Who is entitled to vote?

Who can register to vote in England

To register to vote, you must be aged 16 or over (you cannot vote until you are 18 years old) and be one of the following:

• a UK or Irish citizen
• a qualifying Commonwealth citizen living in the UK
• a qualifying EU citizen living in the UK

Check to see if you are eligible to register to vote (opens new window)

Qualifying Commonwealth citizens

Commonwealth citizens includes citizens ofBritish Crown Dependencies (opens new window) andBritish Overseas Territories (opens new window). A qualifying Commonwealth citizen is someone who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or who does not require leave to remain.

A list ofCommonwealth countries (opens new window) can be found on the Electoral Commission website.

Citizens of Cyprus and Malta living in the UK are eligible to be registered to vote in all elections held in the UK

Former residents of Hong Kong who hold a British Overseas Territories, British Nationals (Overseas) or British Overseas passport are eligible to be registered to vote in all elections held in the UK

Qualifying European Union citizens

You can register to vote if you are a citizen of:

• Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain who is resident in the UK and who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of man or who does not need permission
• any other EU country who on or before 31 December 2020 was legally resident in the UK and 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

A list of theOther EU countries (opens new window) can be found on the Electoral Commission website.

Qualifying EU citizens (excluding Cyprus, Malta and Ireland) can register to vote in local elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections

Citizens of Cyprus, Malta and Ireland living in the UK are eligible to be registered to vote in all elections held in the UK

Foreign nationals

A person is not entitled to register to vote if they are a foreign national even if they have lived in England for many years.

Overseas electors

If you live abroad you can register to vote in UK Parliamentary elections if you are both:

• A British citizen. This includes eligible Irish citizens (someone who was born in Northern Ireland who is a British citizen and also qualifies as an Irish citizen) and citizens of Crown Dependencies
• And have previously been registered to vote in the UK or have lived in the UK (including those who left the UK before they were old enough to register to vote).

Crown servants/British Council employees

If you are working outside the UK as a crown servant or as an employee of the British Council, you can register to vote as a crown servant. You can also register if you are the spouse or civil partner of a crown servant or British Council employee and you are accompanying them during their employment abroad.

Member of the Armed Forces

If you or your spouse/civil partner is a member of the British Army, the Royal Navy or the Royal Air Force, you can register to vote as a service voter.

If you are based overseas or you live in the UK but may be posted abroad at short notice, you can apply to register as a service voter. This allows you to be registered at an address in the UK while you are posted abroad.

If you are based in the UK and are unlikely to change your address or be posted overseas you can register to vote as an ordinary elector.

Voting if you don't have a fixed address

You can still register to vote even if you do not have a fixed address. This may be because:

• you live on a houseboat or other moveable residence without a permanent mooring or site
• you're part of the Gypsy or Traveller community
• you're currently experiencing homelessness
• you're in the Merchant Navy
• you're a patient in a mental health hospital
• you have been remanded in custody but have not yet been convicted of any offence

Registering to vote if you don't have a fixed address (opens new window)

On the application form you will need to give an address where you spend most of your time, or an address which you have some connection to or the address where you were last permanently registered to vote at.

Students or second homeowners

If you split your time between two homes, you may be able to register to vote at both addresses. This could be because you:

• are a student with a home address and a term-time address
• own two properties and split your time equally between them
• spend time at different family addresses

If you apply to register to vote from your second home, the outcome of your application will depend on the amount of time you spend at each of your addresses.

Contact details

Electoral Services
Breckland Council
Elizabeth House
Walpole Loke
Dereham
Norfolk
NR19 1EE

Email the Elections team (elections@breckland.gov.uk)

Visit the GOV.UK website to register to vote (opens new window).

Unable to find what you are looking for or have a general enquiry? Please contact us via our online form.