If you are a British citizen over 18 years of age living abroad, but you have been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years, you can apply to be an overseas voter (or overseas elector). If you were younger than 18 years of age when you left the UK, your parent or guardian must have been registered to vote.

If you are working outside the UK as a Crown Servant, serving in the armed forces or are an employee of the British Council, you can still register to vote. You can also register if you are married to a Crown Servant or British Council employee and you are accompanying them during their employment abroad.

Once registered as an overseas voter, you are entitled to vote in elections to the UK and European Parliaments, but not UK local government elections or elections for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly or the Northern Ireland Assembly.

How do I register to vote?

1. Complete  an electoral registration form for a British Citizen living overseas.  It is available at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk

2. Make sure you sign the declaration and get another British citizen living overseas, but not a close relative, to  witness the declaration.

3. Return your completed form as soon as possible to your local electoral registration office. You can find their contact details at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk

Please note: that the deadline for registering to vote can be up to two months before an election.

How can I vote?

You can vote in one of three ways:

• by post if you want your ballot paper sent to you
• by proxy if you want someone else to vote on your behalf
• in person at your local polling station if you are in the UK on election day

If you want to vote by post or proxy, you need to complete the appropriate section of the electoral registration form.

More information

Please contact your local electoral registration office if you have any questions about:

• registering to vote
• postal and proxy voting; or
• the candidates standing at an election

If you are working outside the UK as a Crown Servant, serving in the armed forces or are an employee of the British Council, you can still register to vote. You can also register if you are married to a Crown Servant or British Council employee and you are accompanying them during their employment abroad.  You will be entitled to vote in all elections in the UK.

For further information and to register, download and complete the electoral registration form (service declaration) for Crown Servants and British Council employees and return it to the Electoral Registration Office for the address where you were last registered to vote in the UK.

If you would like to vote by post or by proxy, you can fill in either the postal or proxy vote application form that forms part of the registration form.