Voting in the UK

Voting in the UK

Last updated March 06, 2025

If you will be studying in the UK when there is an election, you may be eligible to register to vote.

For an outline of the different types of elections and referendums that happen in the UK, see the gov.uk website. It includes links to the Electoral Commission website, which explains who is eligible to vote in each of the different types of election. The list of who is eligible to vote varies depending on the type of election, and what part of the UK you are in (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland). For some elections the list is very wide and includes anyone with lawful immigration status. For other elections the range of people who can vote is much more limited, for example sometimes it only includes: 

• British citizens; and
• Irish citizens; and
• Commonwealth citizens, who have valid immigration permission for the UK or who do not need it, who are resident in the UK. This includes citizens of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British Overseas Territory; and
• former residents of Hong Kong who hold British National (Overseas) passports, British Dependent Territories citizen passports, or British Overseas citizen passports; and
• a limited number of European Union citizens

If you are someone who is eligible to register to vote and you receive an individual request to register to vote, you can be fined £80 if you fail to register to vote. Registering to vote is a separate procedure from voting. So even if you are registered to vote, you are not obliged to participate when it comes to any election. It is not compulsory for people who are registered to vote, to vote in any election in the UK.

Commonwealth nationals who are eligible to register to vote in UK elections may wish to research first whether voting in the UK would have any effect on their rights in their home country.

You can register online to vote at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You do not have to have a National Insurance number to register to vote. If you do not have one, you can answer the questions in the following way:

• Question: 'What is your National Insurance number?'
• Answer: 'I can't provide a National Insurance number'
• Question: 'Why can't you provide a National Insurance number?'
• Answer by providing an explanation, for example, 'I have come to the UK to study and do not have a National Insurance number'

---

Elections in your home country

Last updated January 12, 2025

If an election is called in your home country while you are studying in the UK, and you wish to vote, contact your country's Embassy or High Commission in the UK for advice. An overseas vote may require you to register and vote earlier than normal, so get advice as soon as possible after the election has been called.

---

Students' union elections

Last updated February 25, 2025

Your college or university may hold elections for Student Union sabbatical officers, or other student representatives, in which all registered students can vote. Such student elections have no connection with local government elections, and there is no requirement to register to vote. 

As an international student, you can stand for election, and if necessary, you can extend your student immigration permission in the UK in order to work full-time as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer.

---