There is no requirement for an application to register that is made in writing (on paper) to be made on a particular form. The application must, however, contain all the information required for a valid application. Forms can be sent to you by post, delivered by hand or sent electronically, such as by fax or as a scanned copy sent by e-mail.
Where you are making non pre-populated forms available you may supply them in hard copy or electronically, so that they can be printed out, completed, and sent to you.
The paper application form that you must include alongside an invitation to register must be the form1
as approved by the Minister for the The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in consultation with the Welsh Minister, and made available by the Commission.2
The form includes space for you to add your contact details, local authority information, unique reference, security code and a barcode.
If you receive a written application that is not on an application form you should check that it contains all the required information. If incomplete, you should follow the process outlined in our guidance on incomplete applications.
Where you receive a written application that is not made on the approved form and which does not include the explanation of the full and open registers using the prescribed short form of words, you should write to the applicant to provide them with the prescribed short form of words. You should set out their existing open register preference including an explanation of how they can change their preference if they wish to do so.
Where you receive a written application from a person under 16 years old that is not made on the approved form you do not need to provide them with the prescribed short form of words. This is because a person under 16 years old is automatically opted out of the edited register.