Registration

Why we might not grant a placing request

It’s not always possible for us to grant every placing request for a particular school.  

Factors we consider when receiving a placing request include:

• the size of the school
• the current number attending the school
• the number of children who already live in the catchment area.

Once you’ve told us that you want your child to go to a particular school, we can only refuse your request for certain reasons set out by law in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.

Examples of where we may not grant a placing request include if:  

• the school would need to employ an extra teacher or spend a lot of money, for example, if we would have to provide an extra classroom
• your child’s education would suffer as a result of changing school
• education in the school would not be suitable to the age or ability of your child
• the school you have requested is an additional support needs school and your child does not require the education or special facilities provided at that school
• we think your child would be likely to disturb the order and discipline in that school, or the educational wellbeing of other pupils at the school
• accepting the request would prevent us from reserving a place at the school for a child who is likely to move into the catchment area of the school that year
• accepting the request would make it necessary for us to create an extra class or employ another teacher at a future stage of your child’s primary education
• accepting the request could lead to the pupil numbers exceeding the school capacity at a future stage.

Before you make a placing request

You must read our sending your child to school booklet before you complete a placing request:

If your child is starting Primary 1 in August

If your child is due to start school in a Primary 1 (P1) class in August and you want to make a placing request, you'll need to:

1. register your child at their local school before you apply for a place at a school outside their catchment area
2. tell the head teacher at your catchment school that you’re making a placing request.

Changing your child’s school after the school year has started

If you’re applying for your child to change schools after the school year has started in August, you only have to complete the placing request form.

Moving to Renfrewshire

If you’re moving into Renfrewshire and want to register your child for school, you should contact your new catchment school directly.

You’ll need to provide the school with evidence of your child’s age (a full birth certificate) and that you live within the catchment area (such as your most recent council tax notice).

If you're not living at your new address yet, you’ll need to provide either a completed contract or a signed and witnessed tenancy agreement or lease.

How to apply for a place at another school

Apply for a place at another school online

If you’re applying for more than one child to change school, you must fill in one form for each child.  

You must submit your application before 15 March for the new school year starting in August. 

After you’ve applied

We’ll let you know we have received your placing request within 5 working days.

We’ll review your application and contact you by letter to let you know if your placing request has been successful.

After we’ve decided all catchment allocations, we’ll make decisions about placing requests we’ve received for the new school year starting in August.  

Applications submitted by 15 March will receive a decision by 30 April.

Applications submitted after 15 March will have a decision made within 2 months of the date submitted.  

For applications in the current school year, we’ll respond to you in writing within 2 months.

If there are more requests than places available for a particular school, we’ll make decisions based on our placing request priorities.

You can see our placing request priorities in our sending your child to school booklet.

If we grant a place to one child, this does not automatically reserve spots for their brothers or sisters at the same school, if you apply again later.

You can only submit one placing request application at a time. If your request is refused, you can then submit a second placing request to another school.

Appeal process

If we refuse your placing request, or if we have not given you a decision by 30 April for the new academic year (or within 2 months for requests made at other times of the year or for new session other stages applications), you may make an appeal to the appeal committee.  

You can only make one appeal in a 12-month period.  

This does not mean that you cannot make another placing request during this period.  

To appeal a decision, you can email the Director of Children’s Services at admissionsandtransfers@renfrewshire.gov.uk.  

You can also make your appeal in writing to:

Director of Children’s Services - Renfrewshire Council 
Renfrewshire House 
Cotton Street 
Paisley 
PA1 1LE.  

Your appeal must include:

• your name
• address
• contact telephone number
• email address, if available
• name of your child the appeal is being made for
• name and address of the school of your choice
• date and reference of the letter of refusal  
• a statement indicating why you wish to appeal against this decision.

If you make an appeal, we’ll contact you by email, if that’s your preference, or telephone to confirm that we have received it within 5 working days.

If the appeal committee agree that we were right to refuse your child a place in the school you requested, you have 28 days from receiving the appeal committee’s decision to appeal to the Sheriff Court.  

We’ll keep your request open until 31 August of the year you submitted your application, in case places become available in the school you requested.

We’ll do this unless you tell us you want to change your request to another school.

More information

If you need more information, you can contact us by:  

• email admissionsandtransfers@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone 0300 300 0170.

You can also see placing request stats for academic years:

Usually, when it’s time to register your child for Primary 1 (P1) at school, you’ll register them at their local school. This is called the local catchment area school.  

Any children who live in a catchment area are given priority for places at that school.

If you want your child to go to another school, you can ask for a 'placing request.'

You can also make a placing request if your child is already at school in Renfrewshire and you want to apply for a place at a different:  

• primary school
• secondary school  
• additional support needs (ASN) school.

See what schools there are in Renfrewshire:

• map of schools and catchment areas in Renfrewshire
• list of primary schools in Renfrewshire
• list of secondary schools in Renfrewshire
• Additional Support Needs (ASN) schools in Renfrewshire.

When to register your child for Primary 1 (P1) at school

The registration period takes place in November before the next school year.

