Statutory declaration pricing confuses people because two very different numbers hide behind one question. The swearing — the oath itself — is nearly free, at a price fixed by law in 1993 and unchanged since. The drafting — producing the document you swear — is where costs range from about £25 to several hundred pounds. Separate the two and the whole market makes sense.
The Swearing Fee: £5, Fixed by Law
Under the Commissioners for Oaths (Fees) Order 1993 (SI 1993/2297), the fee for a solicitor or commissioner for oaths to take a declaration is £5.00 per declaration taken, inclusive of VAT where payable. That figure has not changed in over thirty years. It is the same at a Magic Circle firm and a high-street practice, because it is not the firm’s price — it is the law’s. Two things to know:
- Per declaration taken means per swearing: if you hold two originals and have both sworn, that is £5 each.
- Some firms add a small admin charge of their own. That charge is the firm’s, not part of the statutory fee — it is lawful, and if it is more than you want to pay, another firm is a short walk away.
The Routes That Are Not £5
- A justice of the peace may take a statutory declaration (Statutory Declarations Act 1835, s.18) — but if it is taken at a magistrates’ court, a court fee of £32 applies (Magistrates’ Courts Fees Order 2008, Sch 1, fee 7.2, as amended in 2026). For almost everyone the £5 solicitor route is cheaper.
- A notary public can also take declarations, but notaries set their own fees — commonly £80 or more. You generally only need a notary when the document is going overseas.
Drafting: Where the Real Money Is
The document you swear has to come from somewhere. Broadly three options in 2026:
- A solicitor drafts it: quoted per case — there is no fixed drafting fee, and quotes from tens of pounds to a few hundred are all normal — plus the £5 swearing.
- A document service drafts it (that’s us): our Name Discrepancy Declaration — the “one and the same person” document for names recorded differently across documents — is £34.99 including VAT for two printed originals, posted free. Our Retrospective Deed Poll pack — deed, statutory declaration of name history and evidence checklist, for a change made years ago with no paperwork — is £24.99 including VAT, posted free.
- Draft it yourself: free, and lawful — but the wording is load-bearing. The 1835 Act prescribes the declaration formula, and the difference between describing a document and exhibiting it, or between confirming an identity and accidentally renouncing a name, is precisely the kind of thing that gets a declaration refused by the body it was written for.
Realistic All-In Totals (2026)
- Name Discrepancy Declaration, sworn once: £34.99 + £5 = about £40 (swearing the second original later: +£5).
- Retrospective pack, declaration sworn: £24.99 + £5 = about £30.
- Solicitor end to end: no fixed price — the firm's drafting quote plus the £5 swearing.
One caution on totals: the swearing is the cheap part everywhere. If a quote buries the £5 inside a large “swearing package”, ask what the drafting costs and what the oath costs — the second answer is set by law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we not charge for extra copies of the declaration?
Because every further sworn original costs you another statutory fee at the commissioner. Selling a ladder of copies would be selling you a bill; two originals is the useful number.
Can you swear it for me so I pay once?
No — administering oaths is a reserved legal activity and we are not authorised to carry it out. You swear locally; the £5 goes to the solicitor, not to us.
Which document do I actually need?
If your name never changed and records simply disagree: the one-and-the-same-person declaration. If you genuinely switched names years ago with nothing written down: the retrospective route. If you are changing your name now: an ordinary deed poll (£14.49).
