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British citizens and voting from abroad: a quick guide

British citizens living abroad who no longer have an address in the UK can register to vote in UK general elections.

These are known as overseas voters or overseas electors.

People in the armed forces, diplomats or people who work for the British Council and who are serving overseas can register to vote as service voters. This is a separate category of voter.

Which elections can overseas voters vote in?

A person registered as an overseas voter can only vote in UK Parliament elections.

They are not eligible to vote for any local elections or devolved legislature elections (Scottish Parliament, Senedd Cymru or Northern Ireland Assembly).

Eligibility to register as an overseas voter

British and eligible Irish citizens who live abroad can register if they were either:

• Previously registered to vote in the UK or

• Previously lived in the UK (including if someone left the UK before they were old enough to register to vote).

Someone who has British citizenship, but who has never lived in the UK is not eligible to register as an overseas voter.

Who are eligible Irish citizens?

The Belfast Agreement of 1998, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, recognises “the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose”.

Overseas voter rules were altered to respect the agreement. It applies to people born in Northern Ireland who are Irish citizens under Irish law and also qualify as British citizens under UK law. They can register as an overseas voter if they were previously registered to vote or resident in Northern Ireland before moving abroad.

How to register

Overseas voters must register where they were last registered to vote or were resident (the eligibility requirements mentioned above). This is because electoral registers are compiled locally. The Commons Library briefing Registering to vote: a quick guide has more on registering.

Overseas voters registering with an address in England, Scotland or Wales can use the online registering to vote service. Online applicants’ information is sent to their local electoral registration officer, who then processes the application.

For addresses in Northern Ireland applicants must use a paper form, but it can be emailed to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland once completed.

Applicants must provide their National Insurance (NI) number or explain why they do not have one. The number is used to verify identity and help prevent electoral fraud. People without a NI number can still register through an exceptions process.

Declaration

Applications must include a declaration. This states that someone is a British (or qualifying Irish) citizen, includes passport details and that the information is true. It is an offence to provide false information.

Deadlines to register

The deadline for registering to vote before an election is the same as UK-based voters (12 working days before polling day).

Overseas voters should register as early as possible, ideally before an election is called.

Registering close to an election reduces the time available for postal ballots to be sent and returned. Ballots must be returned by 10pm on polling day to be counted. Commons Library briefing, Overseas voters has more information on the potential problems overseas voters face.

Renewals

Overseas voter registration lasts for up to three years.

A person’s registration will expire on 1 November in the third year after it started. For example, a registration that starts in July 2026 will expire on 1 November 2028.

Renewals can be made six months before expiry. Registration officers will contact people to tell them it is time to renew.

Overseas voters can renew online. To use this a person must have been already registered and have been contacted by their local electoral registration officer (who will provide a renewal code).

How to vote?

Overseas voters can vote in person if they are in the country on polling day. They must vote at their allotted polling station based on the previous address they used to register.

Most overseas voters are unlikely to be in the country so they can vote using an absent vote – where a person votes by mail or appoints someone to vote on their behalf (a proxy).

The Electoral Commission recommends overseas voters vote by proxy if possible. This is to minimise the risk of ballot papers not being returned in time. Postal votes must be back by 10pm on polling day to be included in the vote.

Overseas voters registered in England, Scotland or Wales can vote by post or proxy. Applications for both types of vote can be made online:

• Apply for a postal vote.

• Apply for a proxy vote.

Overseas voters registered in Northern Ireland cannot use postal votes, they can only apply for a proxy vote.

Further information

• Voting if you move or live abroad – uk pages.

• Voting if you live overseas – Electoral Commission.

• Register as an overseas elector – Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

The Commons Library briefing, Overseas voters, provides more detail on the background and legislation relating to overseas voting.