British citizenship ceremonies

Of the 110,000 people who become British citizens each year, Southwark's registration service deals with around 3,000 of them. Our cultural diversity is one of the many great things about Southwark and citizenship ceremonies are an opportunity for us to encourage new citizens to play an active part in the community.

Every applicant is required to swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown and make a pledge to uphold the values and laws of the UK. Our government have introduced citizenship ceremonies to ensure that the acquisition of citizenship isn't purely an administrative process. They want applicants to have the opportunity to celebrate their final step to becoming a British Citizen.  

Everybody over the age of 18 who has been accepted to become a British citizen should attend this ceremony. Children are not required to attend but are more than welcome to.

Invitation to the ceremony

Provided your application for British Citizenship is successful, you'll receive an invitation letter or invitation email from the Home Office to attend a Citizenship Ceremony.  

On receipt of the invitation letter or email from the Home Office, please email us at registrars@southwark.gov.uk with the following information:

• full name
• phone number
• our reference

As an alternative to socially distanced group ceremonies, virtual individual or family ceremonies via video conferencing are now available. Due to social distancing requirements and limited space, guests at group ceremonies can unfortunately not be accommodated during the pandemic.

The citizenship ceremonies are usually held at The Register Office, 34 Peckham Road, London, SE5 8QA.

What to bring with you

Please bring a valid photo ID (eg passport or driving licence) and your Home Office invitation letter or email.

Private ceremonies

We offer private citizenships ceremonies at the following fees:

Page last updated: 24 March 2022