Virginia’s Form DC-699 is a one-page general-purpose affidavit: fill in the court type and jurisdiction, write your factual statements under the sworn preamble, print your name, and sign it in front of a notary, clerk, magistrate, or judge who will administer your oath and complete the certificate. The form is published by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and is available at any General District Court or Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court clerk’s office, or as a download from the Virginia Judicial System’s forms page.1Virginia Judicial System. General District Court Forms Once properly executed, it carries the same weight as live testimony, and a false statement in it is perjury.
Filling Out the Form
DC-699 has only a few fields, but each one has to be right.
- Court type. Check either General District Court or Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, depending on where the affidavit will be used.
- City or county. Write the jurisdiction where that court sits.
- Statement body. The preamble reads, “Under penalty of perjury, I, the undersigned affiant swear or affirm that:” and then gives you blank space. Use numbered paragraphs. Stick to facts you personally witnessed or know firsthand; leave out opinions and secondhand information. If you run out of room, continue on a separate sheet and reference it in the body (for example, “see attached continuation, page 2 of 2”).
- Printed name and signature. Print your full legal name, but do not sign yet. Signing before you appear in front of the person administering your oath can invalidate the document.
The bottom of the form has two verification blocks: one for a clerk, magistrate, judge, or intake officer, and a separate block for a notary public. Only the block matching the person who swears you in gets completed.2Virginia Judicial System. Virginia Affidavit Form
Getting It Sworn
Virginia notaries have statutory authority to administer oaths, take affirmations, and certify affidavits.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 47.1 Chapter 3 – Powers and Duties When you appear with your completed but unsigned form, the notary verifies your identity, asks you to swear or affirm that your statement is true, watches you sign, and then fills in the notarial certificate.
Proving Who You Are
If the notary does not personally know you, you need to show satisfactory evidence of identity. In person, that usually means a current government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 47.1-14 – Duty of Care
What Has to Appear on the Certificate
Every notarial certificate on a Virginia affidavit must show the date of the notarial act, the city or county and state where it was performed, the notary’s original signature, the commission expiration date, the notary’s registration number, and a legible impression of the official seal.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 47.1 Chapter 3 – Powers and Duties A missing element gives a court or agency grounds to reject the affidavit. The DC-699 certificate block prompts for all of these, so a competent notary will handle it as a matter of routine.
Fees
Virginia caps notary fees. The maximum for a standard paper notarization is $10. For an electronic notarization, the cap is $25. A notary may also charge reasonable travel expenses if you ask them to come to you, but only with your prior agreement.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 47.1-19 – Fees
Doing It Remotely
Virginia also recognizes remote online notarization, where you and the notary connect through audio-video technology. Identity verification is more involved than an in-person visit: the notary has to confirm your identity through at least two methods, which can include credential analysis of an unexpired government-issued photo ID, knowledge-based authentication questions, or identity proofing meeting federal standards.6Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 47.1-2 – Definitions The certificate must state that the notarization was performed remotely. Before using this route, confirm the receiving court or agency accepts remotely notarized documents.
Can You Skip the Notary?
Sometimes, yes. Virginia Code § 8.01-4.3 lets you support any matter in a judicial proceeding or administrative hearing with an unsworn written declaration signed under penalty of perjury, in place of a sworn affidavit.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 8.01-4.3 – Unsworn Declarations Under Penalty of Perjury; Penalty The declaration carries the same legal force. You add language in substantially this form at the end of your document:
“I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on [date]. [Signature].”
The statute does not cover depositions, oaths of office, or oaths required to be taken before a specific official other than a notary. And in practice, not every court or agency will accept an unsworn declaration where it expects a notarized affidavit, so check before relying on it. A false statement in an unsworn declaration carries the same perjury penalty as a false sworn affidavit.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-434 – What Deemed Perjury; Punishment and Penalty
Where to Submit It
Where the finished DC-699 goes depends on why you prepared it. If it supports a motion or pleading in a case already filed in a General District or Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, it goes to the clerk of that court. Filing an affidavit as a supporting document in an open case usually does not trigger a separate filing fee, because the fee was paid when the case was opened. If you are filing something standalone, call the clerk’s office in advance to confirm the fee.9Virginia Court System. Circuit Court Fee Schedule (Appendix C)
Ask the clerk for a date-stamped copy as your receipt. If your affidavit is part of ongoing litigation, you also have to serve a copy on every other party or their attorney. Virginia’s rules require service of all papers filed after the initial pleadings on every party to the case.10Supreme Court of Virginia. Rules of Supreme Court of Virginia Part One Rules Applicable to All Proceedings
DC-699 is the general-purpose form. Several Virginia affidavits with specialized uses, including small estate affidavits, affidavits of real estate for intestate estates, and process-server returns, have their own statutory forms and submission paths, and are not filed on DC-699.
What a False Statement Costs
Lying in a Virginia affidavit is perjury, whether the document was sworn before a notary or signed as an unsworn declaration under penalty of perjury. Virginia Code § 18.2-434 classifies perjury as a Class 5 felony, carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. A perjury conviction also permanently disqualifies you from holding any public office in Virginia and from serving on a jury.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-434 – What Deemed Perjury; Punishment and Penalty The statute reaches false statements on any “material matter,” meaning the lie has to relate to something relevant to the proceeding rather than an inconsequential detail. Treat every sentence in your affidavit as testimony you would give on a witness stand.