Voting if you move or live abroad

You can register as an overseas voter if you’re either:

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

If you want to vote in England, Scotland or Wales, register to vote in the normal way.

If you want to vote in Northern Ireland, you need to register with a paper form.

Renewing your registration

Your registration lasts up to 3 years. You’ll get a reminder when it’s time to renew.

If you do not renew your registration, you’ll be removed from the register and must make a fresh application in order to vote again.

Voting if you’re registered as an overseas voter

You can vote in UK Parliament elections.

You may be able to vote in referendums. Each referendum has different rules on who can vote in it.

You can vote by post or proxy, if you’re eligible. You’ll be asked to make this choice when you register.

You can:

Voting if you’re registered in Northern Ireland as an overseas voter

You can vote by proxy, if you’re eligible. You need to apply using a paper form.

You cannot vote by post.

Serving abroad in the armed forces

Register to vote using the armed forces registration service.

If you’re serving outside the UK, you can register as a ‘service’ voter. This means that you only have to renew your registration every 5 years. You’ll get a reminder when it’s time to renew.

Crown servants and British Council employees

Use the registration service for Crown servants and British Council employees if you’re based outside the UK working as a:

  • Crown servant (for example overseas civil service or diplomatic service)
  • British Council employee
  1. Step 1 Check if you can vote

  2. Step 2 Register to vote

    You need to register to vote in elections and referendums. You need to register again if you have changed your name, address or nationality.

    1. Register to vote online
    1. Register to vote using a paper form
  3. Step 3 Decide if you want to vote in person, by post, or by proxy

    1. Find out the different ways you can vote
  4. Step 4 Get ready to vote in person

    1. Check what ID you need to vote

    Contact your local electoral registration office to find your polling station or to find out what to do if you have accessibility needs.

    1. Contact the local electoral registration office
  5. or Apply for a postal vote

    In England, Scotland or Wales:

    You must apply no later than 5pm, 11 working days before the election.

    1. Apply in Northern Ireland
  6. or Apply for a proxy vote

    In England, Scotland or Wales:

    You must apply by 5pm, at least 6 working days before polling day.

    1. Apply in Northern Ireland
  7. or Get ready to vote as a proxy

    1. Check what ID you need to vote

    Contact the local electoral registration office of the person you are a proxy for to find their polling station or to find out what to do if you have accessibility issues.

    1. Contact the local electoral registration office
  8. Step 5 Vote in person

  9. or Vote by post

    1. Vote by post
  10. or Vote as a proxy for someone else