Citizenship

Once you have been approved for Australian Citizenship, the Australian Government's Department of Home Affairs will allocate you to an upcoming ceremony.  Approved citizenship applicants are invited to ceremonies in the order they were approved.

The Department will send you an invitation via email approximately 2 to 4 weeks prior to the date of your ceremony.  Please do not contact Council regarding ceremony dates, as Council is not responsible for ceremony allocations.

If you are 'linked' with a partner or family members you will not be invited to attend a ceremony until all linked applicants have been approved.

Please contact the Department of Home Affairs on 131 880 for any questions you have regarding your citizenship ceremony allocation, invitation or citizenship status.

For information on processing times and ceremony wait times, visit: Department of Home Affairs website.

Candidates will receive a detailed invitation from the Department of Home Affairs confirming their Citizenship Ceremony date and location, and other important information. Council will email a reminder two business days before the ceremony.

At the ceremony, successful applicants are required to make a pledge of commitment as a citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia.  All new citizens receive a Certificate of Australian Citizenship, which formally represents conferral of Australian Citizenship.

The Mayor of the City of Melton presides over Citizenship Ceremonies. Melton City Councillors and Members of Parliament with electorates in the Melton City Council area are also invited to attend Citizenship Ceremonies.

Yes, however due to venue capacity, this is strictly limited to one guest per conferee.

Please note guests and conferees will be seated in separate areas during the ceremony.

Please refer to Council's Citizenship Ceremony Dress Code for information on suitable attire to wear to your ceremony.

Download: Citizenship Ceremony Dress Code(PDF, 135KB) 

No, you cannot choose where or when to attend a ceremony. If you have been invited to a ceremony hosted by Melton City Council, this location has been determined by your current residential address.

If you cannot attend your assigned ceremony, your Citizenship Certificate will be returned to the Department of Home Affairs, and the Department will send you a letter after the ceremony date to confirm you did not attend outlining the next steps.

Your name will then be placed back on the Department's waiting list to attend a ceremony, and you will be sent an invitation to attend a new ceremony once a place becomes available.  You do not need to contact Council if you are unable to attend your ceremony.

The Department of Home Affairs can be contacted on 131 880 if you have any questions regarding this.

All requests for an urgent ceremony need to be directed to the Department of Home Affairs for assessment. Urgent ceremonies are only approved in exceptional and very limited circumstances and must be referred to the Department with supporting evidence. Contact the Department of Home Affairs on 131 880 to discuss this.

If you need to travel before you have been allocated a Citizenship Ceremony, you must travel on your previous passport and permanent resident visa.  If either of these have expired, you will need to apply to have them renewed.

Candidates must register on the day of their ceremony with Council officers:

• registration must be completed no later than 15 minutes before the ceremony begins
• bring along your ceremony invitation from the Department of Home Affairs
• bring along original photo identification such as a passport, driver's licence, or another official document which includes a photograph 
• if you do not have photo identification, you must bring three different forms of identification with your name on each (e.g. credit card, utility bill, bank statement)
• Children under 16 years of age do not need to provide photo identification.  Children must be accompanied by the main applicant.

Yes. Electoral enrolment and voting at Federal, State and Local Government Elections is compulsory for all Australian citizens (by birth or naturalisation) 18 years of age or older.

All candidates over 17 years of age receive an 'Enrol to Vote' information sheet.