Voting if you live abroad - Votes for Life

The 15-year residence limit for British citizens living overseas has now been removed. This means that any British citizen living abroad who has previously lived in or been registered to vote in the UK now has the right to vote at UK Parliamentary elections — regardless of when they left the UK. 

UK Parliamentary General Election - Thursday 4 July 2024 

The deadline to register to vote in the UK Parliamentary General Election was midnight on Tuesday 18 June.

To vote in this election you must:

  • be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
  • be resident at a UK address or living abroad and registered as an overseas voter
  • register to vote before midnight on Tuesday 18 June

Apply to register to vote from overseas 

You can register to vote as an overseas voter if:

  • you were previously registered to vote in the UK
  • you were previously a UK resident but were not registered to vote.

As an overseas elector, you will need to register in respect of either:

  • the address where you were last registered to vote in the UK
  • the last address you were resident prior to leaving the UK (if you were not previously registered to vote.)

To register to vote as an overseas elector, submit your application online at GOV.UK.

Register to vote

Renewing your registration

Once registered, you will need to renew your registration every three years.

We’ll send you a reminder by post or email when it is time to renew. 

If you do not renew your registration, you’ll be removed from the electoral register and will need to make a new application to register to vote.