Declaration of independence

This article is about declarations of independence in general. For the U.S. Declaration, see United States Declaration of Independence.

A declaration of independence is a claim of independence of an aspiring state or states. States like these are usually formed from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the parent state.

Declarations of independence are typically made without the consent of the parent state, and hence are sometimes called unilateral declarations of independence (UDI), particularly by those who question the validity of the declarations.