An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such oaths are often required by the laws of the state, religious body, or other organization before the person may actually exercise the powers of the office or any religious body. It may be administered at an inauguration, coronation, enthronement, or other ceremony connected with the taking up of office itself, or it may be administered privately. In some cases it may be administered privately and then repeated during a public ceremony.
Some oaths of office are a statement of loyalty to a constitution or other legal text or to a person or other office-holder (e.g., an oath to support the constitution of the state, or of loyalty to the king). Under the laws of a state it may be considered treason or a high crime to betray a sworn oath of office.
As the Commonwealth realms are in a personal union relationship, each shares the same person as their individual monarch. However, there is only one coronation ceremony, held in the United Kingdom, wherein the Coronation Oath is taken. The Oath includes elements pertaining to the monarch's role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England as well as the oath-taker's separate roles as monarch of his or her other realms.
The Coronation Oath (from the Order of Service for the Coronation of the sovereign, here presumed to be a Queen) is administered in the form of questions:
Then the Queen, arising out of her chair, supported by peers and with the Sword of State being carried before her, goes to the altar to make her solemn oath in the sight of all the people to observe the premises by laying her right hand upon the Holy Gospel in the great Bible (which was before carried in the procession and is now brought from the altar by the archbishop, and tendered to her as she kneels upon the steps), saying:
Queen: The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.
Then the Queen kisses the Bible and signs the Oath.
The Oath of Allegiance and the Official Oath, as set out in the Promissory Oaths Act 1868 are required to be taken by various office-holders.
The Oath of Allegiance is in the following form:
The Official Oath is in the following form:
The Oath of Allegiance and Official Oath shall be tendered to and taken by each of the following office-holders as soon as may be after his acceptance of office:
The Oath as to England is to be tendered by the Clerk of the Council, and taken in presence of Her Majesty in Council, or otherwise as Her Majesty shall direct.
The Oath as to Scotland is to be tendered by the Lord President of the Court of Session at a sitting of the Court.
Members of the House of Commons or of the House of Lords are required to take the oath of allegiance at the beggining of a new Parliament, as well as after a Demise of the Crown.
Section 84 of the Scotland Act 1998 requires members of the Scottish Parliament to take the Oath of Allegiance at a meeting of the Parliament. Members of the Scottish Executive and junior Scottish Ministers are additionally required to take the Official Oath.
Section 20 of the Government of Wales Act 1998 requires members of the National Assembly for Wales to take the oath of allegiance. A Welsh form of the Oath is prescribed by the National Assembly for Wales (Oath of Allegiance in Welsh) Order 1999[1].
I, NAME, do swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth in the office of ...., and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill will. So help me God
The Judicial Oath and the Oath of Allegiance (see above) are to be taken by each of the following-
In Northern Ireland all references to the Sovereign were removed by the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002[2].
Section 19(2) provides that the oath is —
and Section 19(3) provides that the affirmation and declaration is —
All recruits to the British Army and Royal Air Force must take an oath of allegiance upon joining these armed forces, a process known as "attestation". Those who believe in God use the following words:
| “ | I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors and that I will as in duty bound honestly and faithfully defend Her Majesty, her heirs and successors in person, crown and dignity against all enemies and will observe and obey all orders of Her Majesty, her heirs and successors and of the generals and officers set over me. | ” |
Others replace the words "swear by Almighty God" with "solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm".
The oath of allegiance is as follows:
The Oath of Allegiance shall be tendered to and taken by each of the following office-holders as soon as may be after his acceptance of office:
The Letters Patent 1947 stipulate that the Governor General must take the following oath:
The name of the Sovereign changes accordingly with the incumbent monarch.
The Governor General is also required to take the "Oath for the due execution of the Office of Our Governor General and Commander-in-Chief in and over Canada, and for the due impartial administration of justice."
Section 128 of the Constitution Act 1867 stipulates that anyone taking their seat in the Canadian House of Commons, or any of the Legislatures of the provinces, must take the following oath:
Again, the name of the Sovereign changes accordingly with the incumbent monarch. Failure to take the oath results in the member not being permitted to sit or vote in the House.
In 1905 a provision was made allowing those who do not wish to take the above oath for religious reasons may take the following affirmation:
The Constitution of Belarus requires the president-elect to recite the following oath before taking office:
The affirmation required by the Constitution of Brazil to be taken by the president-elect upon entering into office is as follows:
The vice-president is required to take the same pledge.
The affirmations of office required of members of the National Congress of Brazil are specifyed in the rules of procedure of each house (the Chamber of Deputies and Senate)
The internal rules of the Supreme Federal Court sets out the affirmation that must be taken by justices upon their investiture. Other judges make different affirmations, as provided for by law or in the internal rules of each Court.
