Citizenship ceremonies

Citizenship ceremonies

If you have received a letter from the Home Office confirming that your application for citizenship has been successful you will need to wait until you have received a Home Office invitation advising you that you may book your ceremony. Once you have received your invitation letter, please wait 5 working days before booking.

You will be invited to book your citizenship ceremony online. You should receive an email from Croydon Council with a booking link. You will need your Home Office reference number. If you have not received an email 5 working days after your Home Office invitation to book a ceremony, please call us on 020 8726 6300.

Ceremony requirements

Attending a citizenship ceremony is the final step on the journey to becoming a British citizen.

Full details of ceremonies are available on the Home Office website. You must attend a ceremony if you are over 18 years old and living in the UK.

Children under 18 years old do not have to attend a but are encouraged to do so.

Types of ceremony

We offer 2 types of ceremonies:

Group ceremony

These are held on Wednesdays at 5pm and 6pm and you will be attending with up to 20 other candidates. Due to the number of people attending, you may only invite 2 guests to accompany you.  

To book a group ceremony, you will be sent an email from Croydon Council with a booking link. You will need your Home Office reference number. 

If you have not received an email with a booking link 5 working days after your Home Office invitation to book a ceremony, please call us on 020 8726 6300.

Private citizenship ceremony

If you are looking for something more personal for you and your family, or you require your citizenship ceremony more quickly because you need to travel, we can offer you a private ceremony.

You may invite a maximum of 8 guests and choose a date and time during the week. The cost is currently £150.

When you receive the email from Croydon Council with a booking link, you can select the 'private ceremony' option and pay for it online. You will need your Home Office reference number. 

If you have not received an email with a booking link 5 working days after your Home Office invitation to book a ceremony, please call us on 020 8726 6300.

Where ceremonies are held

Croydon holds public group ceremonies on weekday evenings and occasionally Saturdays. These are held at The Town Hall, Fell Road, Croydon, CR0 1NX. Private ceremonies are held in the Town Hall at a variety of times during the week

Ceremony requirements

You will need:

• your original invitation letter from the Home Office
• your passport or photo ID

During the ceremony

You will swear or affirm an oath of allegiance to the Crown and make a pledge to uphold UK values and laws. You will be presented with a certificate of British citizenship. Professional photographs will be taken and will be available to purchase.