Citizenship ceremony - Home office reference not found

[donblount]

I got the citizenship approval email from home office, however I am not able to book the ceremony in the local council as I am repeatedly getting the message that the reference is not found.

On calling the council they insist the home office reference number should start with 02, but this is not the number that I have in the home office email with the citizenship approval or the original application I sent.

Anyone else experienced such an issue. Any help with resolving this would be greatly appreciated.

[K187]

Does the ref no start with 2 on the letter or on the original application you sent? If the ref starting with 2 then try add a zero at the beginning and give them that number see if they find you on the system.Also did you receive the ceremony letter with your approval?

[mck2010]

Hi Im in the exact same position, my council didnt recognise the reference number in my invitation email either. However, I saw that the payment reference number written on the application form has a 02 in the middle so I have sent that to the council and they seem to recognise that instead. Hope that helps

[donblount]

Update. I emailed the council and they were able to schedule the appointment.
No idea why the website is not able to find the reference number