Becoming a Freeman of the City of London
Liverymen applicants must become a Freeman of the City before we can formally admit them to SIM. In between applying and admitting they hold the title of Freeman of the Company. We ask SIM applicants to make their own arrangements to attend the Freeman of the City ceremony, as coordination of members from all over the UK has proved difficult.
The Freedom Fine (administration charge) will increase to £190 from 1st April 2026, in line with inflation (3%), as agreed by the Chamberlain.
Please ensure your use the online form (the Chamberlains Office no longer accept the Word/PDF versions), which will be updated with the new fee on 31st March: Freedom of the City of London via a Livery Company (this includes applications by Patrimony and Servitude).
If a WCSIM Liverymen would like to nominate an applicant for the Freedom of the City, there is a different form: Freedom of the City of London by Nomination
George Hunt, the Registrar, has compiled the attached advice on applying for the Freedom of the City. Please direct any general enquiries to the Court Assistant address and one of us will get back to you as soon as possible: courtassistant@cityoflondon.gov.uk
The City of London website includes information about the Freedom of the City (and also links to the online application forms): Freedom of the City of London – City of London
For prospective and recent Freemen who would like to learn more about the City of London Corporation, its close ties with the Livery Companies and the history of the Freedom, we recommend attending a City Briefing – the next one is on 19th May 2026.
Court of Aldermen dates 2026
Please see below the dates for the Court of Aldermen to the end of 2027 – occasionally these may be subject to change several months in advance, but we will let you know as soon as we are advised of this.
| Closing Date | Court Date |
| 28-Apr-2026 | 12-May-2026 |
| 30-Jun-2026 | 14-Jul-2026 |
| 01-Sep-2026 | 15-Sep-2026 |
| 29-Sep-2026 | 13-Oct-2026 |
| 17-Nov-2026 | 01-Dec-2026 |
| 26-Jan-2027 | 09-Feb-2027 |
| 02-Mar-2027 | 16-Mar-2027 |
| 27-Apr-2027 | 11-May-2027 |
| 29-Jun-2027 | 13-Jul-2027 |
| 31-Aug-2027 | 14-Sep-2027 |
| 28-Sep-2027 | 12-Oct-2027 |
| 23-Nov-2027 | 07-Dec-2027 |
Please be aware that the Closing Date is our deadline to send the list of prospective Freemen to the Court, so we suggest applicants submit the online forms and send documents/fees no later than the day beforehand – e.g. by 27th April for the next Court on 12th May. While we make every effort to ensure applications are processed promptly, we cannot guarantee that any received immediately before the closing date will be processed for that Court.