Citizenship update
Citizenship ceremonies are permitted to take place during lockdown, as they fall under leaving home to fulfil a legal obligation.
Each new citizen will receive a Home Office decision letter and will receive their Home Office invitation letter approximately 8-12 weeks later. If you haven’t received it, it means we don’t have your naturalisation certificate and can’t offer you a ceremony until we get it.
We’ll automatically invite you to a group ceremony when your certificate is received from the Home Office. If you’re on the waiting list, we’ll send your ceremony invitation by email. If you’re not on the list, we’ll send it by post.
Join the waiting list
If your application to become a British citizen is successful, you’re required by law to attend a citizenship ceremony if you’re 18 or over.
Children do not need to attend a ceremony, so their parent(s) can attend on their behalf.
At the citizenship ceremony, you will be presented with your naturalisation certificate which will prove your newly acquired citizenship status and also proves that you have the right to vote in both local and national elections.
Frequently asked questions about citizenship ceremonies
You are considered a British citizen once you have attended a citizenship ceremony and have received your naturalisation certificate.
You cannot apply for your British passport beforehand.
Once your citizenship ceremony has taken place you will be able to apply for your first British passport on gov.uk.
Alternatively, you can apply by post using a paper form but it costs more.
Please allow up to 10 weeks to receive your new passport.
You will receive a citizenship invitation letter from the Home Office approximately 8 to 12 weeks after receiving your application decision letter.
If you live in Hackney or stated in your application form that you wished to have your citizenship ceremony in Hackney, the Home Office will also send your certificate to Hackney Register Office.
This is usually around the same time that you receive your Home Office invitation letter.
Once we receive your naturalisation certificate we will automatically invite you to the next available group ceremony.
Our ceremony invites are usually sent by email and contain important information about what to expect at your citizenship ceremony as well as the date, time and location of the ceremony.
If you would prefer to have a private ceremony or virtual ceremony instead, we can arrange one for you for an additional fee.
See below for more information.
In Hackney, citizens are automatically invited to the next available group citizenship ceremony, once we receive their naturalisation certificate.
Not all local authorities work in this way. Some wait for the citizen to make contact first, which is why a deadline is given.
Group citizenship ceremonies are usually held on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
Once we receive your certificate from the Home Office, we will automatically invite you to the next available ceremony.
A maximum of 15 new citizens can attend each ceremony.
Yes, group ceremonies are Covid-secure.
Guests are not permitted at group citizenship ceremonies for the foreseeable future.
This enables us to maximise our ceremony availability to our new citizens, avoiding any further delays to them being granted citizenship.
Additionally, guests are not a legal requirement of a citizenship ceremony.
The Home Office refers to children under 18 years as minors.
Due to our strict seating restrictions, we ask adult new citizens to collect their minor’s naturalisation certificate on their behalf as they are not required to attend and we will be unable to accommodate them.
Please ensure that you bring their Home Office invitation letter and photo ID with you.
You will need to bring the following 2 documents to your ceremony:
- your Home Office citizenship invitation letter (either printed or on your electronic device such as your mobile phone / tablet)
- original photo identification (for example a passport or driving licence)
Unfortunately, if you don’t bring these documents with you, you won’t be able to attend your ceremony.
No.
The cost of the group ceremony is already included in the Home Office’s citizenship application fee.
At the ceremony you will take an oath or affirmation of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen, and make a pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom.
You can choose to take an oath or affirmation. The difference is that in the oath you swear to God, in the affirmation you do not. Some people like to practise the wording before they come to their ceremony. Here is what you have to say:
The oath: “I (your full name) swear by Almighty God that on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her Heirs and Successors according to law.”
The affirmation: “I (your full name) do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her Heirs and Successors according to law.”
Everyone present then has to make the below pledge:
The pledge: “I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen.”
Due to the safety measures put in place following the coronavirus pandemic, group ceremonies last approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
Each new citizen will receive a commemorative gift. There will also be an opportunity for photographs to be taken by our professional photographer, which you can buy for £10 each. Both cash and card are accepted
Hackney is a very diverse borough and we respect and appreciate the individuality of each of our citizens.
