Register to vote

You can register to vote on the GOV.UK website (external link)

You can register to vote as soon as you are 16, although you cannot vote until you are 18.

To vote in elections in Surrey Heath you must live in Surrey Heath for at least six months of the year and be;

• a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen; or
• a citizen of a country in the European Union

Checking if you're registered

You can check if you are registered with our Elections team by:

• calling us 01276 707165
• emailing: vote@surreyheath.gov.uk (link sends an email)

Citizens of the European Union 

European Union citizens are only eligible to register to vote if they are either: 

• A 'Qualifying EU citizen' – These are citizens from countries with reciprocal agreements (bilateral Voting and Candidacy Rights Treaty) who have ‘leave to remain’ in the UK or who do not need ‘leave to remain’ in the UK. These countries are currently Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain.  
• 'EU citizens with retained rights' - EU citizens from any other EU country who have been legally resident in the UK since before the UK left the EU on 31 December 2020.

Note: Citizens from Ireland, Malta, or Cyprus are also Commonwealth Citizens and thereby retain full-franchise voting rights.  

Living abroad or moving overseas

If you are a British Citizen living abroad, you can register as an ‘overseas elector’ if you were previously registered to vote or you were previously residing in the borough.

To register as an overseas elector, you can apply online at the Gov.uk website (external link). You will also need to arrange for a postal vote or a proxy vote - further details on how to do so can be found on our How to vote page. Please be aware that postal votes are sent out around 11 working days before an election and must be received by the time polls close to count in an election.