Form

Apply for a postal vote - paper form

Use this form to apply for a postal vote in England, Wales or Scotland.

From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, The Electoral Commission and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Published
10 June 2014
Last updated
31 October 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

Postal vote application form (England)

PDF, 217 KB, 2 pages

Postal vote application form (Scotland)

PDF, 213 KB, 3 pages

Postal vote application form (Wales)

PDF, 166 KB, 3 pages

Details

Deadline for voting in the local elections in England

If you’re applying for a postal vote for the local elections being held in England on 1 May 2025, you must apply by 5pm on 14 April 2025.

You must be registered to vote in the UK before you can apply.

If you are registered to vote in Northern Ireland

The rules are different if you want to apply for a postal vote in Northern Ireland for all elections.

If you’re registered to vote anonymously

Being registered to vote anonymously means your name and address do not appear on the electoral register. You will need to apply for your postal vote through your electoral registration office.

Before you apply

You’ll need:

  • the address where you are registered to vote
  • your National Insurance number or other identity documents, for example a passport
  • the specific date of the election or referendum you want to make a postal vote, if you only want a one-off postal vote

Where to send your form

Send the completed form to your electoral registration office.

Contact your electoral registration office if:

  • you cannot print a copy of the postal voting application form
  • you cannot sign a printed form

If you live abroad

If you want to vote by post and you live abroad, apply for a postal vote as soon as possible. It can take a long time for your postal vote ballot pack to reach you and get back to the UK.

Stop voting by post

If you no longer want to vote by post and want to vote in person instead, contact your electoral registration office. You must contact your electoral registration office no later than 11 working days before the election and by 5pm on that day.

If you want to vote by proxy instead, apply for a proxy vote. You must apply no later than 11 working days before the election and by 5pm on that day.

Change where your postal vote is sent

If you’ll be away from home when the postal vote ballot pack is sent out, for example, on holiday or because of work commitments, you can apply for your pack to be sent to a different address. You must apply no later than 11 working days before the election and by 5pm on that day. Contact your electoral registration office to change your address.

If you move house

If you move house, you must re-register to vote at your new address, then reapply for a postal vote for your new address.

Other ways to apply for a postal vote

You can apply for a postal vote using the online service.

It isn’t possible to apply online for a postal vote for the Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament), Scottish Parliament and local elections in Scotland and Wales.

Get help applying

There’s an easy read guide about applying online for a postal vote in England, Wales and Scotland.

Updates to this page

Published 10 June 2014
Last updated 31 October 2023 show all updates

  1. You can now apply online for a postal vote. The paper application forms have been updated by the Electoral Commission.

  2. You can no longer apply for a postal vote for elections taking place on 5 May 2022. You can still apply for a proxy vote.

  3. Correction: we have updated the deadline for submitting a postal vote application to before 5pm on Tuesday 19 April.

  4. If you are registered to vote and want to vote by proxy in the 5 May 2022 elections, you must submit a proxy vote application form that is received by your local Electoral Registration Office before 5pm on Tuesday 26 April 2022.

  5. If you are registered to vote in Scotland, you are no longer able to apply for a postal vote for the elections on 6 May 2021. You can still apply for a proxy vote.

  6. Updated to include new forms.

  7. If you are registered to vote in England or Wales and want to vote by post on 6 May 2021, you must submit a postal vote application form that is received by your local Electoral Registration Office before 5pm on Tuesday 20 April. If you are registered to vote in Scotland and want to vote by post on 6 May 2021, you must submit a postal vote application form that is received by your local Electoral Registration Office before 5pm on Tuesday 6 April.

  8. Attachments updated.

  9. Forms updated to comply with the new data protection laws.

  10. Information added to explain that it's now too late to apply by post for the 3 May elections.

  11. Information added for the 3 May election deadline.

  12. Updated forms

  13. Updated postal vote form for England

  14. Updated postal vote form

  15. Added Welsh language form

  16. Form updated.

  17. First published.

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Part of Vote in UK elections

  1. Step 1 Check if you can vote

    1. Check which elections you can vote in

  2. Step 2 Register to vote

    You’ll need to be registered to vote to take part in elections and referendums. You’ll need to register again if you change your name, address or nationality.

    1. Register to vote - apply online
    1. Register to vote - apply by post

  3. Step 3 Decide if you want to vote in person, by post, or by proxy

    1. Find out the different ways you can vote

  4. Step 4 Get ready to vote in person

    1. Check what ID you need to vote

    If you do not have photo ID that allows you to vote, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

    1. Apply for a Voter Authority Certificate

    Contact your electoral registration office to find your polling station or to find out what to do if you have accessibility needs.

    1. Contact your electoral registration office

  5. or Apply for a postal vote

    In England, Scotland or Wales:

    1. Apply in Northern Ireland - by post only
    1. Find out more about voting by post

  6. or Apply for a proxy vote

    In England, Scotland or Wales:

    1. Apply in Northern Ireland - by post only
    1. Find out more about voting by proxy - including when you must apply by

  7. or Get ready to vote as a proxy

    1. Check what ID you need to vote

    Contact the electoral registration office of the person you are a proxy for to find their polling station or to find out what to do if you have accessibility issues.

    1. Contact the electoral registration office

  8. Step 5 Vote in person

    1. Vote in person

  9. or Vote by post

    1. Vote by post

  10. or Vote as a proxy for someone else

    1. Vote as a proxy for someone else