thumb|[[Lyndon B. Johnson taking the American presidential oath of office in 1963, after the assassination of John F. Kennedy]]
An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming 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 organization. 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 statements of allegiance and loyalty to a constitution or other legal text or to a person or office-holder (e.g., an oath to support the constitution of the state, or of loyalty to the king or queen) (see Oath of allegiance). Under the laws of a state, it may be considered treason or a high crime to betray a sworn oath of office. In many cases, the oath is performed using an oath book, typically religious scripture such as the Bible.
The word "oath" and the phrase "I swear" refer to a solemn vow. For those who choose not to, the alternative terms "solemn promise" or "solemnly affirm" and "I promise" or "I affirm" are sometimes used.
Antigua and Barbuda
The Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, before entering into his duties, must make an oath of allegiance and oath of office in the form specified in the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda; the same is required of the Prime Minister, other Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries, but they also take the oath of secrecy.
Members of the Public Service Commission for Antigua and Barbuda take the oath of allegiance and oath of office, while members of both Houses of Parliament are only required to make the oath of allegiance prior to participating in their respective House (save for the oath-taking itself). Any of these oaths may be taken as an affirmation; when doing so "So help me God" is omitted. and the wording of the oath and affirmation are set out in a schedule to the Constitution. The oath is:
The affirmation is:
Upon taking office, the Governor-General of Australia is required to take the above Oath of Allegiance as well as a second Oath of Office:
In case of affirmation, the phrase "So Help me God" is hereby omitted.
In addition to swearing, the Oath of Allegiance upon becoming a Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister, Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries also recite an Oath of Office upon entering office. The wording of this oath is not prescribed within the Constitution and is ultimately determined by the Prime Minister of the day. Traditionally the oath has repeated the swearing of allegiance to the Sovereign, although this is not required. The current Oath of Office is:
The Prime Minister and Ministers shall required take the affirmation of office before the Governor General if in case of affirmation:
The Federal Executive Council members shall also required to take their oath:
Bangladesh
The President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, Ministers take their oath of office. The oath is taken in the Bengali language.
President
The oath (or affirmation) of the President is administered by the Speaker:
Prime Ministers and other Ministers
The oath of office for the Prime Minister and other members of the cabinet is administered by the President:
The oath of secrecy is as follows:
Speaker
The Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, takes the oath of his or her office as well as the presidential oath, since the acts of president is practiced by the Speaker, whenever necessary:
Chief Justice
The oath of office for the Chief Justice is administered by the President whereas the oath of office for other Judges is administered by the Chief Justice:
Others
The Election Commissioners, members of the Public Service Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General takes a likely oath of office from the Chief Justice.
The representatives of the people in the local government takes oath from the Prime Minister or the minister in charge of the Local Government Division.
Belarus
The Constitution of Belarus requires the president-elect to recite the following oath before taking office:
Belgium
King
In Belgium, the King is not crowned but swears the constitutional oath in front of both Chambers of the federal parliament in the Palace of the Nation in Brussels in the three official languages:
In English: I swear that I will observe the constitution and laws of the Belgian people, preserve the country's independence and protect its territorial integrity. (Article 91 of the Belgian Constitution)
Prime minister, ministers and state secretaries
The prime minister, the ministers and state secretaries of the Belgian federal government swear an oath in front of the Belgian King.
Also the minister-presidents of the Flemish government, of the Walloon government, of the government of the French community, of the government of the German-speaking community and of the Brussels-Capital region government swear the oath at the King. The other members of these governments do not take the oath at the King, but in front of their respective parliaments.
They may choose to take the oath in one or more of the country's languages.
In English: I swear fidelity to the King, obedience to the constitution and to the laws of the Belgian people.
Members of the Parliaments
The members of the Chambers of Representatives, the Senate, the Flemish Parliament, the Walloon Parliament, the Parliament of the French Community, the Parliament of the German-speaking Community and the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region have to swear the following oath:
In English: I swear obedience to the constitution.
Public servants
All public servants in judiciary and administration, officers of the civil guards and the army and servants in general of any public office have to swear the same oath as ministers, but in front of their respective hierarchical authority rather than of the King.
Mayors and members of municipal executive and city council
Flemish mayors and the members of municipal executive and the city council in Flanders have following oath: "Ik zweer de verplichtingen van mijn mandaat trouw na te komen" (I swear to fulfill the duties of my office faithfully).
In Walloon the following version is used: "Je jure fidélité au Roi, obéissance à la Constitution et aux lois du peuple belge."
Brazil
thumb|[[Dilma Rousseff takes the oath of office of the President of Brazil.]]
