If you are planning to marry in another country, you have a list of requirement that have to be met in order to be married. One of those requirements is for you to obtain a Single Status Letter or a Certificate of Non-Impediment. This document has many different names such as Declaration of Non-Impediment to Marry, Statutory Declaration of Single Status, Affidavit of Intended Marriage, Statement In-Lieu of Certificate of Non-Impediment to Marriage Abroad, Certificate de Coutume, a Certificate of No Impediment, Certificate of Nulla Osta, Certificate of Freedom to Marry or just free to marry.
CERTIFICATE OF NON IMPEDIMENT
State of California. County of Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on this day of , 20, by, proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the. Person(s) who appeared before me. (Seal) Signature A notary public or other officer completing this.
By whatever name it is called, what the authorities are requesting from you is a document in which you state some of your personal details, that your are single or you were married but you are divorced as well as your intention to marry in the country in question and a confirmation that you are not married.
You were probably told
by the consulate office or embassy to go to your County Clerks Office, Town Clerks or City Clerk's office to get this Certificate of non Impediment letter or they may even tell you to go to your Federal Government to get this affidavit from them. Most Town Clerks will tell you they do not issue them or they may do a search of their divorce database an give you a 'Form letter' that will indicate no divorce record was found. Since this Form letter does not have a live signature it can not be notarized therefore it will not satisfy your needs.
There are several different ways of getting your Single Status Letter or Non Impediment Letter.
#1. If you're looking for a CERTIFICATE OF NON IMPEDIMENT and you can not seem to find one? Good news if you are looking for the Single Status letter in New York City (Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan, NYC). The City of New York will issue you a Certificate of Non-Impediment. This is an official Certification that the Office of the City Clerk has no information that would be an 'impediment' to you getting a Marriage License in the City of New York. Certificates of Non-Impediments can only be issued to NYC residents.
To obtain a Certificate of Non-Impediment, you may visit one of their office locations to obtain and complete the application for the Certificate of Non-Impediment, or you may submit an application to the Office of the City Clerk via City Clerk Online and visit one of their offices during regular business hours to complete it.
Upon submitting this Certificate of Non-Impediment application online, you will receive a Confirmation Number. To complete your application, you must bring your Confirmation Number along with proper identification, payment and any additional required documentation to the Manhattan Office of the City Clerk.
Remember, In order to obtain a Certificate of non-impediment you must reside within the city of New York. The City Clerk of New York will issue you a Certificate of Non-Impediment which will be valid for six months from the issuance date.
#2. Fill out this to order your New York State Application for Single Status letter.
Here are 4 Free Single Status Letter you can use.
There are basically 2 types of non impediment letters or single status letter, there is an Affidavit and a statutory declaration. The difference between them is in one case you are making a statement & signing it & in the other case you are swearing that the statements are true along with your signature . Check with the authorities of the country in which you wish to marry whether you need an affidavit or a statutory declaration.
Affidavit
#1. This is probably the only Single Status letter that is used the most. PDF WORD Download the document, fill it out, then take it to a notary public.
#2. If you do not live in NYC then you maybe able to use this affidavit document. Click here to open this Microsoft WORD document or Right click to save to your hard drive. (you can edit the letter to remove items such as, was married but now divorced, etc....) (In this affidavit you are saying that the statements you make are really true facts and it is sworn to some authority (i.e. a notary or a consular officer.)
Statutory Declaration
#3. If you can not use the above affidavit and you may use the STATUTORY DECLARATION OF SINGLE STATUS. Click here to open this Microsoft WORD document or Right click to save to your hard drive. (In this letter you just affirm or claim you believe your statements are true.)
Some countries may require you to visit the consular office to have this form signed in front of them, with other countries a notary stamp. Which ever document you chose you also need to have it legalized or Apostille.
#4. If you find the above affidavit to complicated you can try to use this Simple Marital Status Affidavit. That add some legal findings to the document Click here to open this Microsoft WORD document or Right Click to download to your computer.
If you do not have WORD installed on your computer you can download this text file.
The above information maybe confusing so here is a Review:
- New York City provides a Single Status Letter only if you live in NY Cities 5 boroughs
- If you live in New York State you can check with the New York State Vital Records,
- There are 3 sample templates for a Single Status Letter / Non Impediment Letter that you can use. Download the Affidavit or the Statutory Declaration of Single Status. Customize it to suit your needs.
- Download and use the Simple USA Marital Status Affidavit located above
- Check with your Town Clerks, City Clerk or where you get married at, or your County Clerk's Office to see if they provide a Single Status letter.
- Many people come here looking for information. If you know of a State or county that provides this service, let us know so we can update the list below to help others looking for this information.
Apostille
Notary & Apostille Service offers a full range of service:
- Notary & Apostille Service can get anApostille or Embassy Legalization of your Non Impediment Letter or Single Status Letter for any state.
- Translate it to it to the language required.
