Home | Your Council | How to register and vote | How to register as an overseas voter

How to register as an overseas voter

If you are a British citizen living abroad, you can apply to register as an overseas voter.

To qualify you must have been registered at a UK address in the last 15 years. As an overseas voter you are eligible to vote in UK Parliamentary and European Parliamentary elections but not UK local elections.

Overseas registrations are valid for 1 year and so need to be renewed on an annual basis.

If you are applying to register as an overseas elector for the first time, your application will need to be witnessed and signed by another British citizen living overseas.  Your witness should not be your husband/wife, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild.

Before completing the application to vote by post, please consider that the ballot papers would be sent to you approximately 10 days before election day.  This means a limited time for the postal services to deliver this to you and then return your ballot papers back to us in time to be counted.  You may therefore prefer to nominate someone to vote on your behalf as proxy.

If you wish to register as an overseas voter please download the form from the bottom of this page. Your completed application should be returned to the following address:

Electoral Registration
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2QR

If you have any questions concerning the above issues please contact the Election Services Office.

Telephone:  023 9283 4074
email: elections@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Associated documents:

  Overseas Voter Registration Form  (0.11 MB)