Citizenship ceremonies within the Royal Borough

Any person who has applied for and been granted British citizenship will be required to attend a citizenship ceremony. At this ceremony the citizen will be required to make a 'Pledge of Allegiance to the Queen' and a 'Pledge of Commitment to the United Kingdom'. At the completion of the ceremony they will be presented with their ‘Certificate of Naturalisation’ and they will then be free to apply for their British passport.

If you are applying for British citizenship and would like to have your ceremony in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea then simply write the name of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the appropriate place on your citizenship application form. Then, when your application is approved, your Certificate of Naturalisation will be sent to this office and you may proceed with booking your ceremony.

If you would like to have your ceremony in any other borough then you will need to designate that borough as your venue of choice when you fill in your application form.

If your Certificate of Naturalisation has been sent to another borough but you would like to attend a citizenship ceremony in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, then you should contact the Home Office on 0845 010 5200 to arrange for your Certificate of Naturalisation to be transferred to this office.

Types of ceremony

There are two types of ceremony that you may choose from:

The Group Ceremony

Group ceremonies are held in the Council Chamber at the Kensington Town Hall, W8 and they take place once a fortnight. There is no charge for a group ceremony.

The Private Ceremony

Private ceremonies are held at the Register Office at the Chelsea Old Town Hall, SW3 and these can usually be arranged at very short notice – usually within a couple of days. There is an additional fee of £160.00 per person for a private ceremony.

If you wish to book a place at one of our citizenship ceremonies you should contact the Citizen Coordinator at the Register Office, by telephone on 020 7361 4100 or by email at chelsea.registeroffice@rbkc.gov.uk .

Applying for British citizenship

If you have not yet applied for British citizenship but wish to do so then the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea offers a Nationality Checking Service to help ensure your citizenship application is properly completed and submitted with all the relevant supporting documents. This service enables applicants to have their forms checked by an adviser before submitting to the Home Office for approval.