Queensland statutory declaration: form, witnesses and the special witness rule
In Queensland, who can witness your statutory declaration depends on how it is signed and how it is witnessed. On paper and in person, a JP or Commissioner for Declarations is fine. Signed electronically, or witnessed by video link, you need a special witness.
Queensland is the jurisdiction where the answer genuinely changes with the method, and it catches people out. The Oaths Act 1867 sets the rules, and the Queensland Government guide walks through both paths.
Before you start, check what the receiving organisation accepts. Some bodies only take declarations signed on paper, others accept electronic signatures, and choosing the wrong one means starting again.
This page explains the process and points you to the official source. It is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your situation, speak to a lawyer, Legal Aid or a community legal centre.
Checked 14 August 2026. We re-check this page every six months, and sooner if a witness list changes.
The official form
We link the form rather than hosting a copy. Forms get amended, and an old one can be refused after you have filled it in and had it witnessed. Take the current version from the government page.
Two paths, two different witness rules
Signed on paper, witnessed in person
The ordinary route. Authorised witnesses include a Justice of the Peace, a Commissioner for Declarations, a lawyer, a notary public, a conveyancer, or another person authorised to administer an oath under the law of the State, the Commonwealth or another State.
Signed electronically, or witnessed by audio visual link
This requires a special witness, which is a narrower category than an ordinary authorised witness. If you plan to sign electronically or meet your witness over video, confirm they are a special witness before you book the appointment.
A safety provision worth knowing about
The Queensland form asks for your address and the place where the declaration is signed. The Queensland Government guidance states that if you have safety concerns and it would be unsafe to reveal location information, you may exercise judgment and state your address only as Queensland or Australia. It gives worries about domestic, family or sexual violence as the example.
This is a real and useful provision, and it is not widely known. If your address needs to stay private, read the official guidance before you fill in the form.
What happens at the appointment
You declare that the contents are true, or true to the best of your knowledge if you are stating something on the basis of information and belief. The witness may ask you to confirm this out loud, then you sign in front of them.
Common questions
What is a special witness in Queensland?
A narrower category of witness required when a statutory declaration is signed electronically or witnessed by audio visual link, rather than signed on paper and witnessed in person. Check your witness qualifies before you book, using the Queensland Government guidance.
Do I have to put my home address on a Queensland statutory declaration?
The form asks for your address. Queensland Government guidance says that if you have safety concerns and it would be unsafe to reveal location information, you may state your address only as Queensland or Australia, giving domestic, family or sexual violence concerns as an example.
Can a pharmacist witness a Queensland statutory declaration?
Pharmacist is not one of the categories Queensland lists for witnessing a statutory declaration. Queensland's in-person paper list covers JPs, Commissioners for Declarations, lawyers, notaries public, conveyancers and others authorised to administer an oath.
Can I sign electronically?
Some organisations accept electronically signed declarations and some do not. Check with the body requesting it first, and remember that electronic signing requires a special witness.
Where this comes from
Every rule on this page comes from the official source below. We link them rather than copy them, because a form or a witness list that is out of date is worse than no form at all. Check the source if anything here matters to your document.
- Queensland Government, making a statutory declaration, the Queensland guide, both forms, the special witness rule and the address safety provision.
- Who can witness a Commonwealth statutory declaration, the Commonwealth list, for comparison.
Building the facts behind your declaration?
If your declaration needs a sequence of events, get them in date order first. The builder keeps what you type in your browser and exports a clean copy.