The Constitution and laws of the several states and the organic laws of the municipalities also specify affirmations that must be made by the key officers of those entities.
In Fiji, the oath of office for the President of Fiji and Vice-President of Fiji are set out in Chapter 17 of the Constitution of Fiji.
In Finland, the oath of office[1] is sworn by
The oath of office is:
I N.N promise and swear before allmighty and all-knowing God that I will, in the fulfilment of my office, follow the constitution and other laws, acting rightfully and impartially for the sake of the citizens and the society.
Those who do not want to swear the religious oath may give an affirmation. In this case, the words "promise and swear before allmighty and all-knowing God" are replaced by "promise and affirm by my honour and by my conscience".
Policemen and some other persons executing justice make a written affirmation of office instead of an oath. The text of the affirmation is
I N.N promise and affirm by my hounour and by my conscience that I will, in the fulfilment of my office, follow the constitution and other laws, acting rightfully and impartially. I will fulfill my duties carefully and as well as I can. Furthermore, I will not divulge to third parties knowledge which I have gained in my office, and which must be kept secret.
In Finnish practice, the oaths of office are given only once. If the person who has given an oath or affirmation moves to another duty where such oath is required, the oath is not given anew.
The President of Finland gives the following affirmation of office[2]
I, , elected by the people of Finland as the President of the Republic, hereby affirm that in my presidential duties I shall sincerely and conscientiously observe the Constitution and the laws of the Republic, and to the best of my ability promote the wellbeing of the people of Finland.
Finnish judges and justices of all courts are required to give the following oath[3]
I, <insert name>, do promise and swear by God and His Holy Gospels that to the best of my understanding and conscience I wish to and shall in all judgments render justice to poor and rich alike and render judgment in accordance with the laws and lawful rules of God and country: I shall never, under any pretext, pervert the law nor promote injustice because of kinship, relationship, friendship, envy, hatred or fear, or for the sake of gifts or presents or other reasons, nor shall I find an innocent person guilty or a guilty person innocent. Furthermore, I shall not, before pronouncing a judgment or thereafter, reveal to the parties or to anyone else anything about the deliberations that the Court has held behind closed doors. All of this I wish to and shall fulfil faithfully, honestly and as an earnest judge, without deceit and intrigue, so help me God, in body and mind.
Those taking an affirmation do not use the parts involving God.
All Finnish cabinet ministers are required to give both the general oath or affirmation of office and the oath of judge, unless they have given these oaths and affirmations before. Like the general oath of office, the oath of judge is given only once.
All Finnish conscripts are required to give the military oath or affirmation. The oath or affirmation is given in the end of the basic training using the formula:[4]
"I, N. N. promise and affirm before the allmighty and all-knowing God (in affirmation: by my honour and by my conscience) that I am a trustworthy and faithful citizen of the realm of Finland. I want to serve my country honestly and, to my best ability, seek and pursue her edification and advantage. I want everywhere and in every situation, during the peace and during the war, defend the inviolability of my fatherland, her legal system of government and the legal authority of the realm. If I perceive or gain knowledge of activity to overthrow the legal authority or to subvert the system of government of the country, I want to report it to the authorities without delay. The troop to which I belong and my place in it I will not desert in any situation, but so long as I have strength in me, I will completely fulfill the task I have received. I promise to act properly and uprightly, obey my superiors, comply with the laws and decrees and keep the service secrets trusted in me. I want to be fortright and helpful to my fellow servicemen. Never will I due to kinship, friendship, envy, hatred or fear nor because of gifts or any other reason act contrary to my duty in service. If I be given a position of superiority, I want to be rightful to my subordinates, to take care of their wellbeing, acquire information on their wishes, to be their councillor and guide and, for my own self, set them a good and encouraging example. All this I want to fulfil according to my honour and my conscience.
The oath of office of the President, Chancellor, and the members of the federal government of Germany is as follows:
The religious affirmation may be omitted. The first chancellor to do this was Gerhard Schröder in 1998.
Each of the 16 Länder (states) has its own oath of office for the Governors and Ministers, also for the state employees.
The oath for soldiers in Germany reads as follows:
Depending on the oath's interpretation, the following translation is also possible:
The oath for federal employees:
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Article 181 of the Guatemalan Constitution provides that the incoming president of Guatemala should raises his/her right arm up to shoulder-level before the President of the Congress of Guatemala and say the following oath of office in Spanish:
I promise to make and to keep the political constitution of the Republic Of Guatemala and the laws that came from it,and loyaly and faithfully love to my country the position of President of the Republic that the public has given me legally and legitimate, looking above all for the good and the prosperity of the country so help me God; and if i dont do it as such that the nation should demand it from me".
Afterwards, the outgoing President passes him the Guatemalan flag (the Banda Presidential) , which is worn from his/her left shoulder to his/her right rib, to the new President along with the presidential pin and with the Constitutional Collar.
