The City of Cockburn holds citizenship ceremonies on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs throughout the year for Cockburn residents to receive Australian Citizenship. A citizenship ceremony is where you make the Australian citizenship pledge, the final step in becoming an Australian.
You need to meet criteria to be eligible to apply. You must apply for citizenship online or you can request paper copies of relevant forms from the Department of Home Affairs. Lodge your completed application together with an application fee to the Department. You will be asked to attend an appointment to have an interview and sit a citizenship test. For all information on becoming an Australian citizen please visit the
Department of Home Affairs website.
Receiving an invitation to a citizenship ceremony
Once approved you will receive a letter from the Department of Home Affairs. The Department of Home Affairs send us a list of invitees around 6 weeks before each ceremony. You will receive your invitation by email as soon as your details have been received by us on an invitation list. If you have not received an invitation email then we do not yet have your information.
All ceremony allocations are managed and approved by the Department of Home Affairs. Any queries you have regarding scheduling, including early or urgent ceremony allocation, must be directed to the Department by emailing
[email protected] or by calling their office on 131 880.
From the time of receiving your letter of approval from the Department of Home Affairs, it may take several months to recieve an invitaton to attend a ceremony due to the high number of approvals. If you wish to make the pledge with family or friends who have also applied for citizenship, you must let the Department know at the time of your interview so they can link your applications together.
Ceremonies at the City of Cockburn are usually held once a month on a Monday evening at 6pm. Please arrive at 5.30pm for registration and remember to bring photo identification. Identity documents must be current and original documents (not photographs on your phone, or photocopies).
Passports
You can apply for an Australian passport after you have attended a citizenship ceremony, made the Australian Citizenship Pledge and received your citizenship certificate. It can take at least 3 to 6 weeks to get a new Australian Passport after your ceremony. Contact your local post office for an application form and to arrange a time to submit your passport application or complete the passport application online. For assistance, call the Australian Passport Information Office on 131 232.
Lost citizenship certificates
If you have lost your certificate and need evidence of your Australian citizenship, you can order a replacement certificate from the Department of Home Affairs website. You will need to complete an application form and pay the applicable fee for a new or replacement certificate.
Tips
Apply early, as the whole process can take a long time. If you are planning to travel and wish to travel on an Australian Passport, are going to university and want to apply for the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) or are applying for a job requiring Australian Citizenship, you need to apply for citizenship well in advance.
Security
You are welcome to take photos at your ceremony for personal use only. However please take extreme care if posting photos with your citizenship certificate to social media sites. To protect yourself from possible identity theft, ensure your personal details on the certificate including your full name, date of birth and identification numbers are not clearly visible or able to be copied. Please do not engage professional photogrpahers or videographers to film your ceremony.