Re-applying for your postal vote

From 31 October it will no longer be possible to have a permanent postal vote. Instead your postal vote will be in place until the third 31 January after your initial application was granted.

For example, if you apply for a postal vote on 1 January 2024, your postal vote will remain in place until 31 January 2026, unless you cancel it in the meantime. However, if you apply for a postal vote on 1 February 2024, you will need to reapply by 31 January 2027.

We will write to you to advise when your postal vote is due for renewal in advance of this date, and remind you that you will need to reapply to be able to keep voting by post.

If you submit another application at some point during the period your postal vote is valid, then the ‘up to 3 year’ period will be based on when your subsequent application was received.

Existing Postal Voters

If you already had a postal vote in place before 31 October 2023, then you will not be subject to the reapplication process until 31 January 2026. We will write to you in advance of this date to confirm that you need to reapply to carry on voting by post.

Page last updated: 31 October 2023