New to the UK > Who has the right to vote in the UK?

Who has the right to vote in the UK?

Wollit Team3 minute read · Updated 23rd July 2024

The right to vote in UK elections is based on your nationality, age, and residency. You might also have the right to vote in some elections but not others. Here's who can vote in the different types of UK elections.

Can I vote in the general elections and the UK parliamentary elections?

To vote in elections for the UK Parliament, including general elections, you must:

Be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a qualifying Irish citizen.
Be at least 18 years old on the day of the election.
Be registered to vote.
And not have any restrictions on your right to vote (for example, if you’re serving a prison sentence).

Can I vote in the local elections?

Your right to vote in the local elections depends on where you live:

If you live in England or Northern Ireland, the criteria are pretty much the same as for UK general elections.
If you live in Scotland or Wales, however, the voting age is 16.
Also, unlike for general elections, you don’t need to be a British citizen to vote in a local election. EU citizens and other foreign nationals resident in the UK can vote in local elections if they meet the age and residency requirements, but they cannot vote in UK Parliament elections.

Can I vote in a referendum?

It depends. The rules for who can vote in referendums in the UK can vary depending on the specific referendum. In general, if you can vote in parliamentary elections you can vote in a referendum as well, but each referendum has its own rules.

Can I vote if I live abroad?

If you’re a British citizen living abroad then you can register as an "overseas voter" which will allow you to vote in UK parliamentary elections.

Also, it used to be the case that you had to have already registered to vote in the UK within the past 15 years, but this requirement was removed this year.

How do I register to vote?

Registering to vote in the UK is very easy and it only takes about 5 minutes if you do it online, on the GOV UK website.

A few things to keep in mind about your voting registration:

You normally only need to register once - not for every election.
You’ll need to register again if you’ve changed your name, address or nationality.
If you’re new to the UK and you don’t have a fixed address yet (maybe you’re staying with a friend), you can register using a "declaration of local connection"

To register to vote in the UK, you will need the following documents:

Your National Insurance number. If you don't have one, you can still register, but may be asked for additional evidence.
Proof of your identity and nationality. You can use documents like your passport, birth certificate, or citizenship certificate to confirm your identity and that you are a British, Irish, Commonwealth, or EU citizen eligible to vote.
Proof of your address. Utility bills, bank statements, or official letters with your name and address can be used to verify where you live.
Your date of birth. This helps confirm your eligibility to vote and is used to identify you on the electoral register.
If you are registering anonymously, you will need to provide evidence that your safety would be at risk if your name and address were publicly listed on the electoral register.

Why is registering to vote important?

Besides of course giving you the right to express your opinion as to who should lead your council or even the country, registering to vote in the UK is important for your credit score.

In fact, you should register to vote even if you just recently moved to the country, for a few reasons:

Being on the electoral roll helps lenders verify your identity and address. This boosts your credit score, as it shows you are a real person living at a stable address.
Registering to vote can also give a quick boost to your credit score (about 50 points on the Experian scale). This is because the major credit reference agencies use the electoral roll to confirm your details, so they give you this as a bonus to encourage you to help them verify your identity.
If you are not eligible to vote in the UK, you can still add a "Notice of Correction" to your credit file explaining this. This prevents lenders from penalising you for not being on the electoral roll.
Registering to vote also has other benefits beyond your credit score, such as making it easier to access certain services and protecting against identity theft.

However, while registering to vote can give a quick boost to your credit score, the most important thing you can do for your score is to build a history of on-time payments. There are a number of tools you can do for this, and one such tool is Wollit.

Wollit is an app that reports your monthly subscription as loan repayment to the credit reference agencies, helping you build your credit history and potentially improving your credit score.

On top of this, Wollit can also report your monthly rent payment to Experian, adding another line in your credit report that shows lenders you're responsible and pay your bills on time.