Register as an Overseas Voter (UK citizen living abroad)

If you are a British citizen living abroad, you can apply to be an overseas voter.

If you are a UK citizen living abroad, you can apply to be an overseas voter if you have been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years. (This 15-year limit will be removed during 2024, to enable "votes for life.")

If you are a UK citizen and were too young to register when you left the UK, you can still register as an overseas voter. You can do this if your parent or guardian was registered to vote in the UK, as long as you left the UK no more than 15 years ago. (This 15-year limit will be removed during 2024, to enable "votes for life.")

 

Elections in which overseas voters can vote.

As an overseas voter you are only eligible to vote in UK Parliamentary Elections and Referendums.

To find out more about overseas voter registration visit the Electoral Commission website.

 

Register to vote online.

To register to vote, visit Gov.uk

 

Additional important information for overseas voters

If you choose to vote by post, be aware that your postal vote may not be sent out until very close to the election, particularly if you apply close to the deadline. You must take this into consideration if you are away prior to the date of the election, or have asked for the postal vote to be redirected abroad. 

Overseas voters must remember to apply separately to vote by post (Postal Vote) or to apply for someone to vote on their behalf (Proxy Vote), unless they intend to return home to vote in person.

Postal ballot papers are usually sent to overseas voters two to three weeks before polling day. Overseas voters MUST be sure their marked postal ballot paper (voting slip) will reach us before 10pm on polling day, or it will not be counted.

If there is any doubt that your Postal Ballot Paper can be returned to us by polling day, then you should consider applying for someone to vote on your behalf (Proxy Vote).

 

Further information and enquiries

For further information and enquiries please contact the Electoral Services Team.