EU citizens are no longer automatically entitled to register to vote and stand for election. There have been changes to the voting and candidacy rights of some EU citizens. If you’re an EU citizen living in the UK, whether you can vote depends on the type of election and your citizenship.
Two groups of EU citizens will retain their rights:
- Qualifying EU citizens’ from countries with reciprocal agreements, and who have leave, or do not require it, to remain in the UK – currently Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
- EU citizens with ‘retained rights’ who, on or before 31 December 2020, were legally resident in the UK, had permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who did not need permission, and this has continued without a break.
More information, including a tool EU citizens can use to find out which elections they can vote in, can be found here.
If you’ve gained new citizenship or changed your nationality
If you have gained new citizenship or changed your nationality since you have last registered to vote, you should let us know. The changes to your citizenship or nationality may affect your eligibility to vote in some elections and you might need to re-register to vote. You can contact us at elections@wealden.gov.uk or call 01892 602407.
Alternatively, you can submit a new application to register to vote online.