If your child reaches the age of 5 between 1 March 2026 and 28 February 2027, you should register them to start primary school in August 2026.  

Before you register

When registering your child for a Primary 1 class at school, you must provide:

• evidence of your child's age
• proof that your family lives in the catchment area of the school.

You’ll also need to provide a copy of:

• your child's full birth certificate
• your most recent council tax bill
• a Child Benefit Statement
• a Roman Catholic baptismal certificate, for denominational schools only.

If you do not have a Child Benefit Statement, you’ll need to provide us with a copy of one of these other documents:

• driving licence
• bank statement
• a utility bill, such as a gas or electricity bill, dated within the last 3 months and showing your current address
• a court order, looked after child or foster carer documents.

We may ask you for more evidence if we need more proof of where you live.  

The easiest way to upload proof is to take a photo of the document using a device with a camera, such as a smartphone.

How to register your child for Primary 1 (P1) at school

The registration period for the school year starting in August 2026 is now closed.

If you missed the registration period, contact your local catchment primary school and make an appointment to register your child in person.

If you miss the registration period, your child might not be able to get a place at their nearest school.

After you’ve applied

We’ll review your application and the school will contact you by email or post to let you know if  your child has been given a place.

Home education

You must register your child to start primary school, unless you’re planning for them to be educated at home.

Find out more about home education.

Applying for school in another catchment area

If you want your child to go to another school outside of your catchment area, you’ll need to:

1. register your child at a school in your catchment area first
2. apply for a place at another school outside your catchment area (placing request).

Moving to Renfrewshire

If you’re moving into Renfrewshire and want to register your child for school, you should contact your new catchment school directly.

You’ll need to provide the school with evidence of your child’s age (a full birth certificate) and that you live within the catchment area (such as your most recent council tax notice).

If you're not living at your new address yet, you’ll need to provide either a completed contract or a signed and witnessed tenancy agreement or lease.

Early entry to school

You might want to ask for your child to start school early if their 5th birthday falls after the last day of February.  

Find out more about applying for early entry to school.

Defer entry to school

If you want to defer your child’s start date at primary school for a year, you’ll still need to register them at their local school first.

Find out more about applying to defer your child’s entry to school.

Children who need additional support

If your child needs additional support at school, or you’re looking to make a placing request for an independent additional support needs school, you should contact us first by:

More information

If you’re not sure which school you should register your child for, or you need more information, contact us by: 

• email admissionsandtransfers@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone 0300 300 0170
• speaking to a school directly.

You can also find out about schools in Scotland and information about learning and education on the Parentzone Scotland website.

You can also see a guide for parents on choosing a school and the placing request system (Scottish Government website).

If your child reaches the age of 5 between 1 March 2026 and 28 February 2027, they should start primary school in August 2026.

You’ll need to register your child for a place in a Primary 1 (P1) class at school in advance.

When registering, you’ll be given the option to register your child at a primary school in your local catchment area or for Gaelic Medium Education at West Primary School.

A catchment area is an area around each school. Any children who live in a catchment area are given priority for places at that school.  

There are normally 2 schools in each catchment area where you live – a denominational school (Roman Catholic) and a non-denominational school.  

You can only register your child at 1 school in your catchment area or for Gaelic Medium Education at West Primary School.

You can see:

• a list of primary schools in Renfrewshire
• each school’s catchment area on the map of schools and catchment areas in Renfrewshire.

If there are more children registered at a school than available places, we may have to assign some pupils to another local school.

We’ll use a ballot to choose which pupils are assigned to another school. If we need to do this, we’ll let parents and carers know as soon as possible.

See our admissions to schools and placing request policy:

We can issue a replacement certificate for a birth, death, or marriage that was registered in Scotland (from 1855 until the last full calendar year) or a civil partnership certificate (from December 2005 until the last full calendar year).

If the birth, death or marriage was registered in the current year, you can only get a certificate from the local authority where the registration took place.

If the registration took place outside of Scotland, certificates must be ordered from the country where the event took place. 
 

You can order 5 separate certificates and can order up to 10 copies of each certificate.

At the end of each online request, you’ll be asked how many copies of that certificate you require and if you require another certificate.

If you require more than these amounts, you’ll need to complete and submit the online form again.

The information you need to provide depends on the type of certificate you want.

Birth certificate

You'll need to tell us the:

• name
• date
• place of birth
• father's or parent's name
• mother's name (maiden surname).

Death certificate

You'll need to tell us the:

• name of deceased
• date of birth or age at death
• and date and place of death.

Marriage certificate

You'll need to tell us the:

• name of bridegroom
• name of bride (maiden surname)
• date and place of marriage.

Civil partnership certificate

You'll need to tell us:

• the names of the civil partners
• the date and place of the civil partnership registration.

Adoption certificate

Contact the National Records of Scotland to order a replacement adoption certificate.

Order a replacement certificate online

We'll post your certificate first class, and your request should be completed within 20 working days. There is no extra charge for posting your certificate.

If you've provided an email address, we'll send you confirmation of your order and another email when you order has been processed. Wait at least 20 working days before contacting us to check the progress of your order.

