Ceremony and after
The Australian citizenship ceremony, from invitation to certificate
Enter your approval date: the timeline places the likely ceremony window, the pledge and your first passport application. Then read who attends and what to bring.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Your approval letter or ImmiAccount shows it.
Estimated endbetween 20 Dec 2026 and 11 Apr 2027
1. Done · milestone
Application approved
30 Sept 2026
Home Affairs tells you by letter or in ImmiAccount; you are not a citizen yet.
2. In progress · 2–6 months
Wait for a ceremony
10 Dec 2026 – 1 Apr 2027
From approval to ceremony: a quarter within 71 days, nine in ten within 6 months. Your council sends the invitation about 4 weeks ahead.
Home Affairs processing times, updated 16/10/20263. Coming up · milestone
Ceremony and pledge
10 Dec 2026 – 1 Apr 2027
You become a citizen when you make the pledge, which must happen within 12 months of approval.
Home Affairs: citizenship ceremonies4. Coming up · 10 days
Apply for a passport
20 Dec 2026 – 11 Apr 2027
Home Affairs advises waiting at least 10 days after the ceremony so that your details reach the system.
Home Affairs: citizenship ceremonies
For most people the citizenship ceremony is the last legal step: you become an Australian citizen at the moment you make the pledge of commitment, not when your application is approved. Anyone who was 16 or older when they applied must attend, unless they have a permanent or enduring incapacity. The invitation comes from your local council or from Home Affairs about 4 weeks before the event and gives the date, time and place, which you cannot choose. Allow at least 2 hours; the ceremony itself takes about 1 hour, with a formal introduction, speeches including a welcome message from the Minister, an address to participants, the pledge and the National Anthem. Bring the invitation and one photo ID. Nine in ten approved applicants have had the chance to attend a ceremony within 6 months of approval, and the pledge must be made within 12 months of approval or the approval may be cancelled.
Planning the ceremony day
Time to allow
about 2 hours
| Ceremony itself | about 1 hour |
| People in your group | 4 |
| Children under 16 | welcome to make the pledge, not required |
Bring the invitation and photo identification; guest places depend on the council.
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Who has to attend
| Situation | Ceremony |
|---|---|
| Applied by conferral aged 16 or over | required |
| Child under 16 | not required, welcome to attend and make the pledge |
| Citizenship by descent or adoption | not required |
| Resuming citizenship | not required |
| Permanent or enduring incapacity | not required |
| Born in Papua to an Australian-born citizen, born to a former citizen, stateless born in Australia | not required |
People who do not attend receive their certificate by registered post once the application is approved.
What to bring
Bring the invitation and one form of photo identification: an Australian driver licence, a passport or another official document with a photograph. Documents not in English must come with official translations. Without photo ID, bring at least three documents showing your name and address, such as bank statements, utility bills or credit card statements. Children under 16 need no photo ID. If you want to make the pledge on a holy book, bring your own.
The order of the ceremony
Your invitation says when to arrive to register and find your seat. Most ceremonies then follow the same order: a formal introduction; speeches, including a welcome message from the Minister; an address to participants; the pledge of commitment; and the National Anthem. Every ceremony has a presiding officer, who must be an Australian citizen and who reads a statement on the obligations of citizenship. When the presiding officer asks, you say the pledge out loud. You choose which version to say, with or without the words "under God"; the pledge page gives both texts.
After the pledge
You should receive your citizenship certificate at the ceremony; if it is not ready, it is posted to you. It is issued in the legal name you held when the application was approved and is your proof of citizenship, needed for an Australian passport. New citizens aged 16 and over receive an Australian Electoral Commission sheet with a QR code to enrol to vote, which is compulsory from 18. Wait at least 10 days before applying for a passport online, so that your details reach the system. The page on the first weeks as a citizen covers passport, voting and travel.
Waiting times and travel
The time from approval to ceremony depends on your council. In the national figures updated on 16 October 2026, a quarter of approved applicants had a ceremony within 71 days, half within 4 months and nine in ten within 6 months. Home Affairs also publishes wait times by council. If you must travel before the ceremony, tell the department, travel on your current passport and keep a visa that lets you return; an invitation can still fall while you are away, in which case you receive a non-attendance letter and a later invitation. Missing the 12-month deadline without an acceptable reason can lead to the approval being cancelled.