Register to vote

Check if you’re registered to vote and how to get proof, and find out how to register.

To check if you're already registered to vote, please use our contact form.

If you need official confirmation that you are registered to vote for a mortgage, loan or credit agreement, or similar, we can send you an official letter. Please specify this when you contact us.

How to register

You can register to vote online or by post. Once you have registered, you will receive a letter of confirmation around the first working day of the next month.

To register to vote you must be aged 16 or over and one of the following:

• a British citizen
• an EU citizen resident in the UK
• a qualifying Commonwealth citizen* resident in the UK

* a qualifying Commonwealth citizen is someone who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or does not require such leave.

Online

You can register to vote online using the GOV.UK website. You will need to provide your national insurance number.

By post

Download, print off and complete the Register to vote application form and return it to:

Download the Register to vote application form from GOV.UKExternal link

• Click to expand Registering to vote at more than one address

  People are usually registered at one address only, which they consider to be their permanent home address. If you are living somewhere temporarily but have a permanent address, you should register at the permanent address.

  Students

  Students can register to vote at both home and term-time addresses. If your home and university addresses are in two different local authority areas, you can vote in local elections in both areas.

  However, even if you are registered in two areas – at home and at university – you can only vote in one at a general election.

  It is a criminal offence to vote twice in a UK general election.

  If you are going to be away from your registered address during an election you may also wish to register for a postal vote, or to apply for someone to vote for you.

• Click to expand Registering to vote without a fixed address

  You can register to vote even if you do not have a fixed address.

  To register, you need to give an address where you would be living if it were not for your current situation or an address where you have lived in the past. If you are homeless, you can give details of where you spend a substantial part of your time.

  Follow the link below for further information on how to register.

  Electoral registration form for someone with no fixed or permanent addressExternal link
• Click to expand Anonymous registration

  Anonymous registration was set up to help individuals whose safety would be at risk (or where the safety of other people at the same address as them would be at risk) if their name or address was listed on the electoral register – for example a person who has fled domestic abuse.

  If you are registered anonymously your name and address will not appear on the electoral register.

  To find out more about how you can register anonymously, please read our guide.

  Anonymous voting registration guide (PDF 258KB) External link .
• Click to expand Overseas Voters

  If you are an overseas voter you can register in the same way as normal using the above button, you will need your passport number and the address of where you were last registered to vote in the UK. An overseas registration lasts for a year and so will need to renewed annually.

  Once you have registered you can then apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote.

• Click to expand Learning disabilities and registering to vote

  People with a learning disability have the same right to vote as everyone else. The Cabinet Office have produced a step-by-step, easy read guide to registering to vote for people with a learning disability. This guide is an example of an application to register to vote.

  GOV.UK - Registering to vote: easy read guide

Changing your details

If you need to change your personal details, for example to correct a spelling mistake or change your name, you need to re-register with the correct details through the national registration site. You will need your national insurance number to hand.

Electoral and open registers

If you would like to know more about the registers we keep or if you want to opt out of the open register, see the Electoral and Open Register page.

Information we'll hold about you

We have a statutory obligation to retain certain information about you. To find out more detail about this please read our Privacy Notice.