Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Police and Crime Commissioner elections

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Individuals

Overseas voters: advice on proposed changes to the law

The UK Government has announced that it plans to introduce a £100,000 annual cap on donations and loans from overseas voters. The Government’s intention is for this to apply retrospectively to any donations received or loans entered into from 25 March 2026 onwards. These measures would be introduced as part of the Government’s Representation of the People Bill.

The cap would apply to all donations and loans made by an overseas voter, not just those to a single recipient. This means that an overseas voter could not make more than a total of £100,000 in donations and loans to any regulated entities in a calendar year. Donations and loans to Northern Ireland-registered parties from Irish citizens would not be affected.

The Government’s intention is to apply this to donations to parties; non-party campaigners; elected office holders; party members and members associations; recall petition and referendum campaigners; and candidates (subject to legislative consent in Scotland and Wales).

Once the proposed changes to the law come into force, recipients would have 30 days to return any donations received or end any loans entered into on or after 25 March 2026 which exceed the £100,000 annual cap.

No changes have yet been made to the law. Our guidance continues to reflect the law as it currently stands. However, you may wish to consider taking action now so that you are prepared for any future changes to the law, including:

  • Identifying and recording which donations and loans have been made by overseas voters. Overseas voters are identified on the electoral register. If you do not have access to the electoral register, you may wish to seek this information from donors when checking they are permissible.
  • Checking registers of reported donations and loans to identify whether any overseas donor may have donated or lent more than £100,000 in each calendar year
  • Ensuring you have up to date contact details for overseas donors, so you can contact them to seek any declarations required
  • Ensuring that you retain sufficient resources to return donations or end loans from overseas voters if required

This advice is provisional, based on the information that is currently available about these proposals. We will update this advice note once the Government publishes additional information. For further information, please see this ministerial written statement or contact MHCLG.

What makes an individual permissible?

Individuals must be on a UK electoral register at the time of the donation.1 This includes overseas electors.

How do you check permissibility?

Individuals in England or Wales

Candidates and their agents are entitled to a free copy of the full electoral register in the run-up to an election.2 This entitlement applies once the candidate officially becomes a candidate.

If you receive a donation from an individual in England or Wales, you can use the electoral register to check if they are permissible. This is the best way to ensure the individual is on an electoral register at the time of the donation. Other types of documentation may not be sufficient to guarantee someone is on the electoral register at the time the donation was received.

A new version of the electoral register is usually published on 1 December every year, and it is updated regularly.

You should contact the electoral registration department at the local council in writing for your copy, explaining that you are asking for it as a candidate at an election or as the election agent on behalf of the candidate.3 In your request, you should also ask them to send you all the updates to the register for that year, up to the date that the donation was received. This is important because an elector may be removed from the register and so at the time of making the donation not be a permissible donor. You should check the register and updates carefully to make sure that the person is on the register on the date you received the donation.  

You will receive the register in electronic form unless you request a printed version of the register.4

You can find contact details for local councils through our postcode search.  

In special circumstances, people have an anonymous registration. If the individual is anonymously registered, you must provide a statement that you have seen evidence that they have an anonymous entry on the register.5 Evidence will be in the form of a certificate of anonymous registration. You must submit a copy of the certificate with this statement alongside your spending return.6

You must only use the register for checking if a donor is permissible or other electoral purposes. You must not pass it on to anyone else, disclose any information on the register that doesn’t appear on the open register, or make use of any information on the register for any other purpose.7

Individuals in Scotland or Northern Ireland

Candidates and their agents are not entitled to a copy of the full electoral register for Scotland or Northern Ireland.

To confirm they are a permissible donor, you should ask the donor to provide written confirmation of their registration from the electoral registration department at their local authority before accepting the donation. The confirmation must confirm that the donor was on the electoral register on the date the donation was received. The donor should be made aware that their local authority may charge an administrative fee for providing written confirmation.  

Candidates and their agents can also inspect the relevant register in person at the local authority to check permissibility.  

As you are not entitled to a copy of the full electoral register in Scotland or Northern Ireland, these are the best ways to ensure the individual is on an electoral register at the time of the donation. Other types of documentation may not be sufficient to guarantee someone is on the electoral register at the time the donation was received.  

Please contact us if you require further advice on checking permissibility. 

What information must you record?

You must record:

  • the full name of the donor
  • the address as it is shown on the electoral register, or if the person is an overseas elector, their home address (whether in the UK or elsewhere)8

You may find it helpful to note the donor’s electoral number as a record of your checks.

Last updated: 7 April 2026