Voting from Abroad for British Citizens
Who can vote from abroad?
All British citizens living abroad who have ever lived in the UK or who were registered to voter there, are now eligible to vote in general elections, regardless of how long they've been away.
Their voting right and their current MP in Parliament is decided by where they last lived in the UK
Registering to vote
Overseas voters need to take action to register to vote through the Electoral Registration Office in the constituency where they last lived in the UK (or were registered to vote). Their registration lasts for 3 years.
There’s an online registration service for voters last based on England, Scotland or Wales and a paper form for eligible Northern Ireland voters.
How to vote
Voting by post from abroad can be unreliable, with under half of those ballots sent overseas at the last general election failing to arrive back in time to be counted.
Our recommendation is to appoint a proxy in the UK. They don’t have to live in the same constituency a they can vote on behalf of the overseas elector by post from anywhere in the UK.
New renewal system now online
For overseas voters already registered - use the new online system to renew with the activation code from your council.