Ceremonies

A citizenship ceremony is the occasion on which an approved applicant becomes a citizen of the Velocity Interoperability Network. It is not a formality that follows the grant: citizenship takes effect on the day of the ceremony and not before, and an entry is made in the Register of Citizens with effect from that date. Every new citizen must attend a ceremony, and the affirmation must be made in person.

The Citizenship Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network holds six ceremonies between Saturday 19 September and Saturday 14 November 2026 at five principal sites of the Network, offering 540 places in all. The dates and the days on which invitations are issued are set out on the Applying for Citizenship page. Ceremonies are held on Saturdays so that those in employment need not take leave to attend, and there is no charge to the new citizen or to their guests.

Venues. An applicant is ordinarily invited to the venue nearest the address of residence recorded in the application. If another venue would suit you better, say so when you accept the invitation; the Office will move you where a place is free.

The order of proceedings. Every ceremony follows the order below. The times are the same at each venue.

1. 10:00

   Doors open and registration

   New citizens present their invitation and their proof of identity at the registration desk, and are shown to a numbered seat. Guests are seated at the rear of the hall. Registration closes at 10:40.

2. 10:45

   Address by the presiding officer

   The presiding officer welcomes those attending, sets out the rights and obligations that citizenship confers, and explains the words of the affirmation and what is required of each new citizen in making it.

3. 11:00

   The affirmation of citizenship

   Those to be admitted stand and make the affirmation together, in the presence of the presiding officer and of the assembled guests. A person who wishes to make the affirmation alone, or in a language other than that of the Network, may ask for that to be arranged in advance.

4. 11:15

   Presentation of certificates

   Each new citizen is called by name and presented with a certificate of citizenship bearing the register number of the entry made in their name. The register number is the number by which the entry is found thereafter.

5. 11:50

   Closing address

   The presiding officer closes the ceremony, and the new citizens and their guests are invited to remain for a short reception. Officers of the Office attend the reception to answer questions about the Register and about certified extracts.

6. By the end of the day

   Entry in the Register of Citizens

   Every entry is made in the Register with effect from the date of the ceremony. Citizenship takes effect from that date and not from the date of the decision on the application.

The affirmation. In making the affirmation a new citizen accepts three obligations. They are read out by the presiding officer before the affirmation is made, and are printed on the reverse of the certificate of citizenship.

To keep faith with the Network and its members

A citizen undertakes to act in good faith towards the Network, its member organisations and its other citizens, and not to act so as to defeat the arrangements by which the members work together.

To observe the rules of the Network

A citizen undertakes to observe the rules made for the Network and the decisions of its institutions, and to submit any dispute with the Network to the process appointed for its determination.

To keep the Register correct

A citizen undertakes to tell the Office within twenty-eight days of any change in the particulars recorded in the Register, and in particular of a change of name or of recorded site of residence.

Attending a ceremony. The steps below apply at every venue.

1. 1

   Step 1: Accept your invitation

   Invitations are issued by email seven days before the ceremony and must be accepted within three days, so that unclaimed places can be offered to other applicants. State in your acceptance how many guests will attend, up to the number the venue allows.

2. 2

   Step 2: Tell the Office what you need

   If you require step-free access, a hearing loop, an interpreter, or to make the affirmation alone, say so when you accept. Requests made at least four days before the ceremony are met in every case.

3. 3

   Step 3: Bring your invitation and identification

   Bring the invitation and the same proof of identity that you supplied with your application. A new citizen who cannot be identified at registration cannot be admitted at that ceremony and is offered a place at a later one.

4. 4

   Step 4: Arrive in good time

   Doors open at 10:00 and registration closes at 10:40. The ceremony begins at 10:45 and takes about an hour and a quarter, followed by a short reception.

5. 5

   Step 5: Collect your certificate before you leave

   Certificates are presented during the ceremony. If you have to leave before the presentation, tell the registration desk on arrival so that your certificate can be given to you at the door.

If you cannot attend. Write to the Office as soon as you know, so that your place can be offered to another applicant. You will be invited to a later ceremony. An approved application does not lapse because a ceremony is missed, and there is no limit on the number of times a place may be deferred. A person who has not attended a ceremony is not yet a citizen, whatever the decision on the application may have been.

Enquiries about a ceremony, and requests for arrangements to be made at one, may be sent to contact@citizenship.gov.vin. For the entry that follows the ceremony, see The Register of Citizens; for the number of ceremonies held and places taken, see Statistics.