Citizenship Ceremonies

Council is only responsible for hosting citizenship ceremonies and has no involvement in applications, approvals or certifications. Information on applying for citizenship can be obtained from the Citizenship website or by contacting the Citizenship Line on 131 880.

Once the Department of Home Affairs has sent you a letter granting you citizenship, they will send you an invitation informing you of when and where your citizenship ceremony will take place.

Until a Pledge List is received from the Department of Home Affairs for the upcoming ceremony, Council has no prior knowledge of a candidates' details or what ceremony they are to be included in. Typically, this takes place 4 weeks prior to each ceremony.
Please be aware that there is a waiting list for candidates to attend a citizenship ceremony.

This list is followed in a fair and orderly manner so that candidates can take their pledge as soon as possible. Altering a candidate’s position on the waiting list is only possible in extreme circumstances. Candidates who believe that they may require special consideration when being placed for ceremony should contact the Department of Home Affairs on 131 880.

Please let the Department of Home Affairs know if you cannot attend your citizenship ceremony on 131 880.

You do not need to notify Council if you will not be able to attend the ceremony.

You will need to bring photo identification as well as your invitation from the Department of Home Affairs.

The ceremony runs for approximately one hour.

Please look at your invitation's ‘special instructions’ to confirm the number of guests you're allowed to invite. This does not include dependents. Please contact events@ryde.nsw.au to request additional dependents.

Yes, you may take photos throughout your citizenship ceremony. A professional photographer will also be taking photos throughout the ceremony which will be sent to you via a Dropbox link the day after your ceremony.