Citizenship ceremonies
Citizenship ceremonies welcome new British citizens into our community.
Contents
Overview
Citizenship ceremonies welcome new British citizens into our community.
The ceremonies take place at the Register Office in South Shields.
Who needs to attend
You need to attend a citizenship ceremony if you're:
- aged 18 or over, and
- have successfully applied to become a British citizen
Under 18s do not have to attend the ceremony. Their parents can collect their citizenship certificates for them. However, we encourage young people to take part with their parents. The ceremony is intended to be both a family and community occasion.
Cost
You can attend your citizenship ceremony free of charge.
Free ceremonies take place in small groups.
If you want to arrange a private ceremony, see the Register Office Fees for cost.
What to bring
You will need to bring with you:
- your Home Office invitation, and
- photographic ID (passport or driving licence)
If you don't bring these things, your ceremony may be postponed.
During the ceremony
The ceremony will take place at the Register Office in South Shields, and will take about 30 minutes.
Ceremonies usually take place in small groups. Local dignitaries such as the Mayor and Mayoress may also attend.
Make sure that you arrive on time. If you arrive late, you will have to rearrange your ceremony for another date.
We ask that you dress for a formal occasion, and take part fully throughout the ceremony.
- The person conducting the ceremony (the Superintendent Registrar, or their Deputy) will formally welcome you and the other new citizens on behalf of South Tyneside Council.
- You and the other new citizens will repeat after the person conducting the ceremony, to:
- swear or affirm allegiance to the King- swearing the oath is calling on God as witness, and affirming the oath is confirming a promise without reference to God (if you wish to swear the oath whilst holding a holy book, please bring your own holy book to the ceremony)
- make a pledge of loyalty
- You will be presented with your nationality certificate. You can use this to prove you are a British citizen. If you want to apply for a British passport, you can use your certificate to support your passport application.
- You will also get a gift as a memento of your ceremony.
- The ceremony will end with the national anthem.
We do our best to make sure that the ceremonies are enjoyable, meaningful, and create a friendly environment for new citizens. We hope that the ceremonies will encourage all new citizens to play an active part in our community.
Book a ceremony
Once you have been awarded British Nationality, you will get an invitation email from the Home Office, asking you to contact us to arrange your citizenship ceremony. Do not contact us until you have got your invitation email.
When you get your invitation email, you must book and attend your ceremony within 3 months.
If your invitation email has expired (or will expire before you or a member of your family group can attend a ceremony), contact the Home Office.
To book your citizenship ceremony, contact the Citizenship Co-ordinator at the Register Office:
Tel: 0191 424 6350