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How to fill in form COP25 — swearing an affidavit for the Court of Protection

COP25 is the Court of Protection's sworn affidavit — used only when the court, a rule, a practice direction, or another enactment has specifically required evidence to be given this way rather than as a standard COP24 witness statement.

It's short — four pages — but adds one thing COP24 doesn't ask for: the statement has to be sworn or solemnly affirmed before a person on a specific authorised list, not just signed with a statement of truth.

This walkthrough covers when COP25 actually applies instead of COP24, the identifying header, the sworn statement in Boxes 1 to 4 — including the own-knowledge/belief distinction and how to reference an exhibit — and the jurat block where the oath is formally recorded.

✓ Official source checked 23 August 2026 · GOV.UK last revised this form 1 December 2017COP25 on GOV.UK
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United KingdomInformational, not legal or financial adviceOfficial source: GOV.UK
Official form · always current

This is the same official COP25 file HM Courts & Tribunals Service publishes on GOV.UK — the link below fetches the current version live from GOV.UK the moment you click it, so it can never go out of date.

Current version: December 2017 · confirmed on GOV.UK 23 August 2026

This walkthrough takes COP25 the way it's actually completed: confirming the affidavit is genuinely required, then the sworn statement itself — before the one step COP24 doesn't need: finding someone authorised to administer the oath.

COP25 needs an authorised person to administer the oath — a witness statement doesn't
The form's own 'Please read first' notes name a specific list of who may administer the oath: Commissioners for Oaths, practising solicitors, other persons specified by statute, certain officials of the Senior Courts, a circuit or district judge, any justice of the peace, or certain appointed county court officials. An affidavit sworn before someone not on that list risks not being valid as evidence — so confirm who you're swearing it in front of before the appointment, not after.

Inside Box 4, the same own-knowledge-versus-belief rule as COP24 applies: make clear which numbered statements come from your own knowledge and which are information or belief, and say what the source is for the latter. And if this is genuinely the wrong form — the court hasn't specifically directed affidavit evidence — COP24's witness statement is very likely what's actually needed, without the added step of arranging an oath.
The form, in summary
Valoren
COP254 pages16 fields guided
With ValorenValoren doesn't complete, swear or file COP25 on your behalf — the facts and dates already held in your records give you a starting structure for Box 4's numbered paragraphs, rather than a blank page
Without Valoren1–2 hours
to draft the statement, plus arranging and attending an appointment to have it sworn before an authorised person
Deadline
Court's own timetableonly required when
the court directs it
Who Files
A party to the casewhen the court has
directed affidavit evidence
£
Fee
No court feeswearing the oath may
carry its own separate charge
Filed with Court of Protection
Draws from your Estate File
the records this form is built from
PersonalCivil Dossier·Medical Abstract·Digital Access Map·Financial Accounts·Asset Inventory·Income & Outgoings·Policy Index·Legal Instruments·Property Folio·Succession Plan·Digital Legacy Registry·Business Interests & Directorships·Funeral & Committal Wishes·Dependent Care & Handoff·Personal Record·RegistryPeople, Authority & Contacts·Master Registry·Renewal Register·Designated Places·Kinship & Succession Map·SecureAccess Controls·Recovery Routes·Custody & Contingency·EventsDeath & Estate Activation·Incapacity & Medical Proxy·Absence & Continuity Cover·Access Loss & Identity Recovery·Legal Dispute & Evidence Protocol·Theft & Asset Compromise·Property Damage & Incident Response·Relocation & Address Update Protocol·Separation & Custody Documentation·Business Interruption & Continuity·PersonalCivil Dossier·Medical Abstract·Digital Access Map·Financial Accounts·Asset Inventory·Income & Outgoings·Policy Index·Legal Instruments·Property Folio·Succession Plan·Digital Legacy Registry·Business Interests & Directorships·Funeral & Committal Wishes·Dependent Care & Handoff·Personal Record·RegistryPeople, Authority & Contacts·Master Registry·Renewal Register·Designated Places·Kinship & Succession Map·SecureAccess Controls·Recovery Routes·Custody & Contingency·EventsDeath & Estate Activation·Incapacity & Medical Proxy·Absence & Continuity Cover·Access Loss & Identity Recovery·Legal Dispute & Evidence Protocol·Theft & Asset Compromise·Property Damage & Incident Response·Relocation & Address Update Protocol·Separation & Custody Documentation·Business Interruption & Continuity·
Legal basisStatute

COP25 — 'Affidavit' — is sworn written evidence for the Court of Protection: evidence given on oath (or solemn affirmation) before a person legally authorised to administer it, rather than the plain signed statement of truth that COP24 uses.

Rule 14.9 of the Court of Protection Rules 2017 makes affidavit evidence the exception, not the default — it's only required where the court, a rule, a practice direction, or another enactment specifically directs it in that case. Where nothing directs otherwise, COP24's witness statement is the standard route into giving evidence.