President and Vice President
The affirmation required by the Constitution of Brazil to be taken by the president-elect and vice president-elect upon entering into office is as follows:
Chamber of Deputies
The affirmation of office for the members of the Chamber is administered by the President, who reads:
The Chamber members, after being called, answer the affirmation with "So I promise" ("Assim o prometo").
Federal Senate
The affirmation of office for Senators is administered by the President, who reads:
The Senate members, after being called, answer the affirmation with "So I promise" ("Assim o prometo").
Supreme Federal Court
The internal rules of the Supreme Federal Court set 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.
Others
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.
Minas Gerais
thumb|[[Aécio Neves becoming governor of Minas Gerais on 1 January 2003.]]
Governor and Vice Governor
The affirmation required by the Constitution of Minas Gerais to be taken by the governor-elect and vice governor-elect upon entering into office is as follows:
Brunei
In Brunei, an oath must be taken by any person in the public services may require to take if the Sultan wishes.
Bulgaria
The members of the Bulgarian parliament, the prime minister, government ministers, the president and vice president have to swear the following oath before entering office:
In English, "I swear in the name of the Republic of Bulgaria to observe the Constitution and the laws of the country and in all my actions to be guided by the interests of the people. This I have sworn."
The oath is dictated by the chairman of the National Assembly and a ceremony is held in the National Assembly building. When the president or the prime minister and cabinet ministers take the oath, the Constitution is also on display near the main dais during the inauguration.
Canada
No formal oath is required to be taken by the monarch.
Governor general
The Governor General of Canada is 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", which includes swearing allegiance to the reigning Canadian monarch the viceroy is to represent. This oath must be administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada or a puisne justice and, though not demanded, this is usually done during a swearing-in ceremony in the Canadian Senate chamber.
The following was the oath taken by the Governor General:
Ministers
All Ministers of the Crown, including the Prime Minister of Canada, must be sworn members of the King's Privy Council for Canada before taking office. The Clerk of the Privy Council administers the necessary oaths at Rideau Hall in the presence of the Governor General. The first oath taken is always the Oath of Allegiance:
The Oath of Allegiance is followed by the Privy Council Oath:
Privy Councillors who are Ministers-designate, including the Prime Minister-designate, become Ministers by taking the Oath of Office, which is administered by the Clerk of the Privy Council at Rideau Hall:
Ministers who choose to take the oath as an affirmation use declare instead of swear and omit so help me God. After leaving Cabinet, former Ministers typically remain Privy Councillors for life, and as such retain the privilege of styling themselves "The Honourable" (or "The Right Honourable," in the case of the Prime Minister), and may use the post-nominals "P.C."
China
Mainland China
thumb|[[Li Keqiang publicly swore an oath to the Constitution upon formally taking office after he was appointed as the Premier in the 1st Session of the 13th National People's Congress.]]
On July 1, 2015, the 15th Meeting of the 12th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed the Decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Regarding the Implementation of a Constitutional Oath System, with an effective date of January 1, 2016. The decision required state civil servants elected or appointed by the National People's Congress, its Standing Committee, the State Council, the Central Military Commission, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and other central government organs, as well as equivalent local government organs at or above the county level, to publicly swear an oath to the constitution upon formally taking office. The oath was then amended in 2018.
As prescribed by the decision, the oath is as follows:
Unofficial English translation:
Hong Kong
The oath of office for the Chief Executive is as follows:
The oath of office of judges is as follows:
Croatia
Before assuming duty, the President-elect of the Republic takes oath of office before the judges of the Constitutional Court swearing loyalty to the Constitution:
Egypt
Before assuming duty, the President-elect of the Republic and the ministers takes oath of office:
Fiji
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.
Individuals taking the oath proclaim to be "faithful" to the republic, and faithful "according to law." The oath ends with the statement "So help me God!"
Oath of Allegiance
President
Prime Minister and other Officials
Oath of Execution
President
Prime Minister and other officials
Finland
General oath of office.
In Finland, the oath of office is sworn by
- The Chancellor of Justice and the Assistant Chancellor of Justice
- The chief of staff () of the office of the President of Finland,
- the following officials of the Finnish Government, the office of the Chancellor of Justice or of any government ministry:
- heads of office ()
- the secretaries and under-secretaries of state ()
- heads of section ()
- heads of central agencies
- provincial governors
- heads of diplomatic or consular missions
- all career military personnel of Finnish Defence Forces and the Finnish Border Guard
- prison governors
The oath of office is:
Oath of judges
Finnish judges and justices of all courts are required to give the following oath:
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.
Military oath
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:
Germany
The oath of office of the Federal President, Federal Chancellor, and other federal ministers in Germany is as follows:
The religious affirmation may be omitted.
