The date of our next citizenship ceremony is to be confirmed.
Please contact the Register Office should you wish to attend
What is Citizenship?
Everyone who applies for British Citizenship is required to take an oath or affirmation of allegiance to the Sovereign, and make a pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom.
The Government places great importance on ensuring the rights and responsibilities that come with British Citizenship.
The Home Office administers all applications for British Citizenship however your local authority will arrange for you to attend a Citizenship Ceremony which is the final step in the process of becoming a British Citizen.
When will I attend a ceremony?
Once you receive confirmation from the Home Office that you are entitled to become a British Citizen, you will be asked to contact your local Register Office to arrange to attend a citizenship ceremony.
You will need an appointment at our the office so that we can verify your details are correct on your Certificate of Naturalisation as a British Citizen which we will have received from the Home Office. If you are unable to make the office personally contact us to discuss other means of confirming the information we need.
You will be invited to attend a Citizenship Ceremony. We hold our Citizenship Ceremonies every 3 months, usually at the Town Hall but sometimes at other venues eg. schools or colleges. The Ceremony will be attended by other new citizens. There is no fee to attend this ceremony.
As an alternative if you are unable to attend the designated Citizenship Ceremony, you may request a Private Citizenship Ceremony however there is a fee for these ceremonies. Private Citizenship Ceremonies can be held either at our own Premises, Backhouse Hall, at one of our approved venues or at a venue of your choice.
What happens at the Citizenship Ceremony ?
Attending the Ceremony
We recommend that you arrive at the latest 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony so that the Registrar can confirm your attendance and prepare your certificates.
Who will be attending?
A member of the Registration Service Staff will be co ordinating and conducting the ceremony and will make themselves known to you when you arrive and answer any queries you may have.
To mark the occasion there may be some other people attending including the Mayor or their representative, the High Sheriff, local councillors and officers of the council. Please don’t be daunted by this, everyone will be very friendly to you !
You may also bring guests eg. Family members and friends with you to the ceremony. It helps if you are able to advise the Register Office in advance of how many will be attending.
Photographs
There will be plenty of opportunities if you wish to have photographs taken including with your guests and also the Mayor and other dignatories and representatives.
Although we cannot guarantee attendance, we do try to invite a local photographer to each citizenship ceremony from whom you can purchase any photographs taken.
What will happen during the ceremony?
The Registrar conducting the ceremony will guide you through the ceremony and there is nothing to worry about. As part of becoming a British Citizen you will need to make either an oath or an affirmation and pledge to the Sovereign (The Queen). This is done by all of the citizens repeating or reading from cards provided, some words as a group.
You may bring with you your own Bible or Qur’an if you wish to use if you have chosen to make an oath.
At the end of the Ceremony the National Anthem will be played and you and your guests will be invited to attend a reception.
Certificates and Passports
You will be presented with a citizenship pack during the ceremony which will include:
- Your certificate of naturalisation ie. Your certificate recognising your status
as a British Citizen.
- A certificate from Darlington Borough Council welcoming you as a citizen of Darlington.
Whilst we do not get involved in the application process for passports you may wish to note that you can obtain a passport application pack from Post Office on Crown Street or apply on line at the UK Passport Service