Australian Citizenship Ceremonies

Wyndham City reserves the right to alter dates as required. 

When is my ceremony?

When you have been scheduled to attend a ceremony, you will receive an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs (Department) approximately 3 – 4 weeks before the date of your ceremony. Please do not contact Council regarding ceremony dates, as Council are not responsible for ceremony allocations.

Please contact the Department of Home Affairs for any questions you have about ceremony allocations or your citizenship status, on 131 881. To keep you informed, citizenship application numbers and waiting times for ceremonies can be found via this link.

Can I attend my ceremony in another council area?

No. Applicants for Australian citizenship must attend a citizenship ceremony in their local council area or a departmental ceremony.

How will I be notified for face-to-face ceremony?

Applicants for Australian citizenship will generally be invited to attend a ceremony within 6 months from the date their application is approved.  You will receive an email invitation to your ceremony from Department of Home Affairs.

Who will be the presiding officer for the ceremonies?

In most cases, the presiding officer will be the Wyndham City Mayor.

What do I do if I am unable to attend my ceremony?
Only exceptional circumstances should prevent you from attending your scheduled ceremony. Please follow the instructions on your invitation if you cannot attend for exceptional circumstances. 
If you do not attend a citizenship ceremony and make the pledge of commitment within 12 months of the approval to become an Australian citizen, your citizenship approval may be cancelled.

Can I do my ceremony online?

Due to local Councils returning to in-person ceremonies, the Department has now ceased offering online ceremonies.

Can Council fast track my Citizenship Ceremony date or allocate me a date?

The Department of Home Affairs process all applications, sends all the letters to the approved applicants and are responsible for all ceremony allocations. Council has no influence over who receives their citizenship and when.

I am currently offshore – can I have an online ceremony?

Citizenship ceremonies will only be conducted for applicants currently offshore in strictly limited circumstances. You must have a compelling reason and supporting documentation for your request to be considered for a ceremony while you are overseas. Please contact the Department for further information and criteria regarding this.

I need my citizenship urgently.

Urgent ceremonies will only be considered in strictly limited circumstances by the Department of Home Affairs. To qualify for an urgent ceremony, you must have exceptional or compelling circumstances. You are required to provide full details along with supporting evidence to demonstrate your exceptional circumstances to the Department. 

Please note that council does not have any influence over this process, all enquiries should be directed to the Department.

Note, the following types of circumstances are notconsidered genuinely urgent or compelling:

• Your ceremony was cancelled by your local council
• Overseas travel for employment, holidays, visiting family, or weddings
• Pre-purchased airline tickets, cruise tickets or overseas accommodation
• General entry-level employment requiring Australian citizenship
• Expired passport (if you are travelling overseas before your ceremony you are encouraged to apply for another passport from your current country of citizenship)
• Expired authority to return visa to Australia (if you are travelling overseas before your ceremony you are encouraged to apply for a Resident Return visa)
• Eligibility for building grants

What if I need to travel?

If you wish to travel before your citizenship ceremony has been allocated to you, you must travel on your previous passport and permanent resident visa. If either of these have expired, you can apply to have them renewed.

I have been approved however my partner has not?

Only those applicants who have been approved will be invited to a ceremony. If you previously requested to be ‘linked’ with your partner you will not be invited to attend a ceremony until you have both been approved. If you wish to proceed with your ceremony without your partner please advise the Department and they can ‘unlink’ your applications.

Need to update address, contact or passport details?

Please ensure your details are up to date. Updates can be completed through your ImmiAccount  or https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login . By updating your details through your ImmiAccount, the changes will be immediate.

Alternatively you can download Form 929 Change of address and/or passport details at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/929.pdf and email the completed form to 929@homeaffairs.gov.au

Ceremony Venue

Please refer to the above tab titled Australian Citizenship Ceremony dates 2024 to confirm the venue for your particular ceremony.

Registration

Conferees are asked to arrive 60 minutes prior to the ceremony to allow for registration and are asked to bring their letter of approval along with photo ID which has their current address.

Wyndham City is are grateful for the support of Melbourne Water who sponsored the native plant giveaway at our Citizenship Ceremonies.  

Melbourne Water Western Treatment Plant Virtual Tour:

Wyndham is proud to be the home of this fascinating world-class facility. The Western Treatment Plant is the West’s unlikely treasure, right on your doorstep. We encourage you to take the virtual tour to see this incredible facility from the comfort of your home.  From birdlife to energy production, agriculture to tourism this remarkable sewage treatment facility sets the benchmark for its positive impact.

Grab your family and take the virtual tour to learn more:  WTP Virtual Tour . Sincere thanks to our friends at Melbourne Water for their generous support for the native plant given to each new citizen too.