Changes to European Union Citizens eligibility to vote and candidacy rights

Background

From 7 May 2024 and following the UK's departure from the European Union, voting rights for EU citizens have changed. EU citizens are no longer automatically entitled to register, vote or stand in local government elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Two groups of EU citizens will retain (keep) their voting rights:

1. 'Qualifying EU citizens' - citizens of EU countries which the UK has bilateral Voting and Candidacy Rights (VCR) treaty with currently (as of May 2024) are:
   • Denmark
   • Luxembourg
   • Poland
   • Portugal
   • Spain
2. 'EU citizens with retained rights' - citizens from any other EU country who have been legally resident in the UK since before the UK left the EU on 31 December 2020

Citizens from Ireland, Malta, or Cyprus will retain their voting rights in all UK elections while resident in the UK.

EU citizens elected before 7 May 2024 can remain in office for their full term.

Review process

The council is required to conduct a review of all European citizens who are registered to vote. This is to make sure that they meet new eligibility criteria, based on the country that they are from and when they started living in the UK.

1. Citizens of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain retain (keep) rights to vote and stand in upcoming elections (excluding UK Parliamentary elections) and will be sent written confirmation of their eligibility to remain registered under new criteria
2. For citizens of other EU countries, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will check historical electoral register records to verify their residence in the UK before 31 December 2020

If this cannot be confirmed, a letter will be sent requesting confirmation of eligibility to remain registered under the new criteria.

Confirming eligibility

If you receive a letter confirming your eligibility, you don't need to do anything. You will remain registered and can vote in upcoming elections, except for UK Parliamentary elections.

If you receive a letter asking you to confirm your eligibility, please follow the instructions in the letter as soon as possible to avoid further correspondence.

If you confirm that you do not meet the eligibility criteria or you do not respond to the request, you will not be eligible to remain registered. We will write to you to confirm this.

You can find further information on the Electoral Commission's website.

If you have gained new citizenship or changed your nationality

If you have gained new citizenship or changed your nationality since you last registered to vote, re-register to vote online on GOV.UK.

Changes to your citizenship or nationality may affect your eligibility to vote in some elections. If you have any queries, contact Electoral Services.