If you are a British Citizen living abroad and want to vote in this year’s UK General Election, but haven’t already registered, then here’s what to do – but you need to be quick as you need to have registered 11 days before the election which takes place on 4th July.
If you have registered to vote within the past three years, you are still eligible. But, if you have not registered within the last three years, or have never registered you must register before 23.59 hrs on 18th June 2024.
How to register to vote
You can register to vote online.
You will need to prepare the following information to complete your registration:
- your National Insurance number
- Any other identity document (eg; a birth certificate or a scan of a current or expired UK passport)
If you don’t have these, you may provide is an ‘attestation’ from a UK-registered voter that you are who you say you are.
You also need to provide the following information :
- when you were last registered to vote,
- your post code at that time,
- the address you were registered at
- details of your passport
- your National Insurance Number.
For the children of British citizens abroad who have never lived long-term in the UK, a temporary address would be acceptable. It is possible to use an ‘attestor’ for this also.
For a full list of eligible documents see page 14 of the new legislation
If you have UK citizenship but have never been registered to vote in the UK and had no fixed or permanent address on the date you left the UK, you can apply here.
You can also register to vote using a written paper application.
How to Vote
You must apply for a vote at least 11 working days before the election (by 20th June 2024).
You can apply to vote:
If you are applying on-line you will also need to upload a photo of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.
If you cannot provide a signature or one that always looks the same, you may be able to apply for a proxy vote signature waiver within the service.