How to register your political party

Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA), registered political parties are required to report (including nil reports) donations they receive or loans they enter into in the run up to a general election, unless they are exempt. We call these reports pre-poll reports. These reporting requirements are in addition to the quarterly reporting requirements for political parties.

If you do not intend to contest UK Parliamentary general elections (UKPGEs), you are able to exempt yourself from pre-poll reporting. You can do this by declaring your intention not to field candidates at a UKPGE on your application to register a political party.

You must re-confirm the declaration every time the party delivers its annual renewal notification in order to maintain the exemption.

By making this declaration, you will not be required to submit weekly pre-poll donation and loan reports for a general election. If your party subsequently fields candidates at a general election, this exemption will not apply for that election. This means the party will be required to submit pre-poll donation and loan reports in the run-up to that general election. 

This does not apply to minor parties, who are unable to contest UKPGEs.

If later your party is registered and wishes to amend a declaration you have previously made, you can make an application to amend this at any time.