Australian citizenship ceremony: what happens on the day

What happens on the day

Every ceremony follows the same few steps. This is the usual order, from the program that the Ceremonies Code suggests to the people who run ceremonies.

1. Arrive and register.

   Come at the time on your invitation. Staff find your name on the list that Home Affairs sends them. They look at your original photo identity, such as a driver licence or a passport.

   Children under 16 do not need to show identity, but their parent or guardian does. Your invitation letter does not count as identity, though you may bring it to help with registration. If you have no photo identity, ask the organiser before the day what else you can bring.

2. Take your seat.

   A ceremony can be small, with only a few people, or very large. People who are becoming citizens together as a family are usually seated together, and the invitation tells you how many guests you may bring.

3. Hear the welcome.

   The host welcomes everyone. A Welcome to Country or an Acknowledgement of Country follows, which recognises the traditional owners of the place where you are gathered. The host then introduces the official guests.

4. Listen to the speeches.

   A message from the Minister for citizenship is read or played, or the Minister or a local federal member of parliament speaks. A few elected leaders may then speak for three to five minutes each. The Code asks speakers not to make assumptions about your background or about why you came to Australia.

5. Hear the Preamble.

   The Presiding Officer, a citizen whom the Minister has authorised to lead the formal part of the ceremony, reads a short text called the Preamble. It says what citizenship means. You become a full, formal member of the community, joined to everyone else by a common bond of rights and duties that respects their differences.

6. Make the pledge.

   The Presiding Officer reads the pledge a line at a time and everyone repeats it together. You may say "under God" or leave those words out.

   You may hold a holy book or scripture if you wish, but you do not have to. You do not have to raise your hand. This is the step that makes you a citizen.

7. Receive your certificate.

   You are called forward to receive your Australian citizenship certificate, and you may be given a small gift from the community. Some organisers give out certificates at registration, and some are posted afterwards by Home Affairs. A certificate is valid only if you make the pledge on the date printed on it.

8. Learn how to enrol to vote.

   You are told how to get on the electoral roll. If you are 16 or over you receive an information sheet from the Australian Electoral Commission. It has a QR code that opens the online enrolment form.

   Enrolling and voting are compulsory for citizens aged 18 or over.

9. Join the affirmation and the anthem.

   Many ceremonies end with the Australian Citizenship Affirmation, a brief text that borrows the words of the pledge, which anyone in the room can say. Everyone then stands to sing the national anthem, Advance Australia Fair. Some organisers invite everyone to light refreshments afterwards.

The pledge, line by line

The pledge is the heart of the ceremony. You can choose between two versions: one includes the words "under God" and one does not.

Both make you a citizen, and you can change your mind on the day. These are the words of each version.

The words of the pledge are from the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code (December 2025), Department of Home Affairs, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

What each line means

From this time forward

From the day of the ceremony onward.

Under God (Pledge 1 only)

Optional words. Whether you say them or not, you become a citizen.

I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people

You promise to be faithful to the country and to the people who live in it, whoever they are.

Whose democratic beliefs I share

You agree with the ideas that people choose their government by voting, that the law applies to everyone, and that change should come peacefully.

Whose rights and liberties I respect

You respect the freedoms that Our Common Bond describes, such as freedom of speech, of association and of religion, for yourself and for everybody else.

Whose laws I will uphold and obey

You will follow the law and help keep it strong. To uphold something is to support it so that it does not fall.

If saying the words aloud is hard for you, tell the organiser before the day. The Code says organisers must make arrangements.

For example, a family member can help you with the words, or an interpreter can be used. For a person whose impairment stops them speaking, the words can be read to them. They then agree on a signal that shows they understand and agree.

Children under 16 are welcome to make the pledge but are not required to.

Words you will hear

Pledge of commitment

Another name for the pledge. It is the promise you make at the ceremony, and for most people it is the last legal step to becoming a citizen.

Preamble

A short statement read aloud just before the pledge. It explains what citizenship means.

Presiding Officer

The citizen, authorised by the Minister, who leads the formal part of the ceremony. It is often a mayor or a federal member of parliament.

Conferee

A person whose application has been approved and who is invited to a ceremony to become a citizen. Official papers use this word.

Master of ceremonies

The person who introduces each part of the program, welcomes everyone and tells you when to stand.

Welcome to Country

A welcome given by a custodian of the local area who is Aboriginal or a Torres Strait Islander. It can include a speech, a song, a dance or a smoking ceremony.

Acknowledgement of Country

A spoken recognition of the traditional owners of the land and their continuing connection to it. Anyone can give one.

Certificate of Australian citizenship

The document that is legal evidence of your citizenship. It is valid only if you make the pledge on the date printed on it.

Affirmation

A short, voluntary statement based on the pledge. It has no legal status, and anyone can join in, including people who are not citizens, who can start from the second line.

Electoral roll

The list of people who are enrolled to vote. Citizens aged 18 or over must be on it and must vote.

Every ceremony is a little different

This page describes the usual order, based on a program that the Code only suggests. Councils and other organisers plan their own ceremonies, so yours may be shorter, longer or arranged in a different way.

Ceremonies can be indoors or outdoors, in a town hall, a park or a community hall. The organiser sets a dress code and puts it in your invitation.

The Code says it should be at least smart casual, and an organiser may say that national or cultural dress is welcome. Many take place around 26 January (Australia Day) and 17 September (Citizenship Day).

Some ceremonies are held online, and in limited cases a person can be offered a ceremony overseas. If you cannot attend on the date you were given, ask Home Affairs about a change. The Code says that a council asked for a new date must refer you to Home Affairs.

Your invitation letter is the final word on the date, the time, the place, what to bring and how many guests may come. If it differs from this page, follow the letter.

More on Australian citizenship

• Our Common Bond, part by partA plain-words summary of the four parts of the booklet that the citizenship test is based on.
• Practise for the citizenship testFree, unofficial practice questions written from the same booklet.