Register to vote

In Scotland, you can vote in local government (council) and Scottish Parliamentary elections if you’re aged 16 or older on the day of an election (‘polling day’).  

For UK general elections and other UK Parliamentary elections, you must be aged 18 or older to vote.  

You can register up to 2 years before you reach voting age.  

You can register to vote if you’re:  

• aged 14 or older for local government and Scottish Parliamentary elections, or
• aged 16 or older for UK Parliamentary elections.

Local government (council) and Scottish Parliamentary elections

To vote in council and Scottish Parliamentary elections, you must live in Scotland and be either:

• a British citizen  
• an Irish citizen  
• a foreign national of another country who is permitted to enter or stay in the UK.

UK Parliamentary elections

To vote in UK Parliamentary elections, you must live in the UK and be either:

• a British citizen
• an Irish citizen
• a qualifying Commonwealth citizen

You can also live abroad and be registered as an overseas voter.

Find more information on qualifying Commonwealth citizens and foreign nationals (Electoral Commission).

You need to register if you want to vote in an upcoming election and have:

• never registered to vote before
• just become old enough to register.

You’ll only need to register once – not for every election. 

You’ll need to register to vote again if you have moved house or changed your address.

If you change your name or your nationality, you should contact your Electoral Registration Office to change your existing registration by:

• phone 0300 300 0150
• email ero@renfrewshire-vjb.gov.uk
   

Scottish Parliamentary election 2026

You must register to vote by Monday 20 April 2026 to vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election 2026.

Find out more about the Scottish Parliamentary election 2026.

You’ll need to provide your:

• full name
• nationality
• National Insurance number
• address
• date of birth.

Register to vote (GOV.UK)

Post

If you cannot register online, you can download and fill in a paper form (GOV.UK).

Post the form to your Electoral Registration Office at:

Electoral Registration Officer 
Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board 
Renfrewshire House 
Cotton Street 
Paisley 
PA1 1BF

British Sign Language (BSL) version

You can also see a British Sign Language (BSL) version on how to register to vote from the Electoral Commission.

You’ll receive a notification from GOV.UK to say your application has been received.

Your Electoral Registration Office will contact you by letter or email to tell you if your registration has been confirmed or failed.

Once your registration is confirmed, your name and address will added to the electoral roll.

You can then:

• vote in person
• apply for a postal vote
• apply for a proxy vote.

You can find out more about registering to vote (GOV.UK).