Because the oath itself has to be administered by someone on a specific authorised list, COP25 carries a logistical step COP24 doesn't: finding a Commissioner for Oaths, a practising solicitor, or another person the form names, and attending in person (or by whatever remote arrangement they accept) to swear or affirm it before them.

Like COP24, it has no role once someone has died — P is alive throughout Court of Protection proceedings, so this sits in the capacity/deputyship track, separate from a family's later estate administration.

Section by section

The form, section by section.

Before you start, you’ll need:
  • Who Files — A party (or their solicitor) already involved in ongoing Court of Protection proceedings — most often someone applying for or contesting a property-and-affairs deputyship, an attorney or family member who is a party to or objecting in a capacity dispute, or any party the court has specifically directed to give evidence by sworn affidavit rather than the standard COP24 witness statement. It is not an executor or administrator form, and it is not the default way to give evidence — it's the form used only when the court has asked for this specific kind.
  • 4 pages · 16 fields guided
  • Draws from your Estate File — Civil Dossier, People, Authority & Contacts, Medical Abstract
Section 1

Before you swear COP25 — confirm it's actually required, and who can administer the oath

COP25 is the exception, not the default. Confirm the court has actually directed affidavit evidence, and line up who's going to administer the oath, before drafting.

An affidavit, not a witness statement

Rule 14.9 of the Court of Protection Rules 2017 only requires evidence by affidavit where the court, a rule, a practice direction, or another enactment specifically directs it. If nothing has directed that, COP24's witness statement is very likely the right form instead — check any order or directions in the proceedings before choosing.

Who can administer the oath

The form's page 1 names the authorised list: Commissioners for Oaths, practising solicitors, other persons specified by statute, certain officials of the Senior Courts, a circuit or district judge, any justice of the peace, or certain appointed county court officials. Arrange this before your appointment — swearing before someone outside that list risks the affidavit not being valid evidence.

No fixed filing deadline — the court sets the timetable

As with COP24, there's no universal statutory number of days. Rules 14.9 and 14.10 set what the evidence has to look like and comply with, not when it's due — that comes from the court's own case-management directions in your specific matter.

This is a capacity form, not a probate one

P — the person the affidavit is about — is alive throughout. COP25 belongs to the deputyship/capacity track, separate from a family's later estate administration.

COP25 is the exception, not the default. Confirm the court has actually directed affidavit evidence, and line up who's going to administer the oath, before drafting.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (Court of Protection) · COP25
Section 2

Page 1 — the identifying header, and the read-first rules

Page 1 is identification and ground rules, printed on the form itself rather than in a separate guidance leaflet.

The header box

Top right: your name as the deponent (the person swearing the affidavit); which numbered affidavit this is from you in the case, if more than one (1st, 2nd, 3rd or Other); who it's filed on behalf of; and the date it was sworn.

Case number, and 'P'

Left column: the case number, and the full name of the person the application relates to — glossed on the form as 'this is the person who lacks, or is alleged to lack, capacity.' Use the name exactly as it appears elsewhere in the bundle.

The rules printed on the page

Affidavit evidence must be included in or attached to this form where the court requires it. Only specific people, listed on this page, may administer the oath. Practice Direction A accompanying Part 14 sets out more detailed requirements. Continuation sheets are allowed if you need more space, each carrying the same identifying header.

What the notes don't cover

The form states plainly that Court of Protection staff cannot give legal advice. If you're unsure whether COP25 is even the right form for your situation, that's a question for a solicitor or the court itself, not the form's own notes.

Page 1 is identification and ground rules, printed on the form itself rather than in a separate guidance leaflet.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (Court of Protection) · COP25
Section 3

Pages 2–3 — the sworn statement (Boxes 1 to 4)

This is the substantive part: who you are, in what capacity, the oath or affirmation you're making, and then the numbered paragraphs of evidence.

Boxes 1–2 — your name and occupation

Your full name, then your occupation or a short description of who you are — the two opening facts the fixed wording 'I, [name]...' builds from.

Box 3 — your address, or your professional position, and the oath itself

Your full address including postcode — or, if you're swearing in a professional or work capacity, your position, your employer's name and your work address instead. Two ticks follow: whether you are a party to the proceedings, or employed by a party to the proceedings. Then a choice: 'state on oath' or 'do solemnly and sincerely affirm' — affirmation is the non-religious alternative to swearing on a holy text, and carries identical legal weight.

Box 4 — the statement, in numbered paragraphs

Set the statement out in numbered paragraphs, and for each one make clear whether you're speaking from your own knowledge or from information or belief — and if the latter, say what the source is. Where you refer to a document, name it as an exhibit using the model phrasing on the form: 'I refer to the [description of document] marked Exhibit A...' Box 4 continues onto page 3 if needed.

