How to Get an Affidavit Notarized Online: Jurats, Oaths, and What to Expect
You can get an affidavit notarized online in the Philippines by signing it and swearing to it before an Electronic Notary Public over live video, through a Supreme Court-accredited platform such as Twala.
An affidavit is a statement of facts that you confirm under oath. The document is only half of it. The other half is the oath, and that is what the notary is for: to see you, identify you, and hear you swear or affirm that what you wrote is true. Electronic notarization changes where that happens. It doesn’t change what happens.
The notarial acts, and which one an affidavit needs
Twala handles five notarial acts: acknowledgments, oaths, affirmations, signature witnessing, and jurats. They are easy to mix up, and under the Supreme Court’s Rules on Electronic Notarization (A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC), the act decides when you sign:
| Act | What you do before the ENP | Typical documents |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | Confirm that the signature on the document is yours and that you executed it freely. You can sign before the session. | Contracts, deeds, powers of attorney |
| Jurat | Sign the document and swear or affirm to its contents, both as part of the act | Affidavits, sworn statements, sworn certificates |
| Oath or affirmation | Declare under penalty of law that the contents are true. An affirmation carries the same weight without a religious reference. | Documents that call for a sworn or affirmed declaration |
| Signature witnessing | Sign in the full view of the ENP | Documents that need a witnessed signature rather than a sworn statement |
An affidavit is notarized by jurat. When you see “subscribed and sworn to before me” at the bottom of a document, that is the jurat.
Why you don’t sign an affidavit ahead of time
For many documents notarized on Twala, everyone signs first and confirms the signature at the session. Affidavits work differently. Under the Rules, the Electronic Notary Public (ENP) has you sign the electronic document and take your oath as part of the jurat itself.
So the order on Twala is: book first with the unsigned PDF, send the envelope, and ask your ENP on the appointment’s Messages tab when to sign. If you’re not sure which act your document needs, ask the same way before the session.
Preparing the affidavit
Most of the problems with affidavits start at the drafting stage, long before anyone appears before a notary. A few habits prevent them:
- State what you know firsthand. An affidavit is about facts within your personal knowledge. If you are repeating something you were told, say so plainly or leave it out.
- Leave no blanks. A notary won’t notarize an incomplete document, so fill in every date, amount, and name before the session.
- Match your ID. Write your name and personal details exactly as they appear on the ID you verified with on Twala.
- Write in a language you understand. If the affidavit is in English and you are more at home in Filipino, Cebuano, or Ilocano, have it explained to you first. An ENP who isn’t convinced you understand what you’re swearing to may decline.
- Use the receiving office’s form if it has one. Many offices have their own affidavit formats and will turn away anything else.
To draft, you can start from a legal template in Twala’s template gallery and ask Lex, the AI inside Twala, to turn your notes into clear paragraphs. Lex proposes edits that go in only when you click Apply, and the statements remain yours: read every line, because you are about to swear to it. For anything with legal consequences beyond the routine, ask a lawyer. Our introduction to Lex shows how the drafting works.
What happens in the session
At the scheduled time, open the appointment and click Join session. Turn off any VPN, proxy, or Tor, because Twala checks that you are in the Philippines as you join. Allow your camera and microphone, and you’re in the call with the ENP.
The ENP confirms your identity against the verification you completed on Twala with your National ID or another government-issued ID and a face scan. Then come the questions any careful notary asks: whether you have read the affidavit, whether you understand it, and whether you are executing it of your own free will. You sign when the ENP tells you to, and you swear or affirm, out loud and live, that the contents are true. The Rules strictly prohibit pre-recorded videos of the signing: the appearance has to happen in real time.
Notaries are bound to refuse when they believe an act is unlawful, when the person doesn’t seem to grasp what they are signing, or when someone appears to be under pressure. That protects you as much as anyone.
The ENP may ask to record the session. On Twala, nothing is recorded unless everyone in the session consents. After the act, the ENP requests payment, due within 24 hours, and once it’s paid, Twala adds the notarial certificate page and seal, enters the act in the notary’s notarial register, and files it with the Supreme Court. Our guide to what happens during a remote notarization session goes through the call in more detail.
Joint affidavits
Some affidavits have two or more affiants, such as a joint affidavit of two disinterested persons, which civil registry matters often call for. Each affiant needs a free Twala account and a current identity verification, and all of them appear in the same session, each from their own device and from wherever they are in the Philippines. Each one signs and swears as the ENP directs. As always, check first that the office receiving the affidavit accepts one notarized electronically.
Why the oath matters
A sworn statement carries weight because lying in one can be a crime. Knowingly making an untruthful statement about a material matter in an affidavit can be prosecuted as perjury under Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code, whether you swore at a notary’s desk or over a video call.
Notarization also turns your affidavit into a public document, admissible in court without further proof of its authenticity, as we explain in why a notarized document carries weight. And because Twala verifies everyone’s identity, checks their location, seals the PDF, and anchors it on a blockchain with HashOrigin™, an affidavit notarized on Twala is much harder to fake than a stamped page. More on that in is online notarization safe.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really swear to an affidavit over video?
Yes. Under the Rules on Electronic Notarization, appearing before the ENP by videoconference is the equivalent of appearing in person, as long as it happens live through an accredited facility. An electronic notarial act performed that way has the same validity, force, and effect as a traditional one.
Do I need to print anything?
No. The affidavit is signed and notarized as a PDF, and you download it from Notarizations in your Twala account. Ask the office receiving it how it wants it: as the PDF by email, through an upload, or in some other form.
How much does it cost?
Requesting an appointment on Twala is free. The ENP sets the notarial fee, following any guide on notarial fees the Supreme Court issues; the Rules also allow reasonable telecommunication and other incidental expenses, and the ENP may waive the fee in whole or in part. Paid online, it comes to the notarial fee, 12% VAT added at checkout, and documentary stamp tax. Identity verification has its own fee, shown before you start, and you do it once. The full breakdown is in how much online notarization costs.
Can someone swear to an affidavit for me?
No. An affidavit is the affiant’s own statement under oath, so the person whose statement it is has to appear and swear to it.
Need one done this week? Create a free Twala account, verify your identity, and book your session. If it’s a lost ID or card, our affidavit of loss guide covers the specifics, Get notarized explains each screen, and our complete guide to eNotarization in the Philippines covers the rules.
Twala is a Supreme Court-accredited Electronic Notarization Facility (ENF). Twala is a technology provider and does not give legal advice. Notarial acts are performed by commissioned Electronic Notaries Public.
