Register to vote
How to register to vote
Do not wait until an election is called. The process takes time to complete, and by the time a date is announced it is usually too late to take part.
Step 1 — Register to vote
This is done online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. There is also a paper method, explained on that site.
After you submit your details online they are passed to your local authority, which does the actual registering. The authority may come back with questions once it has checked them — particularly if you have never registered to vote in the UK before.
Step 2 — Choose a postal vote or a proxy vote
A postal vote
Be aware that in many — probably most — countries there is no certainty the post will reach you in time for you to complete a postal ballot and get it back to the returning officer for your locality before the deadline.
You can apply for a postal vote on gov.uk.
A proxy vote
Your proxy must be registered to vote in the same election as you, but they can live anywhere in the UK.
You can apply for a proxy vote on gov.uk.
Step 3 — Your proxy confirms their consent
The proxy you nominated in step 2 will be contacted by the local authority handling your registration, to record their consent to act and to confirm their own details.
Your proxy can then choose to vote in person or by post. Inside the UK the postal system can be relied on to do its part in time.
Once you are registered
A registered voter is a constituent
An unregistered British citizen abroad is invisible to the political system. A registered one is somebody an MP has to answer to — which is what changes the lives of countless British citizens living abroad.