Getting the exhibit reference right

Every document you mention needs a matching exhibit label, and that document's own first page needs to carry the same case-identifying information as the header box on page 1. A stray attachment with no label and no matching reference risks not being treated as properly exhibited at all.

This is the substantive part: who you are, in what capacity, the oath or affirmation you're making, and then the numbered paragraphs of evidence.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (Court of Protection) · COP25
Section 4

Page 4 — the jurat, and after you swear it

The jurat is the formal record that the oath was actually administered — this is what makes COP25 different from a signed statement of truth.

The jurat block

Fixed fields: the date; the deponent's signature (sworn/affirmed by); the address where it was sworn; the signature of the person administering the oath (before me); and that person's full name and qualifications, printed underneath.

If the deponent can't read or sign it themselves

Practice Direction 14A is understood to require the person administering the oath to add a specific certification in this situation — that they read the affidavit to the deponent, the deponent appeared to understand it, and the deponent signed or made their mark in their presence. This isn't printed on COP25 itself, so check Practice Direction 14A, or raise it with whoever is administering the oath, if it applies.

Continuation sheets, if you used one

Each extra sheet needs the same top-right identification block as page 1 — case number, deponent's name, which numbered affidavit, and who it's filed on behalf of. Easy to remember on sheet one, easy to forget from sheet two onward.

Where it goes next

The form's own instruction: return the completed affidavit to the Court of Protection. There's no separate court filing fee — this is sworn evidence within proceedings that are already open, not a new application.

The jurat is the formal record that the oath was actually administered — this is what makes COP25 different from a signed statement of truth.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (Court of Protection) · COP25

Many people file COP25 themselves — that is what this walkthrough is for. If the situation behind it has stopped being simple — an objection raised, a donor whose capacity is questioned, a Court of Protection application in view — Signum, Valoren’s own specialist desk, can take it on, and we say so plainly: it starts with a free intake, and if you do not need us, we will tell you. Prefer an independent adviser? STEP and the Chartered Institute of Taxation both keep public member directories, and neither pays Valoren a referral fee.

FAQ

COP25 questions, answered.

COP25 lets a party (or their solicitor) already involved in Court of Protection proceedings give sworn evidence — an affidavit — about a person who lacks, or is alleged to lack, mental capacity.

It's used only where the court, a rule, a practice direction, or another enactment has specifically required evidence by affidavit.
COP24 is a witness statement, closed with a signed statement of truth. COP25 is an affidavit — sworn or solemnly affirmed before a person authorised to administer the oath.

Rule 14.9 of the Court of Protection Rules 2017 makes the affidavit route the exception: use it only where the court, a rule, a practice direction, or another enactment specifically directs it. Otherwise COP24 is the correct form.
The form names a specific list: Commissioners for Oaths, practising solicitors, other persons specified by statute, certain officials of the Senior Courts, a circuit or district judge, any justice of the peace, or certain appointed county court officials.

An affidavit sworn before someone outside that list risks not being valid as evidence.
The same rule as COP24's witness statement: make clear, paragraph by paragraph, whether each fact is something you know directly or something you were told or believe — and, for the latter, state the source.

Where you refer to a document, name it as an exhibit using the form's own model wording: 'I refer to the [description of document] marked Exhibit A...'
No court fee is stated for filing it — this is evidence within proceedings that are already open, not a new application.

Swearing the affidavit itself may carry a separate charge from whoever administers the oath; no figure for that is published on gov.uk or the form, so ask when you arrange the appointment.
Practice Direction 14A is understood to set out a specific certification for this situation, to be added by the person administering the oath — but that detail sits in the practice direction itself, not printed on COP25. If this applies to your deponent, check Practice Direction 14A directly, or ask whoever is administering the oath, rather than assuming the standard jurat wording covers it.
The jurat is the execution block on page 4: the date, the deponent's signature, the address where it was sworn, the signature of the person administering the oath, and their full name and qualifications.

It's the formal record that the oath was actually administered, by whom, and where.

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Where this fits

COP25 is one form. The file behind it is the rest.

COP25's Box 4 paragraphs draw on the same dated facts, care notes and prior correspondence that Civil Dossier and Medical Abstract are built to hold — exactly what a sworn statement needs to reference precisely — while People, Authority & Contacts keeps the case's other parties, and whoever administers the oath, straight.

For the household where a parent is ageing and an LPA is not yet registered — the planning conversations your family needs to have, in one place. Caring for a Parent — £79

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (Court of Protection)16 fieldsNo court fee is stated for filing COP25 — it's evidence within proceedings that are already open, not a new application. Having the affidavit sworn may carry a separate charge from whoever administers the oath (a solicitor's or Commissioner for Oaths' fee); no figure for that is published on gov.uk or the form itself, so check with whoever you're swearing it in front of.Valoren doesn't complete, swear or file COP25 on your behalf — the facts and dates already held in your records give you a starting structure for Box 4's numbered paragraphs, rather than a blank page with Valoren
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