Citizenship ceremonies

In January 2004 the Government introduced a requirement that all persons over the age of 18 years, who have been successful in their application for naturalisation as a British Citizen, must attend a Citizenship Ceremony before they can become British Citizens.

Applying for British Citizenship

Applying for British Citizenship can be difficult and take a long time. The Home Office will return any application that is not filled in properly or does not have the right supporting evidence.

Nationality checking service

Waltham Forest Council has introduced a document checking service to help you to complete your application for British Citizenship.

We can help you to:

Make sure that your application is correctly completed
Check, certify and copy your documents so that you can keep all the originals
Ensure all required supporting documents are attached
Secure, swift and safe submission of your documents to the Home Office

For information on see Nationality Checking Service Fees.

What happens at a Group Citizenship Ceremony

We ask you to arrive at each ceremony in ample time so that the required documentation can be checked
The ceremony begins with an introduction by the Deputy Superintendent Registrar, which is followed by a short speech of welcome made by a local dignitary, welcoming the new citizen to the United Kingdom and the Borough of Waltham Forest
This is followed by the taking of the oath of allegiance, and the pledge of loyalty by each new citizen, as a group
Each new citizen is then called forward, either as an individual or together with other members of their family to be presented with their Certificates of Naturalisation by the guests of honour. They are then asked to sign the Citizenship Registrar
The ceremony concludes with the playing of the National Anthem
Each new citizen can invite up to two guests to accompany them to the ceremony
We also welcome the children of new citizens, who will be receiving their Certificates of Naturalisation, to attend and participate in the Ceremony. They are not required to take the oath of allegiance or the pledge of loyalty

Provided that it does not disrupt the Ceremony, the photographing and videoing of the Ceremony is allowed. Once the ceremony has ended, there is an opportunity for further photographs to be taken, along with the guests of honour.

An individual ceremony can be arranged for an additional fee. It will be held at The Register Office, 106 Grove Road, Walthamstow, London E17 9BY.

You can arrange your ceremony here, even if you live in a different Borough.

The ceremony dates below have all been pre-booked. If you would like to book another date or book a private ceremony (for an additional fee), please contact us

Group ceremony dates

Group ceremony dates
Date	Location
20 October 2011	The Council Chambers, Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow E17 4JF
26 October 2011	The Council Chambers Waltham Forest Town Hall Forest Road Walthamstow E17 4JF
9 October 2011	The Council Chambers Waltham Forest Town Hall Forest Road Walthamstow E17 4JF
30 November 2011	The Council Chambers Waltham Forest Town Hall Forest Road Walthamstow E17 4JF
14 December 2011	The Council Chambers Waltham Forest Town Hall Forest Road Walthamstow E17 4JF
20 December 2011	The Council Chambers Waltham Forest Town Hall Forest Road Walthamstow E17 4JF

Contact us

For further information or to make an appointment call Waltham Forest Register Office on 020 8496 2716 and ask for the Citizenship Team or email citizenship@walthamforest.gov.uk.