Affidavit of Good Moral Character

An affidavit of good moral character is a sworn written statement made by an individual claiming that someone they know is an upstanding person. The document contains the name of the affiant (person making the claim), the name of the person whose character is being attested, their relationship, and a statement swearing to the person’s good character.

Affidavit of Good Moral Character

An affidavit of good moral character is a sworn written statement made by an individual claiming that someone they know is an upstanding person. The document contains the name of the affiant (person making the claim), the name of the person whose character is being attested, their relationship, and a statement swearing to the person’s good character.

Last updated November 19th, 2024

An affidavit of good moral character is a sworn written statement made by an individual claiming that someone they know is an upstanding person. The document contains the name of the affiant (person making the claim), the name of the person whose character is being attested, their relationship, and a statement swearing to the person’s good character.

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When to Use

While there are some situations where a person is asked to attest to their own character, in most cases, a character affidavit will be completed by a friend, family member, or colleague who can affirm that the individual (“subject”) is an honest, fair, and respectable person.

Affidavits of good moral character might be required in the following instances:

  • Adult name change
  • Child custody
  • Adoption and foster care
  • Immigration
  • Employment
  • Housing
  • Professional licensing and certification
  • Legal proceedings

How to Write

Affiant and Subject

An affidavit of character must contain the name of the affiant and the subject (person in need of the character reference). The affiant should provide their address, relationship to the subject, and how many years they have known them. A character affidavit may also require the affiant to include their job and employer name.

Affirmation of Character

The affidavit must contain a statement affirming that the subject is of good moral character. Depending on what the form is used for, the affiant may need to provide a few sentences outlining the subject’s positive traits, examples of responsibilities or community involvement, and that they have no knowledge of any criminal behavior.

Notary Acknowledgment

The last section of the form is reserved for the notary public. An affidavit of character must be signed in the presence of a notary public (or other notarial officer), so the affiant will have to wait and sign only when instructed to do so.

Sample

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AFFIDAVIT OF CHARACTER

Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]

I, [AFFIANT NAME], with an address of [AFFIANT ADDRESS], employed at [AFFIANT EMPLOYER] as [AFFIANT POSITION], being duly sworn, hereby swear under oath that:

I have been acquainted with [SUBJECT NAME] for [#] years as their [RELATIONSHIP], and I know them to be of good moral character.

Additional information: [PROVIDE EXAMPLES OF MORAL CHARACTER]

Under penalty of perjury, I hereby declare and affirm that the above-mentioned statement is, to the best of my knowledge, true and correct.

Affiant Signature______________________________ Date: _______________

NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGMENT

A notary public or other officer completing this certificate verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document to which this certificate is attached, and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document.

State of [STATE]
County of [COUNTY]

The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me, [NOTARY PUBLIC NAME], on [MM/DD/YYYY], by the undersigned, [AFFIANT NAME], who is personally known to me or satisfactorily proven to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the within instrument.

WITNESS my hand and official seal.

Signature: ________________________

(Seal)