e-StampNotary
What this document is
A character affidavit is a statement you make about yourself, on oath, in front of a notary. It sets out who you are, where you live, and then declares that to the best of your knowledge you bear a good moral character, that you have not been convicted of any offence, and that no criminal proceeding is pending against you. Some formats add a line that no departmental or disciplinary action is pending.
Be clear about what the notarial act does. Under section 8(1)(e) of the Notaries Act, 1952 a notary may administer an oath to, or take an affidavit from, any person. Section 8(2) says that nothing is a notarial act unless it is done under the notary's signature and official seal. So the seal records that you appeared in person, were identified, and swore to the contents. It does not certify that the contents are true. That distinction matters: if the statement is false, the affidavit becomes the evidence against you rather than a shield.
If the employer, the licensing authority or the consulate has asked for police verification or a Police Clearance Certificate, a notarised affidavit will not be accepted in its place. They come from different sources and prove different things. Read the requirement letter carefully before you spend anything.
Who actually asks for one
In practice the requests we see in Vadodara come from a narrow set of situations:
- Private employment where the role involves cash, keys, premises access or home visits - security agencies, housekeeping and facility contractors, delivery fleets.
- Contract and outsourced staff being placed at a client site, where the client's compliance team wants a declaration on file.
- College, hostel and training-institute admission, usually alongside the transfer certificate.
- Supporting papers for a licence application, where the authority wants the applicant's own declaration in addition to its own enquiries.
- Tenancy, where a housing society insists on a declaration from an incoming tenant.
- Restoration of a lapsed membership, or an application to a professional or trade body after a break.
Who has to be the deponent
The person whose character is in question swears it. For an adult applicant, a parent cannot swear it on their behalf, and this is one of the commonest reasons an affidavit comes back. Only where the applicant is a minor does a parent or guardian depose, and then the affidavit should say so on its face and give the minor's age.
Where it sits in the process
The affidavit is one page in a bundle. The bundle normally has the application form, photo identity, address proof, sometimes a previous employer's letter or a transfer certificate, and - where the body has asked for it separately - police verification. The affidavit's function is to put your own statement on the record and to fix the date on which you made it. If the position changes afterwards, you are expected to inform the authority; the affidavit speaks as at its date.
What gets these rejected
- Your name spelt differently in the affidavit from the identity document attached. If your records genuinely differ, the answer is a one and same person affidavit, not a re-spelling.
- A bare line saying "I am of good character" with no denial of conviction and no denial of pending proceedings. Compliance teams read for those two sentences.
- No period stated, so the reader cannot tell what the declaration covers.
- The address in the affidavit not matching the address proof attached.
- The institution's own printed format ignored. Many colleges and agencies issue a format; if they have, use theirs.
- A photocopy filed where the original sworn copy was asked for.
Stamp duty is as currently prescribed under the Gujarat Stamp Act, 1958 - we confirm the current figure at the counter. The notarial fee for administering an oath or taking an affidavit is capped at ₹35 under Rule 10(1) of the Notaries Rules, 1956. You get a receipt and the entry goes into the notarial register in Form XV. See notary charges in Vadodara.
An honest word before you swear
If a case is pending, or there was a conviction however old, do not sign a blanket denial because a format happened to be handed to you. Tell us the position. An affidavit that discloses the fact in measured words, and states the current stage, is far safer than one that is silent and later found out. We would rather draft the harder version than watch a client explain a false affidavit. If you are unsure what a notary can and cannot do for you here, read what a notary cannot do.
What to bring
- Aadhaar and PAN of the deponent, original plus one photocopy
- The institution's or employer's requirement letter, or its printed affidavit format if it has one
- Address proof matching the address you want stated
- Passport-size photograph, if the receiving body wants one pasted and attested
- Details of any pending case or past conviction, so the wording can be drafted honestly
- For a minor, the parent's or guardian's identity documents and the minor's birth certificate