- Have it Authenticated by the Consulate or Embassy.
- To Get Started go to the 'Contact US' page to Download the order form, Fill it out & return with your order.
Here is you opportunity to Pay Back
If you use Notary & Apostille Service free Non Impediment letter and you wish to pay me back here are several option you can use to help support this site:
- A offering of $20.00 is suggested. As an extra bonus the letter comes with instructions on how to properly fill out this form. And a discount toward the purchase of an Apostille or Certification.
- Let Notary & Apostille Service know that you want Notary & Apostille Service assist you in getting you Apostille/Certification, Authentication or Legalization.
- Notary & Apostille Service does Apostille service for all states.
- Use the 'CONTACT US' tab letting Notary & Apostille Service know how this non impediment letter has helped you
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Here are some New York State Counties that will issue Certificate of non Impediment?
This list is still under construction, if you have any information that can be used to update this list, please contact Notary & Apostille Service.
NEW YORK STATE | |||
---|---|---|---|
County | County | County | County |
Albany | Niagara | Allegany | Oneida |
Bronx, Yes | Onondaga | Broome | Ontario |
Cattaraugus | Orange No | Cayuga | Orleans |
Chautauqua | Oswego | Chemung | Otsego |
Chenango | Putnam | Clinton | Queens, Yes |
Columbia | Rensselaer | Cortland | Richmond (Staten Island), Yes |
Dutchess | Delaware | Rockland | Saratoga |
Erie | Schenectady | Essex | Schoharie |
Franklin | Schuyler | Fulton | Seneca |
Genesee | Steuben | Greene | St. Lawrence |
Hamilton | Suffolk, No | Herkimer | Sullivan |
Jefferson | Tioga | Kings (Brooklyn), Yes | Tompkins |
Lewis | Ulster | Livingston | Warren |
Madison | Washington | Monroe | Wayne |
Montgomery | Westchester | Nassau, Yes, But it's Just a Form Letter. | Wyoming |
New York (Manhattan) Yes | Yates |
Other USA STATES that offer Verification of No Marriage Letter
USA STATES | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
STATE | SINGLE STATUS LETTER | STATE | SINGLE STATUS LETTER | STATE | SINGLE STATUS LETTER |
New York | yes | Kansas | yes | Washington | yes |
Georgia | yes - a blank form | Texas | yes |
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The difference between an affidavit and a declaration is something of an 'I say po-tay-to, you say po-tah-to' issue, but there is a difference. Both an affidavit and a declaration are statements made under oath about facts within one's personal knowledge. In this country, both are documents signed under penalty of perjury. But generally, affidavits are sworn before a notary, while declarations use 'penalty of perjury' language specified in applicable state and federal laws.
Tip
Both an affidavit and a declaration are sworn personal statements written by someone with personal knowledge of facts. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, an affidavit often must be signed before a notary while declarations need not only include statutory language about swearing under penalty of perjury.
What is an Affidavit?
An affidavit is a legal document that sets out facts by someone who has personal knowledge of them. Think of an affidavit as written court testimony. In this document, you identify yourself and your relationship to the matter or case, then write out facts you know from first-person knowledge. Often you write an affidavit in numbered paragraphs and use legal language, although this is not a legal requirement.
You generally must sign the document in front of someone with authority to witness an oath. This is usually a notary public but can be a Justice of the Peace or even an attorney in some cases. By signing under oath before a notary, you’re swearing under the law that the things you say in the affidavit are true.
What is a Declaration?
A declaration looks a lot like an affidavit on dress-down Friday. It is a relaxed affidavit, a statement written in simple language, the way you ordinarily talk. If you are a party to a case, you may have to write declarations to explain your side of the story, present relevant information or answer someone else's declaration. You may have to give declarations as part of a divorce or real estate contract, or when a co-owner of property dies.
People other than the parties involved can have information that the judge needs to make a decision on a motion, for example, about child custody decisions. Teachers, health care professionals, neighbors, anyone who has directly seen things relevant to the issues can write up declarations about what they know.
The last 'relaxed' aspect of a declaration is that you don't have to sign it before a notary. In many states and in federal court, you can simply add oath language to the bottom of the declaration, and then sign it. For example, if you are making a declaration in San Francisco, you would use the language set out in California Code of Civil Procedure section 2015.5. That statute says that a declaration should be signed substantially like this: 'I certify (or declare) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.' This should be followed by your name, signature and the date you are signing.
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About the Author
From Alaska to California, from France's Basque Country to Mexico's Pacific Coast, Teo Spengler has dug the soil, planted seeds and helped trees, flowers and veggies thrive. A professional writer and consummate gardener, Spengler has written about home and garden for Gardening Know How, San Francisco Chronicle, Gardening Guide and Go Banking Rates. She earned a BA from U.C. Santa Cruz, a law degree from U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall, and an MA and MFA from San Francisco State. She currently divides her life between San Francisco and southwestern France.
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