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Register to vote if you’re living in the UK - paper form

Use the relevant form to register to vote in England, Wales or Scotland.

Updates to this page

From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, The Electoral Commission and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Published:
29 April 2015
Last updated:
1 October 2026
Show all updates

  1. Replaced Register to vote if you're living in Wales and Register to vote if you're living in Wales (Welsh language).

  2. Your electoral registration office must receive your application by 11:59pm on Monday 20 April 2026 to vote in the following elections on 7 May 2026: local government elections; Scottish Parliament elections; Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) elections; mayoral elections in England.

  3. Register to vote by post if you're living in the UK - all forms updated

  4. You can no longer register to vote for the elections taking place on 5 May 2022. You can still register for future elections.

  5. You can no longer register to vote for elections taking place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 5 May. You can still register to vote for the local government elections in Scotland.

  6. To vote in the 5 May 2022 elections, you must register by 11:59pm on 14 April 2022 (for elections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or by 11:59pm on 18 April 2022 (for elections in Scotland).

  7. To vote in the 6 May 2021 elections you need to register by 19 April 2021.

  8. Addition of document 'Register to vote if you're living in Scotland'.

  9. All attachments updated

  10. Updated summary.

  11. Updated the 'large print' attachments.

  12. Previous PDFs have been replaced with new PDFs containing updated wording relating to the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws.

  13. First published.

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

Register to vote if you're living in England

PDF, 162 KB, 4 pages

Register to vote if you're living in Wales

PDF, 215 KB, 4 pages

Register to vote if you're living in Wales (Welsh language)

PDF, 185 KB, 4 pages

Register to vote if you're living in Scotland

PDF, 157 KB, 4 pages

Details

You’ll need to fill out, print and send the form to your electoral registration office.

If you don’t have access to a printer, you can contact your electoral registration office and ask them to post a form to you. You’ll then need to return the completed form to your electoral registration office.

Registering to vote in Northern Ireland

There’s a different paper form if you’re registering in Northern Ireland. Return the form to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI).

What you need to know

The form will ask for your National Insurance number (but you can still register if you do not have one). Find your National Insurance number.

Who can register

You can register to vote up to 2 years before you reach voting age - check the rules around voting in the UK.

Registering to vote in England and Northern Ireland

You must be aged 16 or over to register.

You can register to vote if you’re a British citizen or an Irish citizen. 

You can also register if you have permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man - or you do not need permission - and you’re a:

  • Commonwealth citizen 
  • citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain 
  • citizen of another EU country, if you have had permission to enter or stay - or not needed permission - since 31 December 2020, and this has continued without a break

Registering to vote in Scotland

You must be aged 14 or over to register.

You can register to vote if you’re a British citizen or an Irish citizen.

You can also register if you have permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or you do not need permission.

Registering to vote in Wales

You must be aged 14 or over to register.

You can register to vote if you’re a British citizen, Irish citizen or a citizen of an EU country.

You can also register if you have permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or you do not need permission.

If you live abroad

You can register as an overseas voter if you’ve previously lived in the UK and are either:

  • a British citizen
  • an eligible Irish citizen registering to vote in Northern Ireland

If you need assistance

Contact your electoral registration office if you need any help understanding or completing this form or if you need this form in large print or in another format.

Other ways to register

You can use the online service to register to vote.

Sign up for emails or print this page

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