Register to vote in the UK: who is eligible, what photo ID you need and the £1,000 fine

Getting on the electoral register in the UK is a separate step that does not happen by itself when you get a visa, move house or set up council tax. Until you register, you cannot vote even if you are eligible. Here is who can register, what you must show at the polling station, and what ignoring a letter from your council costs.

Who can register to vote in the UK?

Nationality decides it. In England and Northern Ireland you must be 16 or over to register; in Scotland and Wales, 14 or over. You can register up to two years before you reach voting age.

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In England and Northern Ireland, British and Irish citizens can register. So can people who have permission to enter or stay in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man (or who do not need permission) and who are either a Commonwealth citizen, including citizens of Cyprus and Malta; a citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain; or a citizen of another EU country who had permission to enter or stay on or before 31 December 2020, with no break since.

Scotland and Wales are broader: anyone with permission to be in the UK, or who does not need permission, can register. In practice a Russian citizen holding a visa or indefinite leave to remain can take part in local elections in Scotland and Wales, but not in England.

How do you register, and how long does it take?

You apply online on GOV.UK and it usually takes about five minutes. You will be asked for your National Insurance number; you can still register without one, but your council will ask for other documents. You normally register once, not before every election. You must register again if you change your name, address or nationality.

British citizens living abroad, and some Irish citizens registering in Northern Ireland, register as overseas voters using the postcode of their last UK address, and that registration has to be renewed every three years.

What is the open register and why opt out?

The register comes in two versions. The full register is used only for elections, credit checks and jury summoning. The open register can be bought by anyone, and is used by marketing and directory companies. Opting out does not affect your right to vote: you can untick it in the registration form or ask your council later.

What photo ID is accepted at the polling station?

You need photo ID to vote in person at UK parliamentary elections, local elections in England (councils, mayors, the Greater London Authority and parishes), Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales, recall of MP petitions, and local and neighbourhood planning referendums in England, including council tax increase referendums.

Accepted documents include a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional); a driving licence from an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands; a UK passport; a passport from an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country; a PASS card; a Blue Badge; a biometric residence permit; a national identity card from an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein; and a Voter Authority Certificate. Several travel passes also count, among them an older person's or disabled person's bus pass, an Oyster 60+ card and a Freedom Pass.

Two rules trip people up. The ID must be the original: a photo on your phone or a photocopy will not do. An expired document is fine, as long as the photo still looks like you.

What if you have none of those documents?

You can apply free of charge for a Voter Authority Certificate, a paper document with your photo on it made specifically for voting. You apply online or by post through your council, with a digital photo and your National Insurance number. You must already be registered to vote. The certificate stays valid for as long as you still look like the photo and keeps working if you move to another area.

How do postal and proxy votes work?

A postal vote application must reach your council no later than 11 working days before the election, by 5pm on that day, and you will need to upload a photo of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper. Postal ballot packs go out no earlier than 19 working days before polling day, so if you are travelling abroad a proxy vote is safer. Proxy applications close at 5pm six working days before the election in England, Scotland and Wales, and 14 working days before in Northern Ireland. If your photo ID is lost, stolen or damaged, an emergency proxy can be arranged until 5pm on polling day itself in England, Scotland and Wales. Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm.

What happens if you do not register?

From July each year councils run the annual canvass, contacting households by post, email, phone or a knock on the door. If an electoral registration officer asks you to register, you meet the conditions and you do not, you can be fined up to £1,000. A valid reason, such as a long stay in hospital, protects you. Registering at two addresses is sometimes possible — a student with home and term-time addresses — but you can still vote only once in any election.