We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Evidence

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is an Affidavit of Character?

By Eric Misener
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 26,218
Share

An affidavit of character is a sworn statement by a person vouching for the good moral character of someone. The person vouched for might be the affiant himself or herself, or it could be another person. Such affidavits are used for a wide variety of legal and administrative purposes.

Affidavits are used quite commonly by the legal system and various government entities for several purposes. An affidavit is a sworn statement by a person, known as the affiant, setting forth certain facts that the affiant knows to be true. It usually consists of a brief statement of those facts and is signed by the affiant in front of a person who is legally authorized to administer an oath. The authorized person varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but in most places, it would be a judge, a magistrate, a designated government official or a notary public.

As part of a subset of affidavits in general, an affidavit of character can take myriad forms and might be used for many disparate purposes. What all affidavits of character have in common, however, is that the affiant is attesting that someone is a good person and therefore worthy of being trusted with some responsibility. This is often in the context of receiving some privilege from the government that is not available to the population at large.

In some places, for example, one must file an affidavit of good moral character for oneself when applying for a license to run a daycare center or nursing home. In such an affidavit, a person swears that she has never been arrested or convicted of certain crimes under the law. Applying for other licenses, such as a license to own a handgun or a teaching license, might require an affidavit of character to be filed by a person or several people who know the individual applying for the license. Usually, the affiant of an affidavit of character for another person must be unrelated to the subject of the affidavit, either by blood or by marriage.

In a legal setting, affidavits of character are sometimes required when one is requesting a pardon from an executive authority for a crime for which one has been convicted. They can be used in certain immigration cases in the U.S. as a piece of general background evidence for a person attempting to avoid deportation or gain some legal status. Historically, an affidavit of character could be used in a lawsuit to attest to a party’s good standing in the community, especially if the witness was unavailable to testify. Modern courts generally make much less use of affidavits in a trial setting, because they usually run afoul of the modern hearsay rules.

Share
MyLawQuestions is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.mylawquestions.com/what-is-an-affidavit-of-character.htm
Copy this link
MyLawQuestions, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

MyLawQuestions, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.