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Citizenship ceremonies

COVID-19: in light of the current situation, there are no citizenship ceremonies taking place at the moment. We'll hold these again when the government says it's safe to do so.

You usually have 3 months to book your ceremony after receiving your invitation from the Home Office. However, you now have up to 6 months to book your ceremony instead. Please be assured that your citizenship application won't be negatively affected because of delays caused by coronavirus.

We'll continue to monitor the situation closely, carefully and frequently and will update this website if anything changes.

​​​​​​​If you're 18 or over, the final stage in become a British Citizen is to attend a citizenship ceremony. Citizenship ceremonies are private and not open to the public.

Citizenship ceremonies in Rochdale borough take place in the Roche Suite at the Register Office in Rochdale Town Hall. We usually hold our group ceremonies every 4 weeks on a Wednesday afternoon.

How do I arrange a ceremony?

For adults aged 18 and over:

  1. Once the Home Office has approved your application for British Citizenship, they'll send your details to us automatically.
  2. When we receive your details, we'll write to you to offer you the earliest date and time for you to attend a group citizenship ceremony.
  3. If you can attend on this day, you don't have to do anything - your ceremony is booked. If you can't attend on this day, please ring us using the contact details on this page to re-arrange.

Children aged 17 and under don't need to attend a ceremony to become a British Citizen so we won't arrange one for them automatically. If you would like your child to attend a ceremony anyway, you'll need to ring us using the contact details on this page.

What do I need to bring with me?

Please bring:

  • Your Home Office invitation letter.
  • Your letter of confirmation from the Register Office.
  • One form of photo identification, such as your driving licence, passport, biometric residence permit card or travel document.

If you don't bring all these things with you, your ceremony will be postponed.

What will happen at my citizenship ceremony?

This is what usually happens at a group citizenship ceremony:

  1. You will need to arrive between 2pm-2.30pm so you can complete registration. If you arrive after 2.45pm, you will not be permitted in to the ceremony and you'll have to re-arrange.
  2. The ceremony starts at 3pm and normally lasts around 30 minutes.
  3. The Superintendent Registrar for Rochdale, or her deputy, will conduct the ceremony. They will start with a brief explanation on the significance and commitments of the promises you'll make before being granted British citizenship.
  4. The Mayor will then give a welcoming speech on behalf of Rochdale Borough Council and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant will speak on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.
  5. You'll then be asked as a group to repeat an oath of allegiance and a pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom.
  6. The Mayor will then present you with your British nationality certificate and an information pack. Your guest can take photographs of you receiving your certificate from the Mayor if you wish.
  7. The ceremony ends with the playing of the national anthem.
  8. There's usually a photographer present at group citizenship ceremonies. You can purchase these photographs after the ceremony.

Can I bring a guest to my citizenship ceremony?

You can bring 1 guest to a group citizenship ceremony.

If you're having a private ceremony, you can bring up to 40 guests.

Is it possible to arrange a private citizenship ceremony?

For an additional fee (listed below), you can arrange an individual private citizenship ceremony at a day and time to suit you, depending on staff availability. Please ring us using the contact details on this page to arrange a private ceremony.

Fees for a private citizenship ceremony

Monday - Friday£161
Sunday £323


01706 924898

Phone: Monday-Friday 9am-4.45pm.

Rochdale Register Office
Town Hall
Vicars Gate
Rochdale OL16 1AB