A single status affidavit is a sworn, notarized statement that you are not married and are legally free to marry. Countries ask for it before a wedding because the United States has no national marriage registry that can issue a single certificate proving you are unmarried.
Why the U.S. has no single certificate for this
Marriages in the United States are recorded county by county, not in one national database. A foreign registrar who asks for a certificate of no marriage is used to a system where one office can confirm it. Here, that proof usually comes from a sworn statement you sign before a notary, and in some cases from a county record confirming no marriage is on file.
Either way, the foreign office still needs to trust the paper, which is why the document is usually authenticated with an apostille before it leaves the country.
What other countries call it
The same document travels under many names. Matching the term your destination uses helps, because the wording on the page should echo what the local office expects.
| Where you’re marrying | What they may call it |
|---|---|
| Mexico and Latin America | Constancia de soltería, constancia de inexistencia de matrimonio |
| Vietnam | Giấy xác nhận tình trạng hôn nhân (proof of marital status) |
| Philippines | Affidavit in lieu of a certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage |
| Hong Kong, mainland China | 單身證明 (single status proof) |
| UK, Ireland, Australia | Certificate of no impediment |
| Italy | Nulla osta |
| France | Certificat de coutume, certificat de célibat |
What the affidavit usually states
- Your full legal name, date and place of birth, and current address
- A clear statement that you are single, divorced, or widowed and free to marry
- How any earlier marriage ended, with the date
- Sometimes your parents’ names, or your intended spouse’s name and nationality
Registries differ on these details, so the most useful thing you can do first is get the registry’s written checklist.
How long it stays valid
Many registries accept a single status affidavit for only three to six months, because it describes your situation on the day you sign. Signing it close to the wedding date, rather than months ahead, avoids having to redo it.
Documents registries often ask for alongside it
- Your passport
- A certified birth certificate, often apostilled
- A divorce decree or a former spouse’s death certificate, if you were married before
- A translation into the local language, usually done after the apostille
If you already live outside the U.S.
You generally have two paths. A sworn statement can be signed before a U.S. embassy or consulate officer, which is then authenticated at the federal level rather than by the state. Or someone in California can prepare your single status document and its state apostille and send it to you, which avoids a trip home.
A quick word on the apostille
An apostille confirms that the signature and seal on your document are genuine, so countries in the Hague Apostille Convention accept it without an embassy stamp. Countries outside the convention still require consular legalization. Vietnam joined the convention effective September 11, 2026, so U.S. documents with a valid apostille no longer need Vietnamese consular legalization.
Ready to get yours done? We prepare single status documents and handle the California apostille, for clients in San Jose and those living overseas.
See our single status affidavit apostille service →
Questions first? Call (408) 766-3528.