British and eligible Irish citizens living overseas can now register to vote in UK Parliamentary general elections no matter how long ago they left or were last registered to vote in the UK.  

An overseas declaration is now valid for three years, lasting until 1 November in the third year after it takes effect (for example, if the declaration takes effect on 1 March 2024, it will expire on 1 November 2026). 

British and eligible Irish citizens living overseas can now register and apply for an absent vote online (not available in Northern Ireland). 

Changes

The 15 year limit on voting rights for British citizens living overseas has been removed, and the registration period for these voters has been extended from one year to three. This means that overseas voters will only need to register to vote every three years. 

Any British citizen living abroad who has previously lived in, or been registered to vote in the UK, has the right to vote at UK Parliamentary elections. These voters will be registered at the constituency where they were last registered to vote, or where they lived if they were not registered to vote before. 

Anyone who is registered to vote in the UK can make donations to political parties and campaigners. Extending voting rights to more British citizens living overseas means these new voters will also be allowed to donate to political parties and campaigners in the UK.

Our role

To support electoral administrators, we have updated our guidance to reflect this change.

We have updated the design of paper application forms for British citizens overseas to register to vote, to reflect the new rules and requirements and to ensure they are as clear and simple to complete as possible.

We will extend the reach of our voter registration campaigns to ensure new voters overseas will be aware of this change.

We will also talk to political parties and campaigners about the overseas voting rights changes.