Registering to vote

Your vote matters

Make sure you are registered to vote!

Local elections in 2026
The borough’s local elections will be held on Thursday 7 May 2026.

If you are not registered for upcoming elections before the given deadline, you will be unable to vote at the next election.

If you fail to respond to requests for information for the electoral register, you could be fined £80.

Credit reference agencies use the electoral register to prevent fraud when people apply for credit, so it’s a good idea to be registered!

Further information

Visit Electoral Services: privacy notice 

Voter ID required for voting at elections
Voters in Great Britain are required to show photo identification (photo ID) to vote in elections at polling stations. Voters who do not produce valid photo identification or a Voter Authority Certificate will not be allowed to vote in person on the day.

Find out which forms of photo identification you can use

How to register to vote

Registering to vote has never been easier. The quickest way to apply is online at Register to vote on the government website. The form is simple to complete, just fill in details including:

  • name
  • address
  • date of birth
  • nationality
  • National Insurance number, if you have one

If you do not have access to the internet you can use computers in local libraries, internet cafes, the Customer Service Centre at the Town Hall. We can also send you a paper registration form to fill in and post back. If you need assistance, we can complete an over-the-phone registration.

Deadline for electoral registration
Application deadline Publication in the register
Tuesday 17 June 2025 Tuesday 1 July 2025
Friday 18 July 2025 * Monday 1 August 2025
Friday 18 August 2025 * Monday 1 September 2025
* Monday 17 November 2025 Monday 1 December 2025

*Any applications to register to vote received between Tuesday 19 August and Monday 17 November will not be added to the electoral register until Monday 1 December.

During this period, we are completing our annual audit of the register. Your application will be processed, updates to the electoral register are suspended until we publish a fully revised register on Monday 1 December.

Who can register to vote?

Age

Only those aged 18 or over can vote, but you can register if you are 16 or 17.

Residence

Your primary residence must be in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea when you apply to register. If you split your time between two homes, you may be able to register to vote at both addresses. For example, you might own two properties and split your time between them, or you might be a student.

If you apply to register to vote from your second home, then your application will be looked at on a case-by-case basis. The outcome will depend on the amount of time you spend at each of your addresses. 

You cannot register before moving to an address. 

Different arrangements apply to some electors who do not meet the usual residence qualification, known as special category electors.

More information can be found below, including how to register if you are a British citizen living overseas.

Nationality

Nationality is regarded as passport(s) held, or the right to hold a passport. Indefinite leave to remain in the UK does not alter nationality.

To qualify to vote, you must be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of a qualifying European Union member state.

European Union citizens

Visit Voting and candidacy rights of EU citizens.

Commonwealth citizens

The definition of a Commonwealth citizen includes citizens of British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories.

Commonwealth citizens must be resident in the UK and either have leave to enter or remain in the UK or not require such leave.

Commonwealth citizens are entitled to register as parliamentary and local government electors if:

  • they do not require permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man
  • they do require permission to enter or stay in the UK but have been granted such permission or are treated as having been granted such permission
  • any type of permission to enter or stay is acceptable, whether indefinite, time limited or conditional

They must also fulfil the age and residence requirements for registration and not be subject to any other legal incapacity.

Citizens of Commonwealth countries other than the United Kingdom are not eligible to register as overseas electors. 

Commonwealth countries
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • Bahamas, The
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Cyprus
  • Dominica
  • Fiji
  • Gabon
  • Gambia, The
  • Ghana
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Kenya
  • Kingdom of Eswatini
  • Kiribati
  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Malta
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • United Kingdom
  • United Republic of Tanzania
  • Vanuatu
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Citizens of Commonwealth countries that have been suspended from the Commonwealth retain their voting rights. Their voting rights would only be affected if their country was also deleted from the list of Commonwealth countries in the British Nationality Act 1981 through an Act of the UK Parliament.  


Commonwealth citizens temporarily in the UK and pending removal

The Home Office have advised that Commonwealth citizens who are temporarily in the UK pending removal, are not in the UK legally whilst arrangements for their removal are being made. As these citizens do not have permission to enter or stay, they are not eligible to register to vote.

British Overseas Territories

British Overseas Territories citizens have the same status as Commonwealth citizens. They are entitled to register as electors in respect of all elections, if they also fulfil the age and residence requirements for such registration and are not subject to any other legal incapacity.

British Overseas Territories
  • Anguilla
  • Bermuda
  • British Antarctic Territory
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Falkland Islands
  • Gibraltar
  • Montserrat
  • Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
  • South George and the South Sandwich Islands
  • Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Cyprus
  • St Helena, Ascencion and Tristan da Cunha
  • Turks and Caicos Islands

British Crown Dependencies

The British Crown Dependencies are:

  • Isle of Man
  • Channel Islands including Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Alderney, Herm and the other inhabited Channel Islands.

Citizens of the British Crown Dependencies who are resident in the UK are Commonwealth citizens for the purposes of electoral registration. Unlike Commonwealth citizens, they may register as overseas electors.

Hong Kong citizens

Only previous residents of Hong Kong who hold a British Overseas Territories, British Nationals (Overseas) or British Overseas passport meet the nationality criterion for all elections in the UK.

Any previous resident of Hong Kong who only has a Chinese Special Administrative Region passport is Chinese and may not register as a qualifying Commonwealth citizen. They may, however, be eligible to register as a qualifying foreign citizen in Scotland and Wales.

Contact us

Electoral Services 
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Town Hall
Hornton Street
London 
W8 7NX

Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Last updated: 4 June 2025