Citizenship ceremonies

You need to apply for citizenship if you haven't already

Find out how to apply for citizenship through the Home Office.

Every adult applying for citizenship is required to attend a citizenship ceremony as the final step to becoming a British citizen. During the ceremony, participants are required to swear an oath or affirm allegiance to His Majesty the King, and make a pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom, after which they are awarded with a certificate of naturalisation.

If your application for British citizenship is successful, you will receive a letter or email from the Home Office, inviting you to attend a citizenship ceremony.

Book your citizenship ceremony

Once you've received your letter or email from the Home Office, you can book your ceremony.

What you need to know:

  • your username is your last name
  • your password is your Home Office reference number
  • you'll receive a confirmation email, with the details of your ceremony
  • when you come to your ceremony, you'll need to bring:
    • your letter or email from the Home Office
    • photo ID
  • we don't offer virtual ceremonies
  • you should keep your certificate of naturalisation in a safe place; don't laminate it as if you do, it will no longer be valid

Book your ceremony

If you can’t book online, it may be that we haven’t yet received your certificate. Certificates are received weekly from the Home Office and details are added to our system each Friday. Please therefore try again after 3pm on a Friday or the following week. Alternatively you can contact us:

Telephone: 0300 300 8144
Email: life.events@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Please note that citizenship ceremonies are held on Friday mornings and staff are not available to answer telephones whilst ceremonies are in progress.

Applying for a passport

Once you have attended a ceremony and received your certificate of naturalisation, you will be able to apply for a British passport. For more information about how to apply for your passport go to the Gov.uk website