How to register to vote

Who can register

You must be aged 16 or over (or 14 or over in Scotland and Wales).

You must also be one of the following:

a British citizen
an Irish or EU citizen living in the UK
a Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission
a citizen of another country living in Scotland or Wales who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission

You can vote when you’re 18 or over. If you live in Scotland or Wales, you can vote in some elections when you’re 16 or over.

You’ll be asked for your National Insurance number (but you can still register if you do not have one).

After you’ve registered, your name and address will appear on the electoral register.

There’s a different process to register anonymously, for example if you’re concerned about your safety or the safety of someone in your household.

You’ll need to print, fill out and send the form to your local Electoral Registration Office.

You can use this service to register to vote (or to renew or update your registration) if you both:

are a British citizen
were registered to vote within the last 15 years (or, in some cases, if you were too young to register when you were in the UK)

You may need your passport details.

If you previously lived in Northern Ireland and want to vote there, use the Northern Ireland overseas elector registration form.

There’s a different service for public servants (and their spouses and civil partners) who are posted overseas as:

You can get help registering from your local Electoral Registration Office.