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Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

Asked by Kevin HollinrakeConservativeSpeaker's Committee on the Electoral CommissionTabled Answered 16 July 2026UIN 18056

The question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has given to Electoral Registration Officers on in which local authorities overseas electors should be registered if the electors has more than one previous domestic address.

Answered by Sir Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission’s guidance to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) sets out the eligibility conditions for registering as an overseas voter in England, Scotland and Wales.

Applicants must apply to register as an overseas voter in respect of the address where they were last registered to vote in the UK or, if they have never been registered, the last address at which they were resident in the UK.

If an applicant was previously registered to vote in respect of more than one address simultaneously then the voter must choose which address to register in connection with.

The ERO must be satisfied that an applicant meets one of these conditions. The Commission’s guidance sets out the steps the ERO must take to process an application and verify the information provided.

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