Conscripts say "vow" instead of "swear", and the religious affirmation is not added for conscripts since the vow is not an actual oath.
The oath for federal Beamte:<blockquote>I swear to protect the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany and all valid laws within the Federal Republic and to fulfill my duties of the office faithfully, so help me God.</blockquote>The oath for federal judges according to § 38 DRiG is as follows: (State (Länder) judges may have to add a commitment to the state constitution (Landesverfassung) to their oath)</blockquote>
Ghana
The oath of office of the President of Ghana is as follows:
For members of the Parliament of Ghana, the oath is:
Declaration Oath
This was the oath of declaration of Charles III during the coronation on 6 May 2023:
Oath of Allegiance
The Oath of Allegiance is in the following form:
Official Oath
The Official Oath is in the following form:
Judicial Oath
The standard form of the judicial oath is set out in the Promissory Oaths Act 1868:
Those choosing affirm simply replace "do swear by Almighty God" with "solemnly sincerely and truly declare and affirm"
In Northern Ireland all references to the Sovereign were removed by the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002.
Section 19(2) provides that the oath is—
Section 19(3) provides that the affirmation and declaration is—
Armed forces
All persons enlisting in the British Armed Forces are required to attest to the following oath or equivalent affirmation:
Privy Counsellors
Privy Counsellors take office on being "sworn of the Privy Council". It was formerly regarded as criminal to disclose the form of Privy Council oath, which includes an undertaking of secrecy as to the proceedings in Council (where the Oath is taken). On 20 July 1998 it was published by the President of the Council in answer to a written parliamentary question:
<blockquote>You do swear by Almighty God to be a true and faithful Servant unto the Queen's Majesty, as one of Her Majesty's Privy Council. You will not know or understand of any manner of thing to be attempted, done, or spoken against Her Majesty's Person, Honour, Crown, or Dignity Royal, but you will lett and withstand the same to the uttermost of your Power, and either cause it to be revealed to Her Majesty Herself, or to such of Her Privy Council as shall advertise Her Majesty of the same. You will, in all things to be moved, treated, and debated in Council, faithfully and truly declare your Mind and Opinion, according to your Heart and Conscience; and will keep secret all Matters committed and revealed unto you, or that shall be treated of secretly in Council. And if any of the said Treaties or Counsels shall touch any of the Counsellors, you will not reveal it unto him, but will keep the same until such time as, by the Consent of Her Majesty, or of the Council, Publication shall be made thereof. You will to your uttermost bear Faith and Allegiance unto the Queen's Majesty; and will assist and defend all Jurisdictions, Pre-eminences, and Authorities, granted to Her Majesty, and annexed to the Crown by Acts of Parliament, or otherwise, against all Foreign Princes, Persons, Prelates, States, or Potentates. And generally in all things you will do as a faithful and true Servant ought to do to Her Majesty. So help you God.</blockquote>
Constables declaration
A person appointed to the office of constable of a police force in Scotland is required to make the following declaration:
<blockquote>I hereby do solemnly and sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of constable.</blockquote>
United Nations
The Secretary General of the United Nations shall take their oath in general session of the General Assembly and it reads:
United States
History of the oath
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 1st United States Congress passed the Oath Administration Act to create an oath of office to fulfill the requirement of Article VI of the United States Constitution:
It also passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established an additional oath taken by federal 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 Ironclad Oath signed into law under President Johnson's term as mandatory for members of Congress as well as federal employees.
<blockquote>I, A.B., do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I have never voluntarily borne arms against the United States since I have been a citizen thereof; that I have voluntarily given no aid, countenance, counsel or encouragement to person engaged in armed hostility thereto; that I have neither sought nor accepted nor attempted to exercise the functions of any office whatever, under any authority or pretended authority in hostility to the United States; that I have not yielded a voluntary support to any pretended government, authority, power, or constitution within the United States, hostile or inimical thereto. And I do further swear (or affirm) that, to the best of my knowledge and ability, 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; and 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.</blockquote>
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.
Federal executive and legislative branch oaths
In the United States, the oath of office for the President is specified in the Constitution (Article II, Section 1):
The oath may be sworn or affirmed (in which case it is called an affirmation instead of oath). Although not present in the text of the Constitution, it is customary for modern presidents to say "So help me God" after the end of the oath. For officers other than the President, the expression "So help me God" is explicitly prescribed, but the Judiciary Act of 1789 also explains when it can be omitted (specifically for oaths taken by court clerks): "Which words, so help me God, shall be omitted in all cases where an affirmation is admitted instead of an oath."
The Constitution (Article VI, clause 3) also specifies:
At the start of each new U.S. Congress, in January of every odd-numbered year, newly elected or re-elected Members of Congress – the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate – must recite an oath: