How to register to vote

Anyone who wants to vote must be registered. You can register to vote online or by post.

You can register to vote if you are:

  • 18+ years old
  • A British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen
  • A resident of the UK

Before each election or referendum there is a deadline. You must be registered to vote before this deadline. It is usually around 2 weeks before the election takes place.

Registering to vote does not mean you can vote in every election, find out which elections you are eligible to vote in at gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk

Deadline for registering to vote in the 5 May 2022 elections

There are local elections on 5th May 2022. These are the deadlines to register to vote:

  • Voting in person at a polling station
    The deadline to register for this is 11:59pm on 14th April 2022.
  • Voting by post or a proxy voting by post
    The deadline to apply for this is 5pm on 19th April 2022.
  • Proxy vote (not postal)
    The deadline to apply for this is 5pm on 26th April 2022.
Vivek was up bright and early to vote before going to college. And it was his birthday!

To register to vote you will need to know

  • Which country you live in
  • Your nationality
  • Your full name and date of birth
  • Your National Insurance Number
  • Your address, and previous address if you have moved in the last 12 months.

You can register to vote by post by filling in a form and sending it to your local electoral office.

Download the registration form here.

You can register to vote online by following the instructions on the website.

Register to vote on the gov.uk website.