Citizenship ceremonies 2024

Contacting The Department of Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship is your first step in applying for citizenship. They can be contacted via their website or by phone 131 881.

Once your application has been approved by the Department of Home Affairs, you will be invited by the Department to attend a citizenship ceremony.

Your invitation to attend a citizenship ceremony will be sent from the Department of Home Affairs. 

Council is not responsible for allocating date for candidates. 

Ceremony wait time can be approximately 3-months.

If you would like to enquire about your waitlist status, please contact the Department of Home Affairs on 131 881.

On the night you must bring appropriate identification as follows:

• Your letter of invitation sent to you by the Department of Home Affairs.
• Photographic identification (such as your passport or drivers' licence).

If you are unable to provide photographic identification you will need to bring at least three different documents which contain your name, address and/or signature.

Those becoming Australian citizens should allow 1.5 hours to attend a ceremony. 

Registrations are essential upon arrival, and open 30-minutes prior to the commencement of a ceremony and formalities take approximately 1-hour.

Attendees at citizenship ceremonies are encouraged to wear smart, casual attire which reflects the significance of the occasion.

National/traditional/cultural dress are welcomed.

The following items should not be worn at citizenship ceremonies:

• Beach wear including swimwear of any kind.
• Rubber thongs.
• Slippers.
• Singlets or tank tops.
• Nightwear.
• Shirts and jackets containing offensive motifs.
• Sports or training apparel.
• Overly torn clothing items.

Appropriate footwear must be worn by all attendees.  Attending a citizenship ceremony with bare feet is not acceptable.

To ensure we can fit the maximum number of candidates into each ceremony, we ask that each family group only bring 1 guest to a ceremony.
 

Please contact Lisa Davidson if you have any ceremony questions or to register. Lisa's email address is LDavidson@bayside.vic.gov.au and contact number is 9599 4388.