Citizenship ceremonies

If your application for British citizenship has been successful, you will receive an email from the Home Office. This email will tell you to liaise with Lancashire County Council to book your place to attend a citizenship ceremony.

We will contact you to offer you a date for your ceremony. You must attend a citizenship ceremony within three months of getting your approval email from the Home Office.

Sometimes you may not hear from us as quickly as you expect. If we have not contacted you two weeks after getting your approval email from the Home Office, please email citizenship@lancashire.gov.uk. When you contact us, please include your full name and Home Office reference number.

Please note that Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council are separate local authorities and have their own citizenship ceremony departments. If you have chosen Blackburn with Darwen Council or Blackpool Council for your ceremony, you must contact them directly to book it.

Group ceremonies

Group ceremonies usually take place at County Hall in Preston and Towneley Hall in Burnley. Sometimes, they take place in The Exchange or the Lancashire Rose Suite in Preston or Lyndhurst House in Burnley. Up to 25 new citizens can attend a group ceremony. Each new citizen can bring 2 guests.

Private ceremonies

If you would like a smaller and more personal ceremony, you can book a private ceremony. We hold a small number of private ceremonies each month in the Lancashire Rose Suite in Preston. A private ceremony costs £58. You can bring 4 guests.

On the day of the ceremony

Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the start time of a group ceremony. For a private ceremony, please arrive at least 10 minutes before the start time.

Please bring identification, such as a passport, travel document, or driving licence. You must also bring your Home Office email.

The group ceremony programme:

• Introduction and welcome from the Deputy Superintendent Registrar (the person leading the celebration)

• Citizens make an oath and a pledge to the King

• Speech by a representative of the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire

• Presentation of citizens' Certificates of Naturalisation or Registration

• The National Anthem is played

• Optional photograph with the representative of the Lord Lieutenant

Children

New citizens under 18 do not need to attend a citizenship ceremony. However, new citizens under 18 are welcome to attend a ceremony with other members of their family or a guardian.

Further information

If you have any queries about your application for British citizenship, contact the Home Office in the first instance.