Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Senedd election

An individual candidate is not validly nominated unless £500 is deposited with you by the close of nominations.1
 
A registered political party and each of the party list candidates it has submitted is not validly nominated unless the deposit is deposited with you by the close of nominations.2 The required deposit for a party list is:

• £500 for the first party list candidate appearing on the list3  
• £200 for each of the next five candidates appearing on the party list4      

Where a person is making the deposit on behalf of an individual candidate or a party’s registered nominating officer, they must, at the time of making it, provide you with their name and address unless they have previously provided as part of their notification of appointment as an election agent.5
 
Deposits can be made using:6

• legal tender (cash in British pounds only)
• UK banker’s draft

You may refuse to accept a banker’s draft if you do not know whether the drawer carries on business as a banker in the United Kingdom.

You can choose to accept funds by means of:7  

• a building society cheque
• a debit or credit card
• electronic transfer of funds

You should also accept banker’s payments which are orders issued by a bank, guaranteeing payment to the recipient. If you decide to accept any of these methods you should list them on the notice of election and make any requirements you have clear in the nomination pack.

If there is a fee attached to the form of payment, you can pass this on to the candidate. If so, you should make this clear on the notice of election and the nomination pack.