Register to vote
Who can register?
You can register to vote if you are resident (usually live) in England and are aged 16 or over. You will not be able to vote until you are 18 and you must also be one of the following:
- A British or Irish citizen
- A Commonwealth citizen (including Maltese and Cypriot) who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man, or who does not need permission
- A European Union (EU) citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, or Spain who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man, or who does not need permission
- A European Union (EU) citizen of any other EU country who, on or before 31 December 2020, had permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man, or who did not need permission, and this has continued without a break
Permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man (also called Leave to Enter or Remain) refers to a legal immigration status.
It is legally required to provide the information requested by an Electoral Registration Officer.
Individual electoral registration (IER)
Each person applying to be added to the electoral register now needs to provide their National Insurance number and date of birth. If you do not know your National Insurance number or have lost it, visit the GOV.UK website.
This additional identifying information will allow each person's details to be verified against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) database before they are added to the electoral register.
How to register
Online
It is generally easier and more cost effective to register online via the GOV.UK website. You can also use the GOV.UK website if you have moved house and need to re-register.
By telephone
You can call Customer Services on 01793 464601.
One of our team can start your application to register over the phone. In order to do this you will need to provide:
- your date of birth
- your National Insurance number
We also have special application forms for people living overseas, service voters, crown servants or diplomats and their dependants, homeless people, voluntary patients in mental health hospitals and people who wish to register anonymously.
Please contact us on the number above to seek further advice.
Rolling registration
You can register as an elector at any time. Your details will only appear on the electoral register once they are received by Electoral Services and are successfully verified under the IER process.
This process is subject to strict deadlines and the date your application is received. New dates for publication, for the following year, are available from November.
The Electoral Registration Annual Canvass runs from August to November each year. Any successful applications to register during the annual canvass period will not appear on the electoral register until the December publication.
The dates for publication and their respective qualifying dates for 2026 are:
- Thursday, 11 December 2025 / Friday, 2 January 2026
- Friday, 9 January 2026 / Monday, 2 February 2026
- Friday, 6 February 2026 / Monday, 2 March 2026
- Tuesday, 10 March 2026 / Wednesday, 1 April 2026
- Thursday, 9 April 2026 / Friday, 1 May 2026
- Friday, 8 May 2026 / Monday, 1 June 2026
- Tuesday, 9 June 2026 / Wednesday, 1 July 2026
- Friday, 10 July 2026 / Monday, 3 August 2026
- Monday, 10 August 2026 / Tuesday, 1 September 2026
- Wednesday, 9 September 2026 / Thursday, 1 October 2026
- Friday, 9 October 2026 / Monday, 2 November 2026