The Gujarat government on Monday, 1 June introduced a statewide 'Universal Affidavit' — a single standardised document format that will be accepted across all government offices, service centres, and digital platforms in the state, ending the long-standing requirement for citizens to submit differently formatted affidavits for different departments. The reform was announced by the state's Law Department as part of a broader administrative overhaul aimed at reducing procedural delays and simplifying access to public services.

What the Universal Affidavit Changes

Until now, residents of Gujarat applying for certificates, government scheme benefits, or other citizen-centric services were often required to furnish affidavits in formats specified by individual departments — a process that varied significantly from one office to another. The government acknowledged that these inconsistencies created unnecessary complexity, wasted citizens' time, and routinely caused administrative bottlenecks.

Under the new framework, the Universal Affidavit will apply in all situations where an affidavit is legally required but no department-specific format has been prescribed. In such cases, the single standard format will be the only document needed — and it will be mandatorily accepted by all government authorities operating at the district, taluka, rural, and urban levels across the state.

Scope and Limitations

The government was careful to clarify the boundaries of the reform. Services that carry no legal requirement for an affidavit will not be affected. 'For services where there is no legal requirement to submit an affidavit, the simplified process of submitting only a self-declaration in place of an affidavit, as prescribed under the General Administration Department's resolution, will continue unchanged,' the government stated, adding that affidavits have not been made mandatory in such cases.

This distinction is significant: the reform does not expand the universe of services requiring affidavits — it only standardises the format where one is already legally mandated.

Digital Integration and Language Accessibility

The Universal Affidavit will also be rolled out on the Digital Gujarat portal and at Jan Seva Kendras across the state, ensuring that citizens applying online can use the same format regardless of which department or scheme they are accessing. The Law Department has prepared the official format in both Gujarati and English to ensure accessibility for citizens across linguistic backgrounds.

Broader Administrative Context

This move is part of a wider push by the Gujarat government to streamline citizen services and bring uniformity to documentation requirements. Notably, the reform aligns with a national trend of states reducing paperwork burdens — several other states have moved toward self-declaration systems in recent years, though a universal affidavit format at this scale is a notable step for Gujarat specifically. Officials said the measure is designed to remove procedural hurdles and make government services more transparent and accessible through a common, recognisable document format.

With digital integration now built into the rollout, the effectiveness of the reform will ultimately depend on how quickly frontline offices — particularly at the taluka and district levels — adopt the new standard and phase out legacy formats.