Citizenship ceremonies

You need to attend a citizenship ceremony if you are over the age of 18 and your citizenship application has been accepted.

Contacting the right authority

When you receive your email notification of approval from the Home Office, you must first check if your Home Office letter asks you to contact Northamptonshire West or Northamptonshire North to obtain details of which citizenship ceremony you may attend.

Northamptonshire West

If it states Northamptonshire West, you can contact us by emailing [email protected] to request a ceremony.

Northamptonshire North

If your Home Office letter advises Northamptonshire North, you can either contact North Northamptonshire to arrange your ceremony, or speak to the Home Office directly to request a transfer to West Northamptonshire if you wish to attend a ceremony in Northampton.

Further information

If you would like a hard copy of your invitation letter, you need to contact UK Visas and Immigration.

You must attend a citizenship ceremony within 3 months of your application being approved.

When you contact us, we will give you the date and time of your ceremony. If you can’t attend this date and time, we will try and rearrange your ceremony.

Attendance is by invitation only. You can find details of the ceremony on your invitation.

You must bring your home office letter with you. You must also bring photo ID. If you don’t provide this, your attendance at the ceremony will be declined.

Applicants and guests should arrive at least 30 minutes before the ceremony is due to start. This is to allow for registration and administration activities before the ceremony.

You should allow at least an hour and a half for the ceremony. Please ensure you have also factored in sufficient parking time.

Types of citizenship ceremony

There are 2 types of citizenship ceremonies available through the Northamptonshire Registration Service.

Group citizenship celebration

This is where up to 25 other people wishing to be granted British Citizenship attend. There is no additional fee for a group celebration.

Individual citizenship celebration

You may be able to have an individual ceremony. This will enable you to have a larger number of guests than the amount allowed for group ceremonies. The Ceremony room at the Guildhall in Northampton is available for such ceremonies and can accommodate up to 35 seated guests.

Alternative venues will be considered but you will have to meet the cost of any room hire charge. The cost for an individual ceremony is £190.

To enquire about the possibility of an individual ceremony please email [email protected].

What happens at the citizenship ceremony

You and your guests will be welcomed by a member of the Registration Service team, who will host your ceremony.

They will address the applicants and audience alike on behalf of His Majesty the King. This is followed by the swearing or affirming of the oath of allegiance and the taking of the pledge to His Majesty the King.

You will be presented a dated citizenship certificate and a gift from the West Northamptonshire Registration Service.

Guests

The Home Office believes that all new citizens should be encouraged to have a sense of belonging to the wider community. The citizenship ceremony, which is a public and celebratory event, helps to foster this.

If you are attending a group ceremony, you are welcome to bring 1 guest to share the celebration experience. This includes children who are not also applicants. Because space is restricted, we ask that you limit your number of guests to 1 guest per applicant.

Access to group ceremonies is by invitation only. If you opt for an individual citizenship celebration you can bring up to 35 guests.

Children

Children who have applied for citizenship with their parents can also attend, but this is not required. They are welcomed and encouraged to take the oath and pledge alongside their parents.

Ceremony locations

Citizenship ceremonies are held in the grand surroundings of some of our historic buildings in Northampton.

Citizenship ceremonies are typically held at County Hall in Northampton. However, due to refurbishment works at County Hall from December 2024 to October 2025, the location of the ceremonies will change during this period.

To find out where your ceremony will be held, please refer to the schedule below. You will also receive an email invitation confirming the location once your ceremony is booked.

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Last updated 20 November 2025