The oath of office of the President of Ghana is as follows:
For members of the Parliament of Ghana, the oath is:
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The oath of office for the Chief Executive is as follows:
The oath of office for the Principal Officials is as follows:
The oath of office for the unofficial members of the Executive Council is as follows:
The oath of office for the members of the Legislative Council is as follows:
The oath of office of judges is as follows:
The oath of office for the President of India is as follows:
The oath of office for the Vice-President of India is as follows:
The oath of office of Judges of a High Court is as follows:
Based on the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia in article 9 about the Oath of office and Promise of President and Vice-President:
Before assuming office, the President and the Vice-President shall take the oath of office according to their religions, or solemnly promise before the People's Consultative Assembly or the People's Representative Council as follows:
"In the name of God Almighty, I swear that I will perform the duties of the President (Vice-President) of the Republic of Indonesia to the best of my ability and as justly as possible, and that I will strictly observe the Constitution and consistently implement the law and regulations in the service of the country and the people."
The President's/Vice-President's Promise:
"I solemnly promise that I will perform the duties of the President (Vice-President) of the Republic of Indonesia to the best of my ability and as justly as possible, and that I will strictly observe the constitution and consistently implement the law and regulations in the service of the country and the people."
The oath of office for the President of Iran is as follows:
For members of the Majlis of Iran, the oath is:
According to the Iranian Constitution, MPs belonging to religious minorities may swear by the holy books of their respective faiths.
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The oath of office of the President of the Italian Republic is:
In Lebanon, the president must take the following oath before the Parliament: I swear by Almighty God to observe the Constitution and the Laws of the Lebanese Nation and to maintain the independence of Lebanon and its territorial integrity.
Article 87 of the Mexican Constitution provides that the incoming president of Mexico should raises his/her right arm up to shoulder-level before the Congress of Mexico and say the following oath of office in Spanish:
Afterwards, the outgoing President passes him the Mexican flag (the Banda Presidential), which is worn from his/her left shoulder to his/her right rib, to the new President.
Article 79 of the Constitution of Moldova provides that the President, no more than 45 days after his election, and before the Parliament and Constitutional Court, gives the following oath:
"I solemnly swear to devote all my personal strength and abilities to the advancement and prosperity of the Republic of Moldova, to always abide by the Constitution and the laws of the country, to defend democracy, the fundamental rights and freedoms of man, and the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Moldova".
The oath of office for the monarch of the Netherlands, which in accordance with Article 32 of the Constitution is to be declared as soon as possible after the King or Queen takes office in a public united meeting of the States-General in the capital of Amsterdam, is as follows:
After this declaration the chairman of the States-General, in the name of the States-General, the States of the Netherlands Antilles and the States of Aruba, pronounces the following solemn declaration:
The declaration shall then be sworn or confirmed by each of the members individually.
The oath of office for ministers and state secretaries, which shall be administered by the King, and for members of Parliament is as follows:
The oath of office for civil servants is as follows:
As soon as the King, being of age, accedes to the Government, he shall take the following oath before the Storting:
If the Storting is not in session at the time, the oath shall be made in writing in the Council of State and be repeated solemnly by the King at the first subsequent Storting.
The oath of office of the President of Pakistan is as follows:
That I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan: That, as President of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well- being and prosperity of Pakistan: That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions: That I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: That, in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favor, affection or ill- will:
And that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of Pakistan, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as President.
May Allah Almighty help and guide me (A'meen).
The oath of office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan is as follows:
That I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan: That, as Prime Minister of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, hon-estly, to the best of my ability, faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well- being and prosperity of Pakistan: That I will strive to preserve the Islamic Ideology which is the basis for the creation of Pakistan: That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions: That I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: That, in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favor, affection or ill- will: And that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as Prime Minister except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as Prime Minister.
May Allah Almighty help and guide me (A'meen)
The oath of office of the President of the Philippines is as follows:
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"So help me God" (Tak mi dopomóż Bóg) formule at the end is optional.
"So help me God" (Tak mi dopomóż Bóg) formule at the end is optional.
"So help me God" (Tak mi dopomóż Bóg) formule at the end is optional.
The Constitution of Portugal requires that the following oath be taken by the President-elect upon entering into office:
Article 82 of the Constitution of Romania provides that the President, before the Chamber of Deputies and Senate in joint session, gives the following oath:
"I solemnly swear that I will dedicate all my strength and the best of my abilities for the spiritual and material welfare of the Romanian people, to abide by the Constitution and laws of the country, to defend democracy, the fundamental rights and freedoms of my fellow citizens, Romania's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. So help me God!"
