Registering to vote as a citizen of an EU country
Citizens of European Union member states are not automatically entitled to register to vote and vote in, or stand for election at, local elections in England. There are 2 categories of EU citizens that have the right to vote and stand for election at local elections in England: qualifying EU citizens and EU citizens with retained rights.
Please note that this does not apply to citizens of the Republic of Ireland, Malta or Cyprus who are eligible to be registered to vote in all elections in the UK.
Qualifying EU citizens
A person meets this qualification if they are a citizen of a country with which the UK has bilateral Voting and Candidacy Rights (VCR) treaty and have leave to remain in the UK, or do not require such leave. The current countries with which the UK holds bilateral VCR treaties are:
- Denmark
- Luxembourg
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
EU citizens with retained rights
A person meets this qualification if they are not a ‘qualifying EU citizen’ (i.e. a citizen of an E.U country that does not have a Voting and Candidacy Rights treaty with the UK) but have been legally residing in the UK since before the UK formally left the EU on the 31 December 2020.
New citizenship or a change of nationality
If you gain new citizenship or change your nationality after you initially registered to vote, you should let the Elections Office know. This change may alter your eligibility to vote in some elections. You can email elections.office@stockport.gov.uk.