hours from the time the document is received and entered in the system". If you need it sooner, the expedited option is available for Expedited Service (Non-Adoption): $40.00 per document (+ card/e-check service fee). Queue times drift, so check the official portal before you file.

Many destination countries require a certified translation of your affidavit and its apostille into the local language. The receiving country or authority sets this requirement — including whether the translation must be certified, sworn, or itself authenticated — so confirm exactly what they expect before you submit.