Changes for EU citizens in some UK elections

There have been changes to which elections you can vote in and stand as a candidate in. This follows the UK’s departure from the European Union and has been introduced as part of the Elections Act.

These changes will apply to the following elections that take place on or after 7 May 2024:

You will only be able 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 resident in the UK, has permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who does not need permission
  • you’re a citizen of any other EU country who on or before 31 December 2020 was legally resident in the UK, 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

EU citizens cannot vote or stand as a candidate in UK Parliament elections .

The changes do not apply to:

  • Scottish Parliament and council elections in Scotland
  • Senedd and local council elections in Wales

All EU citizens are still eligible to vote in these elections.

These changes do not affect the eligibility of citizens of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta. Citizens of these countries living in the UK can register, vote and stand as candidates in all elections held in the UK.

The UK has mutual agreements with Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain. Citizens of these countries living in the UK can still vote and stand as candidates in UK elections (excluding UK Parliament elections). It also means that any UK citizens living in these countries are able to vote and stand as candidates in elections in that country.

If you are a citizen of one of these countries and you have received a letter asking you to answer a question about your immigration status:

To be able to register to vote in local elections in England, local and Assembly elections in Northern Ireland, and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales, citizens of other EU countries need to be:

  • A citizen of any other EU country who on or before 31 December 2020 was legally resident in the UK, 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

The ‘other EU countries’ are:

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • The Netherlands
  • Romania
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Sweden

If you have citizenship of one of these ‘other EU countries’, but only gained that citizenship after 31 December 2020, that may affect your eligibility to vote in some elections and you might need to re-register to vote.

If you have received a letter asking you to answer a question about your immigration status, but you have dual nationality from one of the ‘other EU countries’ as well as the UK, Ireland, a commonwealth country (including Cyprus or Malta), Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain, you need to: