Register to vote as a member of the armed forces - paper form
If you're a member of the armed forces, or the spouse or registered civil partner of a member of the armed forces, you can register to vote.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Documents
Details
Deadline for registering to vote in the local elections in England
Register by 11:59pm on 11 April 2025 to vote in the local elections being held in England on 1 May 2025.
Use this service to get on the electoral register or to update your details if you’re posted abroad and you’re:
- a member of the armed forces
- the spouse or civil partner of someone in the armed forces
You’ll need your service number and National Insurance number (if you have one).
You only need to register once - you do not need to register separately for every election.
Your registration lasts up to 5 years. You’ll get a reminder when it’s time to renew. If you do not renew your registration, you’ll be removed from the register and will need to register to vote again.
What you need to know
You can vote when you’re 18 or over. If you’re from Scotland or Wales, you can vote in some elections when you’re 16 or over - check which elections you’re eligible to vote in.
If you have a permanent home address in the UK and want to be registered at that address, you can register to vote as a non-service voter instead.
How to use the form
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Complete and print out the electoral registration form.
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Make sure you sign the declaration.
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Return your completed form and the relevant evidence to your electoral registration office.
If you don’t have access to a printer you can contact your electoral registration office and ask them to post a form to you. You’ll then need to return the completed form to your electoral registration office.
Apply for a postal or proxy vote
If you want to vote by post in the local elections in England on 1 May 2025, you must apply by 5pm on 14 April 2025.
If you want to have a proxy vote in the local elections in England on 1 May 2025, you must apply by 5pm on 23 April 2025.
After you’ve registered, you can either:
Please note that there are different methods for applying for proxy and postal votes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
If you live overseas and you choose to apply for a postal vote, you should apply 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.
Children of a member of the armed forces
Different rules apply depending on where you’re from.
If you’re from England or Northern Ireland
If you’re 16 or over, you can either:
- register to vote in the UK if you have a permanent home address in the UK and want to be registered at that address
- register as an overseas voter if you live outside of the UK
If you’re from Scotland or Wales
You can register to vote if both of the following apply:
- you’re between 14 and 17 years old
- you’re based overseas and living with a parent or guardian who is a member of the armed forces
You need to register to vote using a paper form as a child of a member of the armed forces.
Your registration lasts for 12 months. You’ll get a reminder when it’s time to renew.
When you’re 18 or over, you’ll need to either:
If you’re a crown servant or British Council employee
There’s a different way to register to vote for crown servants and British Council employees. For example, if you are in the diplomatic service or overseas civil service. Crown Servants or British Council employees can register either online, or using a paper form.
Updates to this page
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Register to vote if you're in the armed forces - all forms updated
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You can no longer register to vote for the elections taking place on 5 May 2022. You can still register for future elections.
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You can no longer register to vote for elections taking place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 5 May 2022. You can still register to vote for the local government elections in Scotland.
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To vote in the 5 May 2022 elections, you must register by 11:59pm on 14 April 2022 (for elections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or 11:59pm on 18 April 2022 (for elections in Scotland).
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To vote in the 6 May 2021 elections you need to register by 19 April 2021.
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Form 'Register to vote if you're in the armed forces (resident in Scotland)' updated.
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attachments updated
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Previous PDFs have been replaced with new PDFs containing updated wording relating to the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws.
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First published.