The oath of office of the President of Russia is prescribed in the Constitution of Russia, in Chapter 4 (The President of the Russian Federation), Article 82:
The oath of office of the President of Singapore is as follows:
For members of the Parliament of Singapore, it is:
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The oath of office of the President of South Africa is as follows:
For members of the Parliament of South Africa, the oath is:
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The Spanish Constitution requires the King to take the following oath as soon as practicable after ascending to the Throne and before performing any other official duty:
The heir to the Crown, upon becoming of age, and any Regents, upon taking office, are required by the Constitution to take the same oath, adding to it a vow of allegiance to the King.
In the United States, the oath of office for the President of the United States is specified in the U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 1):
The oath may be sworn or affirmed. Although not present in the text of the Constitution, it has become a standard practice for modern presidents to add "so help me God" at the end of the oath.
The Constitution specifies in Article VI, clause 3:
For other officials, including members of Congress, it specifies they "shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation to support this constitution." At the start of each new U.S. Congress, in January of every odd-numbered year, those newly elected or re-elected Congressmen - the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate - must recite an oath:
This oath is also taken by the Vice President, members of the Cabinet, and all other civil and military officers and federal employees other than the President. While the oath-taking dates back to the First Congress in 1789, the current oath is a product of the 1860s, drafted by Civil War-era members of Congress intent on ensnaring traitors.
In 1789, the First United States Congress had reworked the constitutional requirement into a simple fourteen-word oath: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States." It also passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established an additional oath taken by Supreme Court justices and district court judges:
The outbreak of the Civil War quickly transformed the routine act of oath-taking into one of enormous significance. In April 1861, a time of uncertain and shifting loyalties, President Abraham Lincoln ordered all federal civilian employees within the executive branch to take an expanded oath. When Congress convened for a brief emergency session in July, members echoed the president's action by enacting legislation requiring employees to take the expanded oath in support of the Union. This oath is the earliest direct predecessor of the modern version of the oath.
When Congress returned for its regular session in December 1861, members who believed that the Union had as much to fear from northern traitors as southern soldiers again revised the oath, adding a new first section known as the "Ironclad Test Oath." The war-inspired Test Oath, signed into law on July 2, 1862, required "every person elected or appointed to any office ... under the Government of the United States ... excepting the President of the United States" to swear or affirm that they had never previously engaged in criminal or disloyal conduct. Those government employees who failed to take the 1862 Test Oath would not receive a salary; those who swore falsely would be prosecuted for perjury and forever denied federal employment.
The 1862 oath's second section incorporated a different rendering of the hastily drafted 1861 oath. Although Congress did not extend coverage of the Ironclad Test Oath to its own members, many took it voluntarily. Angered by those who refused this symbolic act during a wartime crisis, and determined to prevent the eventual return of prewar southern leaders to positions of power in the national government, congressional hard-liners eventually succeeded by 1864 in making the Test Oath mandatory for all members.
The Senate then revised its rules to require that members not only take the Test Oath orally, but also that they "subscribe" to it by signing a printed copy. This condition reflected a wartime practice in which military and civilian authorities required anyone wishing to do business with the federal government to sign a copy of the Test Oath. The current practice of newly sworn senators signing individual pages in an oath book dates from this period.
As tensions cooled during the decade following the Civil War, Congress enacted private legislation permitting particular former Confederates to take only the second section of the 1862 oath. An 1868 public law prescribed this alternative oath for "any person who has participated in the late rebellion, and from whom all legal disabilities arising therefrom have been removed by act of Congress." Northerners immediately pointed to the new law's unfair double standard that required loyal Unionists to take the Test Oath's harsh first section while permitting ex-Confederates to ignore it. In 1884, a new generation of lawmakers quietly repealed the first section of the Test Oath, leaving intact the current affirmation of constitutional allegiance.
The oaths of state and local officials are largely patterned on these. Typical would be the oath taken by all New York government officials:
I solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of New York, (and the Charter of the City of New York, e.g.), and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of (mayor of the City of New York, e.g.) to the best of my ability. (So help me God is traditionally added.)
In the United States, federal judges are required to take not just one, but two oaths. The first oath is this:[9]
I, XXX XXX, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as XXX under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.
The second oath that federal judges must take is this:[10]:
I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
Federal statute specifically says that the latter oath "does not affect other oaths required by law."[10]
United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office
The Roman Catholic Church requires all of its clergy before ordination and most of those promoted to positions of authority to make a "Profession of Faith," as below. It is very similar to the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed (referred to as the Symbol of Faith).
Further, all of those promoted to positions of authority (vicars general, judicial vicars, episcopal vicars, pastors of parishes and superiors within religious orders) or with teaching responsibilities (rectors of seminaries, professors at seminaries, heads or Catholic universities or professors on the faculties of Catholic colleges and universities who teach subjects involving religion), and all those ordained deacons (and therefore all those who will also later be ordained priests) to take the following "Oath of Fidelity"