Notarized Affidavits for Visa Applications

Sponsor letters, financial support affidavits, and relationship statements are common visa-application requirements. Each must be properly notarized.

Visa-bound affidavits — sponsor letters, proof of relationship, financial support statements — must be sworn in front of a notary. The notary administers the oath, witnesses the signature, and applies the jurat seal (note: a jurat, not a simple acknowledgment, because the signer is swearing to the truth of the contents).

Many consulates require the affidavit to be apostilled before submission. Most also require a certified translation if the destination country's official language isn't English.

Double-check the consulate's website for required wording. Some embassies — Italy, Greece, India — provide template language that the affidavit must follow verbatim.