What to expect at the ceremony

Find out what you can expect on the day of the ceremony.

On this page

• What happens at the ceremony
• Ceremony etiquette
• What to wear
• Oath of citizenship
• National anthem: O Canada

What happens at the ceremony

Both virtual and in-person ceremonies

• last a few hours (check your invitation for the arrival time and duration)
• generally include
  • registration and brief ceremony instructions
  • the ceremony itself (including speeches, oath taking, congratulations and national anthem)
  • video presentations
  • an opportunity for photos with the presiding official and special guests, if applicable
  • post-ceremony instructions, such as
    • information about your certificate and a passport
    • what to do after the ceremony
• may include special guests or guest speakers, such as an Indigenous participant, elected officials (in-person ceremonies only), members of the community and performers

What happens at the virtual ceremony

1. Use the link in your invitation to join the ceremony.
   • To protect your privacy, replace your screen name with your seat number (which you can find in your invitation).
2. Wait for us to let you into the videoconference:
   • At larger ceremonies (with over 100 candidates), you may have to wait up to 30 minutes before we greet you and let you into the virtual ceremony.
3. During the virtual registration, we’ll meet you individually or your family privately to
   • verify your identity, even if you have a face covering
   • ask questions to make sure you’re not in a situation that prevents you from becoming a citizen(opens in a new tab) 
   • cut your permanent resident card with a pair of scissors
4. Before we let you into the virtual ceremony room, you must wait for us to register all candidates (even if we already registered you).
5. The ceremony takes place and candidates take the oath of citizenship.
6. Before we end the virtual ceremony, we’ll give you important instructions, including how to sign and submit the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form in your invitation.
   • Signing the form confirms that you took the oath, and you must return it.
   • You must sign this form on the day you take the oath of citizenship, not the day before or after.
   • The invitation will also tell you how to sign the form and email it back to us.
   • We’ll tell you when your certificate will be available(opens in a new tab) .

What happens at the in-person ceremony

1. When you arrive at the ceremony location, we
   • direct you to the registration table
   • verify your identity, even if you have a face covering
   • ask questions to make sure you’re not in a situation that prevents you from becoming a citizen(opens in a new tab) 
   • collect
     • your permanent resident card and
     • the signed personal release and consent form in your invitation
2. Before the ceremony starts, you must wait in the ceremony room until we register all candidates (even if we already registered you). There could be over 100 candidates in the ceremony.
3. The ceremony takes place, and candidates take the oath of citizenship.
4. New citizens receive their certificate, and they’re congratulated.
5. During the ceremony, we ask you to sign the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form. Signing this form confirms that you took the oath.
6. We tell you some information about the citizenship certificate.
   • If you confirm that you want a paper citizenship certificate
     • you get it at the ceremony
     • you get it for your child if they’re under 14
   • If you confirm that you want an e-certificate, we tell you when your certificate will be available(opens in a new tab) .
7. A reception may take place afterwards and media may be present.

Ceremony etiquette

If you’re a citizenship candidate or guest (family and friends), there are things you must, can and can’t do at the ceremony.

Both virtual and in-person ceremonies

You must

•  dress appropriately
•  behave in a respectful, appropriate and safe manner

You cannot

•  present personal or political views
•  promote your business or sell a product

Virtual ceremony

You must

•  pick a safe and quiet room or area (no noises and disruptions)
•  make sure your head and shoulders are visible through the camera
•  if you use a handheld device, stabilize it so it doesn’t fall
•  sit down throughout the ceremony, even during the oath taking and singing of O Canada

You may

•  display the following behind you:
  • a plain background
  • a Canadian flag or symbol, or
  • the colours red and white
•  take a photo of yourself and your family^{Footnote *}
  • with our Presiding Official and special guests (if applicable)
  • for personal use only

You cannot

•  share the videoconference link with anyone else, even with family members you applied with
•  take photos or recordings during the registration or ceremony
  • If you do, we may pause, delay or reschedule your ceremony.
•  use any virtual backgrounds
•  attend while doing any distracting or dangerous activities, such as driving a car

In-person ceremony

As a citizenship candidate, if you can, you must stand for the oath taking and O Canada.

You may take pictures of yourself and your family during the ceremony for personal use only.

You cannot wear scented products, such as perfumes and colognes. They may cause headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath and skin irritation for others.

What to wear

You should wear business attire that’s appropriate for the occasion.

You can also wear

• traditional, religious or ceremonial clothing
• head coverings
• the colours red and white
• a medical mask
• a face covering

If you have a face covering or medical mask

We’ll ask you to remove it temporarily to verify your identity during registration.

• Whether the ceremony is in person or virtual, we can accommodate you if you want to remove the face covering in a private room.
• If the ceremony is virtual, we’ll use a private virtual room.

You can wear your face covering or mask again after the registration and during the ceremony.

Oath of citizenship

At the ceremony, you’ll swear the words of the citizenship oath and sing the national anthem (O Canada). We encourage you to practise the oath and anthem before the ceremony.

Many people will be taking the oath at the same time as you at the ceremony. We encourage you to repeat it after the presiding official in both official languages if you can. This is a symbol of your commitment to respect Canada’s 2 official languages, English and French.

National anthem: O Canada

We’ll sing a bilingual version of the national anthem at the ceremony. You may choose to sing it in English, in French or bilingually.

You can refer to the lyrics below to practise before the ceremony: