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UK general election July 4: How to vote as a British national in Spain

What you need to know to apply for a postal or proxy vote as a Brit in Europe

An official date has been set for the UK national election after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today announced that the country would go to the polls on Thursday July 4, 2024.

It’s been a long, hard road to get to this inevitable point, but the Prime Minister has finally capitulated and called elections for sooner rather than even later. The Conservatives, who have been in government in the United Kingdom for 14 years, are widely expected to be trounced by Labour in this election.

British citizens residing abroad can have their say in the elections, even those who have been resident in another country for more than 15 years. This is thanks to the fact that, as of January 16, 2024, British citizens residing in other countries than the United Kingdom have had the opportunity to register to vote in UK national elections once again. Previously, the so-called ‘15 years away rule’, established in 2002, prohibited UK nationals who had been living outside of the UK for more than 15 years from exercising their right to vote.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re a UK national living abroad and you want to vote in the general election on July 4, 2024.

Who can vote in the UK election

In order to be able to vote in UK elections, voters must:

be 18 years old or over on the day of the election
be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
be resident at an address in the UK (or a British citizen living abroad)
not be legally excluded from voting

British citizens who have never lived in the UK in their life are not allowed to vote.

British citizens living overseas must be registered in the constituency where they were last registered to vote in the UK, or where they last lived with registered voters if they were too young to vote.

It’s worth noting that if you have previously been registered on the electoral register, you may not be anymore. This is because, up until now, regular renewal on the electoral roll has been mandatory for overseas voters. Be sure to check whether or not you are registered to vote.

How to register as an overseas voter

There are two main categories for registration as a British voter living overseas – those who have lived abroad for less than 15 years and those who have lived abroad for more than 15 years.

If you have lived overseas for less than 15 years

Individuals who last voted in England, Scotland or Wales and who fit into the following groups, can register immediately on the gov.uk website www.gov.uk/register-to-vote:

People who were previously registered to vote in the UK and have lived abroad for less than 15 years

Those who were too young to register when they left the UK less than 15 years ago, but whose parents or guardians were registered

Note that voters originally from Northern Ireland should use a different website.

If you need assistance with registration, you can contact the Electoral Registration Office to find out the last UK address where you were registered to vote.

If you have lived outside the UK for less than 15 years, you will need to provide:

Your National Insurance number or a UK identity document, such as a passport (even if expired)

The address where you, or your parent/guardian, were last registered to vote in the UK. Officials will verify your details with voter registration databases before confirming your eligibility to vote.

If you have lived overseas for more than 15 years

For those who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years and those British citizens who were born overseas and who have lived in the UK at some point but never registered to vote, the registration process is more complex.

In addition to providing ID such as a passport, you must provide evidence that you previously lived at a UK address in the constituency where you wish to vote. Acceptable documents include:

A British driving licence (even if expired)
An old utility bill, tax statement, or council tax demand
A rent book or land registry document

If you do not have or have lost certain documents, such as proof of address, council voting officials can request an ‘attestation of previous residence’. This is a signed statement from a UK-based voter of ‘good standing in the community’ confirming that the overseas voter lived at a specific UK address, including the estimated dates of residence.

Note that this voter of ‘good standing’ can only sign statements for a maximum of two overseas voters. While there is no requirement for this voter to reside in the same constituency where applicants wish to register, it may be beneficial.

Voting as a registered overseas voter

You can vote in UK elections if you register as an overseas voter on the gov.uk website. After you’ve registered you can decide if you want to vote by proxy – getting someone else to cast your vote for you, if you are eligible – or to vote by post.

Once you’ve decided you can then do one of the following:

It’s worth bearing in mind that some people have experienced problems in the past with postal votes not arriving at overseas addresses in time. The British government has promised that it will prioritise the sending of overseas ballots, but anyone concerned that their postal vote will not arrive in time might prefer to vote by proxy.

Voting by proxy means you authorise someone else, a UK-based voter, to vote on your behalf. The person you choose as your proxy does not necessarily have to be registered in the same constituency as you since they can even ask for a postal vote on your behalf. Any single person may only act as proxy for a maximum of four people living overseas.

The normal deadline to register to vote is 12 days before an election – although overseas voters are advised to register earlier in order to leave time to arrange a postal or proxy vote, if they need one.

Voting if you’re on holiday during the election

There are different arrangements if you’re going to be abroad temporarily on election day.

If you are planning to be abroad temporarily, such as on holiday, you can either vote by post or proxy.

Image 1: Rishi Sunak

Image 2: Archive

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