Let's Talk about an "Affidavit"

The word "Affidavit" is a Latin word meaning "He or She has declared upon oath", hence very clear that it is a written sworn statement(s) of facts made by an "affiant" or "deponent" under an affirmation or oath administered by a person authorized to do so by law such as a Commissioner of Oaths etc, or Notary Public who has the legal power to witness the oath.

In other words, an affidavit is a written testimony of the affiant or deponent. In a Court, you will have to place your hand on some holy book and swear that you are telling the truth, in this case, you swear or affirm in front of the Commissioner of Oaths etc. and then sign your affidavit, attesting that whatever you said or claimed in the affidavit is truth and nothing but the truth. You are under oath, before you sign on the paper (document) outside the court environment.

Remember to read all the statements on the Affidavit before you sign the affidavit, as they belong to you, the affiant or deponent who is signing the affidavit. If you agree to all the statements in the document, then go ahead and sign the affidavit. The Notary or Commissioner of Oaths etc. have no responsibility or nor any obligation to verify the truth of your statements. Their job is to see you taking the oath and signing the affidavit, thereby certifying that the deponent took the oath before signing the affidavit. The affidavit becomes a legal document once you sign after taking the oath and the Notary or Commissioner of Oaths etc. signs and put his stamp or seal.

Why People Change Name?

There are no. of reasons people change their names and every reason has its merits and a story behind it. There are no right or wrong reasons for changing names. But one must remember that part of your identity also changes with the change in your name.

We all have two things which differentiate us from others, the first is our face and the other thing associated to our being is our name. In a way, we are unique from others because of these two things. No other person in this world will have your face (unless you are identical twins, please ignore if you are) and your name other than you. Perhaps this is why all acceptable identity documents require your picture and your name becuase that's how everyone identifyies you.

Here are the top 5 reasons for which people change their name.

-The birth name is too long - It is a common practice in some cultures to use father & grandfather's name in the name or place where they were born.

-The person changing the name doesn't like his birth name because it is easy to pronounce in native language but difficult to pronounce in English or other languages.

-The person is commonly known in the society with some other name so the person decides to adopt the same name than the birth name.

- As the marital status changes, the last name usually changes such as after marriage or divorce.

-Some people change name because of spritiual reasons, if they change religion, or if someone gets adopted by parents from different religion or culture.

It is important to remember that the change in the name will trigger other changes such as change in your other identity documents ex. Driver's License, Citizenship documents, PR Card, and other government issued documents at Provincial and Federal level. Although you will have the basic certificate for your name change in few months, the complete overhauling of your old identity will take some considerable time.

So my advice is that before you jump into the decision of name change give it some thoughts, and if you decide to move further, then plan ahead to get through the process without hiccups.