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British expats living in Spain can now vote in UK elections

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Britons living in Spain will be able to register to vote after ‘15 years away’ rule ends

British expats living in Spain can now vote in UK elections

As of January 16th, British citizens residing in Spain will have the opportunity to register to vote in UK national elections once again. Previously, the so-called 15 years away rule, established in 2002, prohibited UK nationals who had been living outside of the UK for more than 15 years from exercising their right to vote.

However, following persistent advocacy efforts by groups representing the interests of British expatriates, the Elections Act of 2022 abolished this restriction, and it officially became part of UK law on December 18th, 2023.

The controversial rule, which was introduced by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, has been scrapped as of Tuesday January 16 and means that some 3 million expats residing abroad can have their voices heard in the upcoming general elections.

Jane Golding, Co-Chair of campaign group British in Europe, said, "This is a historic change after years of campaigning by ourselves and others to get the right to vote for all British citizens, regardless of where they live. The change means that all British citizens abroad will now have a constituency MP and someone to write and ask what they are going to do on the issues that they care about."

British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott said, "We’re asking the British community here to help us spread the word, because it’s important that eligible people are made aware of the changes so that they can register and cast a ballot when the time comes."

How to register to vote

From this week, anyone over 18 living abroad for any period of time (including Irish citizens who also have British citizenship), even if they left the UK as infants and have never been registered to vote before, can put themselves on the register.

You can sign-up on the UK government’s voter registration page, which has been updated to reflect the new rules.

There is also a wealth of information available in English on the Spanish citizen’s right group Bremain’s website.

Eligible citizens will need to provide their national insurance number and date of birth.

Those with a British passport (current or expired) will be asked to scan it.

Applicants will also have to provide documentation stating their full name and address. Acceptable documentation includes:

A UK driving licence (current or expired)
Correspondence from HMRC or the Department for Work and Pensions
Council tax statement
Credit card or bank statement
Utility or mobile phone bill
Official letter from an insurance company
P45 or P60 form or payslip
Bank/building society book
Local authority rent book.

The recent change in law regarding voting rights for British citizens living abroad does not extend to local elections in the UK. However, British citizens who are registered on the padrón (electoral roll) at their local Spanish town hall can participate in local elections in Spain whenever they are held.

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