We don’t have a formal dress code for our ceremonies so please feel free to come dressed in whatever makes you comfortable.
If you want to celebrate obtaining British citizenship in a more personal way, or can’t attend a group ceremony, we can arrange a private ceremony for you for an additional fee.
It’s not compulsory for children to attend a citizenship ceremony, so this fee only applies to adult citizens.
Cost
£150 per adult.
Private citizenship ceremony days and times
- Monday: 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm and 4pm only
- Wednesday: 9.30am, 10am and 10.30am only
Book
To book a private citizenship ceremony, please contact us at citizenship@hackney.gov.uk with your preferred ceremony date and time (eg Monday 10 May 2.30pm). Without this information, we’ll be unable to assist you.
Please ensure that you include your telephone number in your email.
You’ll be contacted by a member of the team to confirm your ceremony and take the payment over the telephone. Unfortunately, we can’t accept American Express cards.
We offer virtual citizenship ceremonies, which are hosted using Zoom.
Citizens can only have a virtual citizenship ceremony if they are in the UK on the day of the ceremony.
The Home Office doesn’t allow you to have a virtual ceremony if you are abroad as it will breach the terms and conditions of your successful citizenship application.
It’s not compulsory for children to attend a citizenship ceremony, so this fee only applies to adult citizens.
Cost
£160 per adult.
Virtual citizenship ceremonies days and times
- Monday: 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm and 4pm only
- Wednesday: 9:30am, 10am and 10:30am only
Book
To book a virtual citizenship ceremony, please contact us at citizenship@hackney.gov.uk with your preferred ceremony date and time (eg Monday 10 May 2.30pm). Without this information, we’ll be unable to assist you.
Please ensure that you include your telephone number in your email.
You’ll be contacted by a member of the team to confirm your ceremony and take the payment over the telephone. Unfortunately, we can’t accept American Express cards.
Naturalisation certificates can only be posted to the address we have been given by the Home Office.
If you applied for citizenship using a solicitor, then your certificate will be posted to them.
If your certificate needs to be posted to a different address (whether in the UK or abroad) then your ceremony will not be able to take place.
You will need to contact the Home Office directly at citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk, notifying them of the new address.
Once they have made the necessary changes, they will notify us of the authorised postal address.
If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP card), you should return it for secure destruction once you have received your certificate of British citizenship.
The BRP card should be cut in half and posted (in a plain windowless envelope) to POL Returns, P.O. Box 195 Bristol BS20 1BT with a note explaining that you are now a British citizen.
If you fail to return the BRP card you may be issued with a civil penalty of up to £1,000.
Due to the pandemic, citizens currently have 6 months in which to attend a citizenship ceremony.
We may be able to postpone your ceremony to a later date, however you will need to attend a ceremony before your certificate expires. You can find your certificate expiry date on the ceremony invite you received from us.
Alternatively, it may be possible for you to attend a citizenship ceremony at the British consulate or embassy in the country you are currently in.
Do not contact us if you would like to have your ceremony abroad. You need to contact the Home Office directly at citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk with your request.
If the Home Office approves your request, we will be instructed by them to return your naturalisation certificate.
You need to notify the Home Office directly of your change of address if you have moved outside of the borough.
They have advised that you do this by completing the UKVI change of address form as well as emailing them at citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk.
You do not need to notify us as the Home Office will provide us with further instructions once they have updated their records.
If you have received both letters from the Home Office (your decision letter as well as your invitation letter) please contact us at citizenship@hackney.gov.uk.
If you have only received your Home Office decision letter, but not your invitation letter, then we have not yet received your naturalisation certificate. We cannot offer you a ceremony until we do.
All British citizens have the right of abode in the United Kingdom.
If, as a British citizen, you wish to travel on a non-British passport it must be endorsed to show that you have the right of abode.
Otherwise, you might experience difficulty proving your right to be readmitted to the United Kingdom.
Certificates of entitlement to the right of abode are issued by the Home Office to applicants in the United Kingdom and by the appropriate British representative to applicants abroad. A fee is payable in both cases.
Further information can be found on GOV.UK.
Our Covid-secure ceremony location
Page updated on: 3 November 2021
