Please find relevant updates provided by the Australian Government regarding the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code and other important citizenship ceremony information.
Updates to the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code
The Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code has been updated to reflect:
- Councils must hold a citizenship ceremony on Australia Day, or the three days prior or three days after Australia Day
- References to the Queen replaced with references to The King of Australia, His Majesty King Charles III
- Changes to arrangements with the Australian Electoral Commission.
The updated Code can be downloaded here.
Instrument of Authorisation
The Instrument of Authorisation has been updated to:
- Allow a person who is ‘holding, occupying or performing the duties’ of the stated position/s to receive the pledge of commitment.
This means that a person acting in the position of an authorised presiding officer, for example, an acting Mayor or acting Deputy Mayor, is able to preside over Australian citizenship ceremonies. Please note this change is retrospective, to ensure validity of citizenship for applicants who might have previously provided a pledge to a person acting in an authorised position.
The updated Instrument of Authorisation (LIN22/074) can be downloaded here.
Portrait of The King of Australia
A portrait of The King of Australia, His Majesty King Charles III, has been provided by Government House and can be downloaded here.
Please note, this portrait is only for use at Australian citizenship ceremonies and should not be used for any other events. The portrait is suitable for framed portraits only and is not suitable for banners.
Please note, the following printing specifications when printing the portrait to ensure the best quality:
- Full colour print
- High resolution (300dpi)
- A3 size.
Now that a portrait of The King has been provided, advice from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is that it is no longer appropriate to use a portrait of Queen Elizabeth at citizenship ceremonies.