Citizenship ceremonies
Attending a citizenship ceremony and being presented with your British Naturalisation Certificate is the final step in the process of becoming a British citizen.
How to arrange a Citizenship Ceremony
Once you have received your invitation email from the Home Office asking you to book within 14 days, there is no need to contact us - we will send you an invitation, by email, once we receive your certificate from the Home Office.
You would normally be expected to attend your ceremony within three months of being sent an invitation from the Home Office, but UKVI have temporarily extended this period to six months, and will keep this under constant review.
No adverse decisions will be made on applications because of delays caused by Coronavirus.
The ceremony
The ceremony starts at 10.30, we ask that you arrive for registration between 09.30-10.00. The ceremony itself takes about 45 minutes.
You must bring with you on the day your:
- Home Office citizenship invitation,
- and photographic ID: passport or driving licence
Failure to do so may result in your ceremony being postponed.
Children under 18 years old do not have to attend the ceremony but will receive their certificates at the same time as the lead citizen.
Guests are welcome to come along with you, however we are restricted for space so we ask that you only bring one guest.
There is an opportunity for photos after the ceremony.
What happens at the ceremony
- When you arrive at the Guildhall our citizenship ceremony staff will be available to welcome you and make sure you understand what is going to happen.
- After you have signed in and your documents have been checked, you will be seated with the other new citizens attending the ceremony.
- The ceremony is conducted by the Superintendent Registrar who will formally welcome the new citizens on behalf of the Royal Borough of Kingston.
- The applicants will then swear or affirm allegiance to the King and make a pledge of loyalty.
- Both swearing and affirming allegiance to the King have the same meaning. The difference between the two is a matter of religious belief or practice.
- Swearing the oath is calling on God as a witness.
- Affirming the oath is confirming a promise without reference to God.
- Anyone wishing to swear the oath whilst holding a holy book is welcome to do so and is asked to bring their own holy book to the ceremony.
- Both the Oath and the Pledge will be repeated as a group after the Superintendent Registrar.
- You will then be presented with your nationality certificate along with the information pack. Your nationality certificate can subsequently be used to support passport applications and to prove an individual is a British citizen
- The ceremony will end with the national anthem.
- Photo opportunity with the elected delegate.
In the Royal Borough of Kingston we do our best to ensure that the ceremonies are enjoyable and meaningful, creating a friendly environment for new citizens. We hope that the ceremonies will encourage all new citizens to play an active part in the community.
Private ceremonies
You can have an individual ceremony or a small family group ceremony.
There is an additional fee for this service of £110.
If you would like to have a private ceremony please respond to the booking information email we send you before you book a ceremony.