Citizenship Ceremonies

To become an Australian Citizen you first need to contact the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) via the Citizenship Information line on 131880 or at www.border.gov.au/Trav/Citi

If eligible you are then required to fill in and lodge an application form, pay a fee and attend a short interview.  You will be contacted by letter from DIBP advising you that your application has been approved.  If you are a resident of Cabonne Council will we contact you advising the date and time of your ceremony.  Once you attend your ceremony and receive your certificate you are a Citizen of Australia.

Role of Cabonne Council

The role of Cabonne Council is to perform the Citizenship Ceremony on behalf of DIBP for candidates who are residents in the Cabonne Local Government Area.  We can only perform the ceremony for the approved applicants notified to us by DIBP.  Cabonne Council cannot process or lodge your application and cannot add you to a list for a ceremony.

The Citizenship Ceremony

You will be contacted by Cabonne Council when DIBP have notified us that you are ready to undertaken the a citizenship ceremony. Ceremonies are held on an "as needed" basis and we try to fit in with your schedule as much as possible.  Ceremonies are performed by the Mayor at the Council Chambers in Molong. Alternatively we can arrange to have the ceremony in your local area as part of an Australia Day celebration. Ceremonies take about 20 mins and you are welcome to bring guests.

Candidates are required to take a pledge of commitment in English and receive a Certificate of Citizenship. The pledge is an important part of the ceremony and reads:

"From this time forward, under God *

I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,

whose Democratic beliefs I share,

whose rights and liberties I respect,

and whose laws I will uphold and obey."

*New citizens have the option on their application to take the pledge in the form of an oath, which includes the words 'under God', or in the form of an affirmation, which does not.

Once you have made the pledge you will be presented with your certificate of Australian citizenship.  The certificate is provided to all new citizens as legal proof of their Australian citizenship.