Title 5, Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-102
§3331 Oath of Office
Title 5 › PART III — EMPLOYEES › Subpart B — Employment and Retention › CHAPTER 33 — EXAMINATION, SELECTION, AND PLACEMENT › SUBCHAPTER II — OATH OF OFFICE › § 3331
Summary
Must take an oath: except the President, those in federal civil or military service must swear or affirm loyalty to and protection of the Constitution, promise freely with no reservation to perform duties faithfully, ending “So help me God.” Does not affect other oaths.
Full Legal Text
Title 5, §3331
Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
An individual, except the President, elected or appointed to an office of honor or profit in the civil service or uniformed services, shall take the following oath: “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.” This section does not affect other oaths required by law.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
DerivationU.S. CodeRevised Statutes andStatutes at Large 5 U.S.C. 16.R.S. § 1757.
May 13, 1884, ch. 46, §§ 2, 3, 23 Stat. 22. All but the quoted language in R.S. § 1757 is omitted as obsolete since R.S. § 1757 was originally an alternative oath to the oath prescribed in R.S. § 1756 which oath was repealed by the Act of
May 13, 1884, ch. 46, § 2, 23 Stat. 22. The words “An individual, except the President, . . . in the civil service or uniformed services” are substituted for “any person . . . either in the civil, military, or naval service, except the President of the United States”. The second sentence of former section 16 is changed to read, “This section does not affect other oaths required by law.”. Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface to the report.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
5 U.S.C. § 3331
Title 5, Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102