Britons living in France must renew UK voter registration

Britons who registered to vote in UK elections from abroad after new ‘votes for life’ rules took effect in 2024 must shortly renew their registration to avoid falling off the electoral register.

For many years the UK’s ‘15-year rule’ meant Britons who moved abroad lost their right to vote after 15 years. A longstanding Conservative promise to abolish this was finally fulfilled on January 16, 2024.

Current rules say any adult Briton may register to vote in the last constituency in which they lived, as long as they have lived in the UK at some point in their lives.

Those whose overseas registration first took effect between January 16 and November 1, 2024 should soon be contacted by their electoral registration officer by letter or email, reminding them to renew by November using a nine-digit access code.

Those who do not renew by the deadline will be removed from the electoral register and would then have to make a fresh application, involving new eligibility checks.

Postal or proxy voting arrangements are also tied to overseas registration and expire at the same time, so overseas electors need to reapply for a postal vote or refresh their proxy arrangement when renewing.

A proxy vote may be the more secure option from abroad, as postal delays can prevent postal votes arriving in time to be counted.

Anyone who believes that they are due to renew but who does not receive a reminder should contact the electoral registration office linked to their last UK address.