Can I do Citizenship Ceremony & Apply for Passport from Australia

[srd1982]

Hi all,
I'm currently in the UK, have been here for 6 years and married to British Citizen.
I've finally just had my ILR approval come through and am now about to submit my Citizenship application online. After submitting the online application and then hopefully getting a biometrics appointment sorted I realise I can travel until the ceremony.
I've seen that there may be a way to have citizenship ceremony at a British embassy (in Australia) and also apply for British Passport internationally from Australia.
Because of Covid we've not seen family back in Australia for 2.5 years, and are wanting to go back to Australia for 6 months + before returning to the UK to live.
Question is - is this possible? If I have to wait in the UK for both citizenship and passport, I may have to wait another 6 to 9 months before I can go to Australia.... but if I could do the ceremony and passport from Australia, then I may be able to leave in a few months. Any advice very welcome and appreciated!

[CULLINAN]

The whole process these days from the day you apply online and attend your ceremony takes around 6 months+ (6-9 months).
Biometrics lag 28 days.
Standard processing is 6 months but majority applicants get a decision in 2-3 months.
Ceremony invitation up to 3 months after approval.
Then depends on council availability etc. You have 6 months AFTER ceremony invitation to attend the ceremony (corona extension).

You are free to travel after application and before ceremony on ILR BRP. You must be in UK to attend the ceremony. You become British on the ceremony date. You possibly can travel for next 6 months and come back to attend the ceremony and apply for a British Passport then?

[CULLINAN]

The only thing you may want to consider is that someone is able to check your POST while you are away. Approval/Ceremony invitation may come via email/or POST.

Ideally you should apply just before you go abroad given you meet all the requirements on that date. You can easily expect the ceremony to happen after 6 months from that date you apply OR extend it further 6 months easily. That will give you enough time 6m+ to live abroad and come back to attend ceremony and apply BP.

[srd1982]

Thanks very much @Cullinan, really appreciate your quick replied and advice!
I’ll definitely be able to do that on getting someone to monitor my mail etc.
As you’ve suggested, given the time lags we may be able to get out there and back in time for it.
Can I ask though if you know technically if what I asked is possible though, so that if we stay longer and I didn’t want to rush back to the UK in time for ceremony/passport, is there a way to complete the ceremony & passports from Australia?

[CULLINAN]

You must be in UK to attend your ceremony with your local council. They will not allow you to attend the ceremony if you are abroad (even if the ceremony in virtual). You maybe able to apply for a British Passport in UK or abroad. In UK it will take 2 weeks. Abroad it may take up to 1 year.
But obviously you have to return your ILR BRP after ceremony by law so I do not think that is a good decision to fly out to apply for a BP abroad.

[secret.simon]

Can I ask though if you know technically if what I asked is possible though, so that if we stay longer and I didn’t want to rush back to the UK in time for ceremony/passport, is there a way to complete the ceremony & passports from Australia?

Technically possible, but likely to be shrouded in difficulty.

Citizenship ceremonies in British diplomatic posts abroad are normally conducted for spouses of British citizens posted abroad in Her Majesty's service (diplomats and military staff stationed abroad) and for people who have registered as British citizens (under Forms UKM and UKF) because of defects in British nationality law at the time of their birth which prevented them from becoming British citizens automatically.

The idea of the citizenship ceremony being handled by the local council is to demonstrate that you have integrated into the local community that you reside in.

So, the expectation is that you will attend the citizenship ceremony in your local council. A ceremony could likely possibly be arranged in a British diplomatic mission abroad if you get stranded abroad (such as by future lockdowns in either or both Australia and the UK). But, outside of those narrow possibilities, I think it would be expected that you return to the UK to attend the ceremony.

Try contacting the British (Deputy) High Commission closest to your place of residence in Australia to find out if they have any specific guidance on these points.

Also keep in mind that the expectations of application for a first British passport may be completely different from that of attending a citizenship ceremony. And you are not eligible to apply for a British Emergency Travel Document unless you have already held a British passport at some point in the past.

[CULLINAN]

If you applied for citizenship in the UK, you cannot have your ceremony abroad.

https://www.gov.uk/citizenship-ceremonies

If you’re not living in the UK
You can ask the embassy or consulate in the country you’re living in if you can have the ceremony there instead, or if they can provide a virtual ceremony.

If you’re only abroad for a short time, you might be asked to postpone the ceremony until you return to the UK. You must still book your ceremony within 6 months of getting an invitation.

You might have to prove you’re planning to live in the UK permanently if you’re going to be abroad for more than a few months. If you applied for citizenship in the UK, you cannot have your ceremony abroad.

Usually you must attend a citizenship ceremony within 3 months of receiving your invitation from the Home Office. Because of coronavirus, this has been extended to 6 months.

[srd1982]

Thanks so much @CULLINAN and @SECRET.SIMON
Really appreciate you both being generous with your time and advice.

Very clear and helpful, and as suggested, sounds like it'll be easier to get out to Australia as soon as possible and then get back here for ceremony and passport.

Thanks guys, have a good day

[CULLINAN]

I believe you do not have to rush back to UK. As I said, you will have 6+ months easily to stay away after application till the process runs its course or even up to a YEAR (till you can attend the ceremony) as per given the recent timelines above.

Just make sure you receive your approval letter/citizenship ceremony letter in email/post and act upon it to book a ceremony date with your local council even if you are abroad.

You can book one up to 6 months (corona extension) AFTER ceremony invitation (keep an eye on any recent changes also for future).

PS biometrics usually runs at a 28 day lag these days unless you find an earlier cancellation. You may factor that in as you should travel after biometrics in your case as you would want to go away for a longer period.