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Home Address for Ceremony Location

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2024 9:44 pm
by Absolutedesign666
Hi, my citizenship has been approved and I'm in the process of booking a ceremony, however, I want to move the location of it to one in London as I'll be living there soon.

I requested a transfer from the local authority that I'm currently supposed to be booking the ceremony with, and the Home Office asked for my current address. After telling them this, they said I could move it but only to another council in the same county, which doesn't include London.

My question is, what do they consider my address? If I rent a room/flat in London now for a few weeks, can I reasonably tell them that address so they allow me to book the ceremony where I actually want it?

Or will I need to somehow prove that's my address? What if I'm not paying any bills and don't have any documentation or letters with that address on it?

My current local authority does the ceremony in a horrible looking room in an ugly building and area. As citizenship and the ceremony mean a lot to me, I really don't want to settle for doing it there. I've already told the HO that I'll be paying for a private ceremony and would even pay additional admin fees to transfer it elsewhere, if that's the issue, but so far they won't help.

I'd appreciate hearing any experience or guidance on this. Thanks.

Re: Home Address for Ceremony Location

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2024 10:04 pm
by alterhase58
Trying to move ceremony is generally to be avoided.
Of course if you are concerned that the location isn’t in keeping with the occasion persevere by all means.
Note ceremony arrangements are the responsibility of the council not the Home Office. In my view the important bit is to get the certificate because only then you are British.

Re: Home Address for Ceremony Location

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2024 9:35 am
by contorted_svy
You can't move the ceremony usually. You declared your council at application stage, you could have declared you wanted it in a different council at application stage.

As this is so cumbersome I would advise to not kick up a fuss, have the ceremony in a place that isn't to your taste, and g celebrate in a nice restaurant afterwards. My ceremony took place in a building in the middle of nowhere and they said my name wrong (lol). The important thing is to have the certificate and to become British.