Citizenship Ceremonies

Under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, anyone aged 18 or over accepted for naturalization or registration for British Citizenship, must attend a mandatory citizenship ceremony before their local Superintendent Registrar.

The purpose of the ceremony is to:

• celebrate getting your British Citizenship;
• welcome you as a new citizen into the community.

You will:

• Make an oath or affirmation to Her Majesty the Queen.
• Make a formal and public pledge that you will be a loyal citizen of the United Kingdom and observe the laws of this country.

Stoke-on-Trent Register Office is responsible for making the arrangements for citizenship ceremonies for anyone who lives in the city. When you receive your letter of approval from the Home Office you are instructed to contact your local Superintendent Registrar so that you can come to a citizenship ceremony.

Ceremony Venues

We hold standard group ceremonies every two weeks in the Register Office, Hanley Town Hall. The number of people coming to each ceremony will vary depending on demand.  Normally a group ceremony will be six new citizens together with their guests - there is no additional fee for a standard group ceremony.

As a new citizen you may wish to celebrate getting your citizenship by having an individual ceremony for family members only.  You can do this either at the Register Office or at one of the approved premises licensed for marriages and civil partnerships.  You can find a list of all of our fees and charges at the bottom of the page. To read the file you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.  

The Ceremony

The ceremony is your final step in becoming a British citizen.  The Superintendent Registrar will:

• Introduce and welcome you and your guests.
• Give a brief explanation of the significance of the citizenship ceremony.
• Talk to you about your responsibilities as a British citizen and the values and principles of British society.
• Invite you to make an oath or affirmation of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen and a formal and public pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom.
• Present you with your Home Office certificate of naturalization or registration conferring citizenship.
• Present you with a commemorative certificate before you sign the Stoke-on-Trent Register of Citizenship.

The ceremony will end with the Superintendent Registrar’s closing speech followed by the National Anthem.

To find out more please call us on (01782) 233369.  We are open Monday to Friday between 8.45am and 4.30pm.