Attest is a legal term that refers to the act of a person swearing to or affirming the truth of something. Attestation may be made by bearing witness to the execution of a document by signing one's signature to the document. All states require at least two witnesses to attest that a will was signed and declared to be a will. There is an exception in some states for a will written in one's own handwriting. Attest means to certify a document by signature or oath, as in an official capacity.
Attest may also refer to the giving of testimony in court by bearing witness or affirming something to be true, genuine, or correct. For example, in order to view certain sensitive information, a person may be required to sign a form attesting to the fact that the person understands that the purpose of releasing this information they know that it is unlawful to use the information obtained from the database to commit a crime, discriminate against or harass any subject person of the records.
