Why you have a citizenship ceremony

Every adult who is granted naturalisation or registration as a British citizen has to take part in a citizenship ceremony within 90 days of receiving your invitation.

At the ceremony, you take an oath of allegiance to the Crown and pledge loyalty to the United Kingdom. If you do not attend a citizenship ceremony within this time, you might have to make a new application.

Citizenship ceremonies celebrate the significance of becoming a British citizen and welcome new citizens into the community.

Invitation to a citizenship ceremony

You will receive your invitation to a citizenship ceremony within 48 hours of your letter of approval from the Home Office.

You then need to email BexleyRegistrationCitizenship@kent.gov.uk or telephone 03000 411103 to arrange your ceremony in Bexley.

Types of ceremony

In Bexley, they are held at:

Danson House
Danson Road
Bexleyheath
DA6 8HL
Map

Group sizes vary from 15 to 25 people, and each applicant can bring two guests.

Individual citizenship ceremonies can be held on request. There is an additional fee of £190 per application, this is payable on the day of your private ceremony.

What to bring with you

When you attend your ceremony, you will need to bring:

  • your approval letter from the Home Office
  • your invitation letter
  • a form of ID (a passport, travel document, driving licence, a current utility bill, medical card, bankcard or benefits book)

You have the option of swearing an oath in front of God or pledging an allegiance. If you would prefer to swear an oath, you can bring your own holy book. You will receive a copy of the pledge and oath from the Home Office before the ceremony.