Organise your British citizenship ceremony

Find out how to book your citizenship ceremony at Brighton Town Hall.

Booking your Citizenship ceremony

If you have received your Home Office invitation letter confirming your certificate has been sent to us, you can now book your ceremony by emailing us at: citizenship@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

Although the Home Office letter states that you should contact the local authority to arrange a ceremony within 21 days from the date of the letter, you have up to 6 months to attend a ceremony.

When you email us to request a ceremony, it is the same as contacting the local authority to arrange a ceremony. You do not need to telephone.

Let us know whether you would prefer a group or private ceremony.

We will respond as soon as possible to offer you the earliest available date. Allow 3 working days for us to respond.

Group Citizenship ceremonies

Public group ceremony days take place once a month on a Tuesday, when we host 5 ceremonies with up to 12 people in each group, at:

Brighton Town Hall,
Bartholomews,
Brighton,
BN1 1JA

We regret that we’re not currently able to accommodate guests at group ceremonies due to social distancing.

On the day

Please arrive 10 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Ceremonies will take about 1 hour.

You must bring along with you:

  • your Home Office Invitation Letter, if you have received it – a scan or photo is fine
  • a photo identity document, such as a passport or driving licence
  • Home Office Invitation Letters for your children (if applicable)

An official photographer is usually present at public ceremonies to take portrait photographs of you. These can be purchased from the photographer after the ceremony.

Private Citizenship ceremonies

Private Citizenship ceremonies also take place at:

Brighton Town Hall,
Bartholomews,
Brighton,
BN1 1JA

On the day

You must bring along with you:

  • your Home Office Invitation Letter, if you have received it – a scan or photo is fine.
  • a photo identity document, such as a passport or driving licence
  • Home Office Invitation Letters for your children (if applicable)

An official photographer is usually present to take portrait photographs of you. These can be purchased from the photographer after the ceremony.

A private ceremony will last about 20 minutes.

For private ceremonies, you can invite up to 6 guests.

At the ceremony

There will be a formal welcome on behalf of the City of Brighton & Hove.

You will be asked to swear or affirm your allegiance

Read more information about the ceremony here.

After the ceremony

Once you have attended a ceremony, we will inform the Home Office. You do not need to do this yourself.

You must carefully read and follow the instructions on your invitation letter about returning your Biometric Residence Permit if you have one. If you need any additional support, you can email Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk

Key documents

Certificate of naturalisation

You will receive your certificate at the ceremony.

British passport

When you receive your certificate, you can apply for a UK passport online or by collecting an application from most main post offices. Visit the GOV.UK website for further details on how to apply online.

Biometric card

You cannot use your naturalisation certificate for travelling and may not be able to travel until you have received your new passport.

Once you have attended your citizenship ceremony you will need to return your biometric card within 5 days to the address printed on the Home Office invitation letter, or you may be liable for a fine of £1,000.

If you do not have a biometric card and have a stamp in the passport, you will not need to do anything.