How to register your political party

Once you have registered successfully, we will send you information about your obligations as a registered political party.

You have significant responsibilities as an officer of a political party, so it’s important that you understand these before you register with us. We recommend that you familiarise yourself with our guidance for political parties.

We have a dedicated Regulatory Support team to help you understand and comply with the law. If you have any questions about your financial obligations or require any support or guidance, please contact the team on [email protected].

As an overview of your obligations, a registered political party must, for example:

• make sure all donations and loans over £500 come from permissible sources:
  • permissible sources for parties registered in Great Britain
  • permissible sources for parties registered in Northern Ireland
• report donations and loans every quarter, and report weekly during a UK Parliamentary general election
  • guidance on donations and loans for parties registered in Great Britain
  • guidance on donations and loans for parties registered in Northern Ireland
• keep to campaign spending limits at elections, and report campaign spending to us  
• keep accurate accounts and records
• send us annual accounts
• if the party’s income or expenditure is over £250,000 a year, also send an auditor’s report on your annual accounts
• operate consistently with your constitution and financial scheme, and keep them current 
• maintain the party's details, and confirm them annually

These requirements are to ensure the integrity and transparency of the political finance laws, so voters understand how political parties are funded. If you don’t follow them, you may be subject to enforcement action. You can find out more about how we enforce the law in our Enforcement Policy.