Ceremony
Once your application has been approved by the Department of Home Affairs, you will be invited by the Department to attend a ceremony held by your local council
Citizenship Ceremony
After you have received notification that your application has been successful you will need to attend a citizenship ceremony and make a pledge of commitment to complete the process of becoming an Australian citizen.
Usually, your ceremony will be held within 6 months of your application being approved. If you have not been contacted about attending a citizenship ceremony within 6 months, please call the Citizenship Information Line on 131 880.
You must attend your citizenship ceremony within 12 months of your application being approved otherwise the decision to approve your application for citizenship may be cancelled.
You will be invited to attend your ceremony about 4 weeks before the event. You will receive a letter of invitation from either your local council or the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
The invitation shows the date, time and place of the ceremony. You cannot choose where and when to attend your ceremony. Local councils usually arrange the ceremonies.
What to bring to the ceremony
- You need to bring your invitation to the ceremony and one form of photo identification:
- Driver's licence
- Passport, or an official document with a photograph
- If you do not have photo identification, then bring at least 3 documents showing your name, address and signature:
- Bank statements
- Utility bills
- Credit card statements
Frequently Asked Questions
Note
You may not be required to attend a citizenship ceremony and make the pledge if you:
– are a child under 16 years. You will become Australian citizens when your parents make the pledge
– are granted Australian citizenship by descent or adoption
– are resuming your Australian citizenship
– have a permanent or enduring physical or mental incapacity
– were born in Papua before 16 September 1975 to an Australian citizen
– were born to a former Australian citizen
– were stateless when born in Australia
– If you cannot attend your citizenship ceremony, follow the instructions in your invitation letter.
– If you miss your ceremony, you will receive another invitation from DHA.
– The invitation will tell you how many guests you can invite.
– Your guests might have to sit apart from you during the ceremony. Make sure any children are well supervised.
You should allow at least 2 hours for a citizenship ceremony. Arrive about 30 minutes before the ceremony so you can register and find your seat. The ceremony itself may take about 1 hour.
Most ceremonies follow a similar order of proceedings.
After you are seated, there will be:
– a formal introduction
– speeches, including a welcome message from the Minister
– an address to participants
– the pledge
– National Anthem
The presiding officer will ask you to repeat the Australian citizenship pledge out loud. You will become an Australian citizen after you make the pledge.
You will say the version of pledge that you chose on your application.
The ceremony may end with light refreshments, and you may be given a small gift.
After you have made the pledge, you should receive your citizenship certificate.
If your certificate is not ready at the ceremony, it will be posted to you. You will still become a citizen when you make the pledge.
Your citizenship certificate is issued in the name you gave on your application form. This was your legal name at the time your citizenship application was approved.
- If you are under 16, you do not need to bring photo identification
- If you want to make the Australian citizenship pledge on a holy book, bring a book with you to the ceremony. Ceremony organisers do not always provide holy books
"Advance Australia Fair" - Australian National Anthem
You can listen to this song here
The lyrics of “Advance Australia Fair”, as modified by the National Australia Day Council, were officially adopted in April 1984. The lyrics were updated as of 1 January 2021 in an attempt to recognise Indigenous Australians, with the word “one” in the second line replacing the previous “young”. The lyrics are now as follows:
“Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are one and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.”
Australian Citizenship Certificate
