Brits living long term in Spain can now vote in UK general elections

British citizens living abroad are now eligible to register to vote in UK general elections, regardless of how long they've been living outside the UK. A new law has removed the previous 15-year time limit. 

The change brings the UK in line with many other countries that allow citizens living abroad to vote throughout their lifetime, including France, the US and Canada. 

Supporting the awareness raising campaign of the UK's Electoral Commission, the British Embassy in Madrid is calling on British residents living in Spain to check if they are eligible. 

Those who have previously lived in or been registered to vote in the UK now have the right to vote in UK parliament elections. 

They can register online at www.gov.uk/registertovote and will need to confirm their personal information every three years. Anyone on a UK electoral register is also considered a permissible donor to UK political parties and campaigners.   

British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, said: "This law means that more British citizens living in Spain will now be eligible to vote in UK parliamentary elections, which is good news. We're asking the British community here to help us spread the word, because it's important that eligible people are made aware of the changes so that they can register and cast a ballot when the time comes." 

Post or proxy votes 

According to a statement from the British Embassy in Madrid on Tuesday, it only takes five minutes to register and voting can be done by post or by proxy. Applicants will need to provide details of the address and time they were last registered or resident. Local authorities must be able to verify an applicant's identity and past connection to the area.     

More information is available on the Electoral Commission's website. Voters living overseas can find contact details for the relevant local council by entering the postcode of the last place they lived in the UK, using the Commission's postcode lookup tool.     

Voters registering in England, Wales and Scotland can apply to vote online or with a paper form; overseas voters registering in Northern Ireland must fill in a paper form. 

The UK government estimates that around 3.5 million British nationals living overseas will be eligible to register to vote. 

Irish citizens who were born in Northern Ireland and who also qualify as British citizens under UK law are also eligible to register to vote. 

The next UK general election is expected to be held in the second half of 2024.