The changes and who they affect
The law has changed affecting European Union (EU) citizens. Those changes affect which elections EU citizens can vote in and stand as a candidate in.
After the UK left the European Union, the changes were made under the Elections Act 2022. From 7 May 2024, the changes apply to:
- local council elections
- Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
What has changed
If you are an EU citizen, you will now only be eligible to register, vote or stand as a candidate in these elections if:
- you're a citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain who:
- is a resident in the UK
- has permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man
- does not need permission
- you're a citizen of any other EU country who on, or before 31 December 2020:
- was a legal resident in the UK
- had permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man
- did not need permission, and this has continued without a break
EU citizens cannot vote or be a candidate in a General Election for the UK Parliament.
More information is available on the Electoral Commission website about voting if you're an EU citizen living in the UK.
If we send you a letter or email about your eligibility to vote
We're reviewing the eligibility of current EU citizens who are registered to vote.
As part of this review, we're contacting EU citizens to tell them either:
- they're still eligible to vote in some UK elections; or
-
we're not sure if they're eligible to vote in some UK elections. In this case, we will ask for information to confirm if they're eligible.
If we tell you that you're still eligible to vote
You don't need to do anything.
You'll remain eligible to register to vote. When registered, you can vote in elections in your area (excluding UK Parliament elections).
If we ask you to confirm your eligibility
We'll ask if you meet the eligibility criteria. Your response will only be shared with the Electoral Registration Officer.
To confirm your eligibility, you'll need to either:
- go to the Government website - details on how to log in will be in the letter or email from us; or
- complete a paper form and return it to us - this form will be in the letter or email from us.
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, or do not provide the details we ask for, you'll not be eligible to vote in:
- Local council elections
- Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
For more information, please visit the Electoral Commission's website.