Comments

Overseas voters, Standard Note: SN/PC/05923

Before 1985 British citizens resident outside the United Kingdom were unable to register to vote in UK Parliamentary elections. The Representation of the People Act 1985 extended the franchise to British citizens resident outside the UK and enabled them to register as ‘overseas voters’ in the constituency for which they were last registered. This was initially for a period of 5 years, later extended to 20 years by the Representation of the People Act 1989, and then reduced to 15 years by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. [...]

Overseas voters cannot register to vote if they have never been registered as a voter in the UK although if a voter left the UK before he was 18 he can be registered at his parents' or guardians' address provided that he left the UK no more than 15 years ago.

Overseas voters have to register to vote each year in the same way as voters living in the UK. The first time an overseas voter makes an application to be included on the register his declaration that he is living overseas must also be accompanied by an attestation by a British citizen. The Electoral Registration Officer will send the overseas voter a renewal form each year until the end of the 15 year period. Overseas voters can vote by post or proxy, or in person at their allotted polling station if they are in the UK at the time of the election. The Electoral Commission recommends that overseas voters should consider appointing a proxy to vote on their behalf because of the short period available to send and return a postal vote overseas.

If the overseas voter is serving in the armed forces, or is a Crown servant, there are different provisions for registering to vote as they are not subject to the 15 year rule. Briefly, members of HM forces and their spouses can either register by means of a service declaration or can choose to be registered as an ordinary elector instead. A service declaration is valid for five years and then has to be renewed.7 Crown servants and British Council employees employed in a post outside the UK, together with their spouses, are also entitled to be registered for all elections and have to submit a CrownServant or British Council declaration with their application to register.

Every British citizen who has been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years is eligible to vote in the UK Parliamentary (general) elections and European Parliamentary elections.

Report on the administration of the 2010 UK General Election

5.33 British citizens living overseas who had moved to another country within the last 15 years, and who had previously been registered in the UK, could register to vote in the UK general election as an ‘overseas voter’. Overseas voters could choose to vote by post or appoint a proxy.

Voting from Abroad: The International IDEA Handbook, page 100

British citizens living abroad are eligible to register and vote as overseas electors if their name was previously on the electoral register for an address in the UK and no more than 15 years have passed between the qualification date of that register and the date on their application to register as an overseas elector; or if they have reached the age of 18 while living abroad and they were too young to be on an electoral register before they left the UK and apparent or guardian was on the electoral register for the address at which they were living on that date.