There are certain circumstances where special arrangements for registration and voting need to be made.

• Students
• Armed Forces Personnel (Service Voters)
• British Citizens Living Overseas
• No Fixed Address or Homeless
• People who's safety may be at risk (Anonymous Registration)

Students

If you are a student studying away from home you can register at more than one address. You can register at both your home address and your term-time address and you can vote in both areas at Local Elections. At UK Parliamentary Elections (General Elections) you must choose one area to vote in only.

Register to vote as soon as possible at Register to vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note: As well as registering yourself online, you or someone in your household MUST still respond to the Canvass Form which will be sent to your address. Failure to respond to this form could result in a fine of up to £1,000.

More information can be found on our student information web page.

Armed Forces Personnel (Service Voter)

Anyone who is a member of HM Services can register to vote for all elections. There are two ways to do this

• You can include your details on the Canvass Form delivered to the address where you would normally live  
• You can fill in a separate application form (below) for service voters available from your unit. You can either register as a non-service voter if you have a permanent home address in the UK, or register as a service voter of you don't have a permanent home address in the UK. You can do both of these online by clicking here.
  • Register to vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). You'll need you National Insurance number if you have one

A service vote is valid for 5 years - we will send all service voters a renewal form after 4 years and 9 months.

Further information about registering to vote as a Service Voter can be found on the Electoral Commission's website. 

• Visit: Register as a service voter | Electoral Commission
• Download: Armed Forces Application Form
  
  

British Citizens Living Overseas

If you are a British citizen living abroad and you've been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years, you can apply to be an overseas voter. If you were too young to register when you left the UK, you may still become an overseas voter if your parent or guardian was registered at the time.

The 15 year time limit will be removed in Autumn 2023, meaning any British citizen living overseas will be able to register to vote as an overseas elector. For now, the 15 year limit remains meaning you must have been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years in order to be able to register to vote as an overseas elector. 

As an overseas voter you can vote in UK Parliamentary Elections (General Elections) and European Elections.

You can register online or by completing the below application form.

• Visit: Register to vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Download: British Citizen Living Overseas Application Form

No Fixed Address or Homeless

You can still register to vote even if you have no permanent address using a Declaration of Local Connection. A homeless person may register at the address of, or which is nearest to, a place where they commonly spend a substantial part of their time (whether during the day or night). This address, for example, may be a park bench, a bus shelter or the doorway of a High Street store. Declarations of Local Connection can be made at any time throughout the year and are valid for 12 months. We will send a renewal form after 9 months.

You can still register to vote even if you do not have a fixed address. This could be because:

• You are homeless
• You are living on a boat or other movable residence
• You are part of the travelling community
• You are a person who has been remanded in custody, but you have not yet been convicted of any offence
• You are a patient in a mental health hospital (sectioned under certain circumstances only). Visit My rights if I've been sectioned - Mind
• You are a merchant seaman

To register to vote, you need to give a “qualifying address” where we can locate your registration. This could be a previous address that you still have ties to, an address where you spend the majority of your time, or an address where you would be living if it weren’t for your current situation.

Contact Electoral Services to request a registration form (no fixed address) or you can complete the below application form.

Further information about registering to vote without a permanent address can be found on the Electoral Commission's website.

• Visit: Electoral Commission's website.
• Download:  No Fixed Address or Homeless Application Form

People whose Personal Safety may be at Risk (Anonymous Registration)

If you are concerned about your name appearing on the Electoral Register and think this could affect your personal safety, then you may be able to register anonymously. You must complete an Anonymous Registration Form and must be able to:

• Explain why your safety would be at risk if you were to appear on the Electoral Register
• Provide documentary evidence of a court order or an attestation from an authorised person to support your application

Further information about registering to vote Anonymously can be found on the Electoral Commission's website.

• Visit: Register to vote anonymously | Electoral Commission
• Download: Anonymous Registration Form