Every witness shall be required to declare before testifying that the witness will testify truthfully, by oath or affirmation administered in a form calculated to awaken the witness's conscience and impress the witness's mind with the duty to do so.
§ 2603.Oath Or Affirmation
Chapter 40: Oklahoma Evidence Code · Last amended November 1, 2002 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2603 requires every witness to declare, by oath or affirmation administered in a form meant to awaken the witness's conscience and impress the duty to testify truthfully, that the witness will do so.
Full Text of § 2603
Amendment History
Laws 1978, SB 276, c. 285, § 603, eff. 10/1/1978; Amended by Laws 2002, HB 1939, c. 468, §43, eff. 11/1/2002.
Plain-English Summary
Before testifying, every witness must declare -- under oath or affirmation -- that they will testify truthfully. The section doesn't prescribe particular words; it requires only that the oath or affirmation be administered in a form calculated to awaken the witness's conscience and impress on the witness's mind the duty to tell the truth. That flexibility lets courts accommodate witnesses who object to a traditional religious oath by offering an affirmation instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a witness have to swear a religious oath to testify?
No. Section 2603 allows either an oath or an affirmation, so long as it's administered in a form meant to impress the duty to testify truthfully.
Is there specific wording the oath or affirmation must use?
No. The section requires only that the form be calculated to awaken the witness's conscience and impress the duty to testify truthfully, not particular language.
When must this declaration happen?
Before the witness testifies.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: oath or affirmation witness oklahomaFRE 603 oklahomaswearing in a witness oklahoma court12 O.S. § 2603