Register to vote

How to register

The registration process is called individual electoral registration.

• Everyone is responsible for registering themselves.
• You need to provide a few more details to register – including your national insurance number and date of birth.

You can register to vote here.

Reasons to register:

• enables you to vote in an election.
• obtain a mortgage or credit.
• by law you must register.

Special arrangements for registering to vote:

• Anonymously if you're in danger.
• As a Crown servant or as a British Council employee.
• If you live or work abroad.
• If you're a student or you have two addresses.
• If you're in the armed forces.
• You have no fixed address.
• You are a prisoner on remand.

After you've registered

• Completing a registration form does not automatically add you to the electoral register.
• Your details will be checked and verified. 
• You will receive a letter confirming that you are registered/ or asking for more information.
• You can find out when your name will appear on the register.

Who can register?

You can register to vote if you are:

• 16 or older (although you can't vote until you're 18)
• a British citizen; or
• an Irish, qualifying Commonwealth, or European Union* citizen living in the UK

* EU citizens’ voting and candidacy changes

Due to the changes implemented by the Election Act 2022 only certain EU citizens are entitled to register to vote. You must now be a qualifying EU citizen or an EU citizen with retained rights. 

Currently only citizens from Denmark, Luxemburg, Poland, Portugal, and Spain are classified as Qualifying EU citizens. 

Citizens from other EU countries may be entitled to register to vote if they were already resident in the UK before UK left the European Union on 31/12/2020. Such persons are also required to have maintained a lawful immigration status (EU citizen with retained rights). 

All EU citizens currently on the electoral register will therefore need to have their eligibility to be registered reviewed, this will commence in the Autumn of 2024. If you receive a communication from us in the autumn, please respond immediately. 

The above does not affect citizens from Ireland, Malta, or Cyprus. 

If you are student living away from home, you can register at both your home and university term time address. Registering to vote at your term time address means you can choose where you vote.

You can still register to vote if you have no fixed address. You will need a declaration of local connection to show that you are connected to and spend time at a particular place.

When is the electoral register updated?

The Electoral Register is updated on the first working day of every month. If we receive your application by: