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Part of Vote in UK elections

Voting if you move or live abroad

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1. Overview

You can register as an overseas voter if you move or live abroad.

You must have previously lived in the UK and be either:

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

The rules are different if you’ll be abroad temporarily on election day.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

How to register as an overseas voter

To vote in England, Scotland or Wales, register to vote in the usual way.

To vote in Northern Ireland, register with a paper form.

There are different ways to register if you’re working abroad in the armed forces, as a crown servant or as a British Council employee.

Renewing your registration 

You must renew your registration every 3 years to keep voting in UK elections while living abroad.

You’ll get a reminder from your UK electoral registration office when it’s time to renew.

If you do not renew your registration, you’ll be removed from the register. You’ll need to register to vote again as an overseas voter.

What elections you can vote in

You can vote in UK Parliament elections if you’re registered as an overseas voter. 

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

Ways you can vote as an overseas voter

If you’re registered to vote in England, Scotland or Wales, you can either:

If you’re registered to vote in Northern Ireland, you can either:

You cannot vote by post if you’re registered to vote in Northern Ireland.

If you want to vote in person

You can vote in person at the polling station you used when you lived in the UK. If you were not registered to vote when you lived in the UK, you can vote at the polling station that applies to where you used to live.

You’ll need to show photo ID to confirm your identity. 

If you’re not sure which polling station you should go to, contact the electoral registration office for where you used to live.

2. If you're in the armed forces, a crown servant or a British Council employee

There are different ways to register to vote in UK elections if you’re working abroad either:

  • in the armed forces
  • as a crown servant or British Council employee

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

3. Renew your registration to vote from abroad

Use this service to renew your registration to vote from abroad as an overseas voter.

You must renew every 3 years to keep voting in UK elections. You’ll get a reminder from your UK electoral registration office when it’s time to renew.

This service is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

Who can use this service

To use this service you must:

Renew your registration to vote online

You’ll need your 9 digit access code. You can find this in your reminder email or letter.

Renew online

If you cannot renew online

You can renew using a paper form if you cannot use the online service. The form is included with your reminder email or letter.

Fill in the form and send it to your electoral registration office by email or post. The address is on the form.

Contact your electoral registration office if you need a copy of the form.

If you need help

Contact your electoral registration office if you:

  • want to check when you’ll need to renew 
  • want to check if you’ve already registered
  • do not want to renew your registration because you’re returning to live in the UK permanently
  • have changed your name since you last registered or renewed
  • have lost the email or letter with your 9-digit access code