If we're unable to issue any certificates, we'll contact you by telephone.

The costs for replacement certificates are:

• Full birth, death, marriage or civil partnership extract (completed index) £15
• Full birth, death, marriage or civil partnership extract (no completed index) £10
• Second and subsequent certificate; of the same entry ordered at same time £10
• Abbreviated birth or death extract (completed index) £15
• Abbreviated birth or death extract (no completed index) £10 (free at time of registration)
• Special purpose birth, death, marriage or civil partnership extract £10.

Re-registration or a birth or stillbirth is the creation of a new birth entry to add the:

• father's or other parent's details
• details of the parents' marriage or civil partnership details, if it took place after the birth was originally registered.

You can re-register at our registration office in Paisley, or in any other registration office in Scotland. It does not have to be the same office as the first registration.

If the child is under 16 years of age, anyone with parental responsibilities for them can re-register.

If the person is 16 years of age or over, they must apply for themselves.

If the child was stillborn or has died, a birth can be re-registered by:

• the mother, or her husband if he is the natural father  
• the mother, if she is not married
• a person who has been registered as the father or other parent in the birth entry, if the mother had died.
   

You can change a child’s name to the same name as their father or other parent. 

If the child has the mother’s surname, this can be changed to a forename. 

There is a separate process if you want to change a forename or surname to something else. 

You’ll need to download and complete a Form RR1 for re-registration (National Records of Scotland website).

If you are adding a marriage or civil partnership

Book an appointment with us to re-register the birth.

 We’ll need to know the date and place of the marriage or civil partnership. 

If the marriage or civil partnership took place outside of Scotland, you’ll need to provide us with a marriage or civil partnership certificate, and a certified translation if it’s not in English. 

If you are adding the father’s or other parent’s details

If the father or other parent has not been named on the original registration, you’ll need to apply to re-register through the National Records of Scotland.

There are different forms to complete, depending on who is re-registering the birth.

If the mother is adding the father or other parent

You’ll need to complete and return these forms:

• Form 26  - Declaration as to parentage by the mother of a child
• Form DPF  - Declaration as to parentage by father / parent

Form 26 must be signed by the child's mother and witnessed by a registrar or assistant registrar in any registration office in Scotland.

Form DPF must be signed the child's father and witnessed by a notary public, justice of the peace, or a local councillor.

Download the declaration forms from the National Records of Scotland website.

If the father or other parent is applying

You’ll need to complete and return these forms:

If you are the father or other parent, you need to complete and return these two declaration forms:

• Form 27  - Declaration by father or another parent of a child
• Form DPM  - Declaration as to parentage by mother.

Form 27 must be signed by the child's father or other parent and witnessed by a registrar or assistant registrar in any registration office in Scotland.

Form DPM must be signed the child's mother and witnessed by a notary public, justice of the peace or a local councillor.

Download the declaration forms from the National Records of Scotland website.

What happens next

Once the application has been processed by the National Records of Scotland, you'll get a letter confirming the re-registration has been authorised. 

You can then contact us or the registration office where you have chosen to re-register the birth. 

You have 3 weeks to re-register the birth. If you’ve not done this, the registrar will write to you to ask you to re-register within another 3 weeks.
 

To re-register a birth at our registrar office, you can make an appointment by:

• email at registrar.cs@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone at 0300 300 0310

Your appointment can be over the phone or in person.

We’re available by phone: 

• Mondays to Thursdays from 8:45am to 4:45pm
• Fridays from 8:45am to 3:55pm.

This does not include public holidays.

Your appointment

Appointments usually take about 30 minutes. 
If your appointment is by phone, please be ready 5 minutes before we call you. If you're not able to take the call, you'll probably have to reschedule your appointment.

If your appointment is at our registration office, please come to our registration office 5 minutes before your meeting time.

Please bring the signed and witnessed declaration forms (if applicable) and the re-registration form with you to your appointment

If your appointment is by phone, please send them in advance of your appointment to registrar.cs@renfrewshire.gov.uk.
 

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you can email us at registrar.cs@renfrewshire.gov.uk or phone 0300 300 0310.

Once you’ve re-registered the birth, you can buy a full certificate for £10. 

If you re-registered in person, we’ll give you the full certificate when you attend your appointment. 

If you’ve re-registered by phone, we’ll send it to you by first class royal mail within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays). 

There is no cost to re-register a birth. However, if you want a new birth certificate, you can buy one for £10.

Support if you've been affected by a stillbirth

If you’ve been affected by a stillbirth, you can get help and support from these organisations:

• Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS)
• The Compassionate Friends
• Renfrewshire Bereavement Support
• Death and Bereavement Support
• NHS Pregnancy and birth / Stillbirth

You must register a stillbirth at any registration office in Scotland within 21 days. 

You can register by phone or in person at our registration office in Paisley, or in any other registration office in Scotland.  

If the parents are married or in a civil partnership

If the parents are married or in a civil partnership, the stillbirth can be registered by the mother, father, or other parent.

Both parents can attend the appointment at the registrar's office or if they wish. 
If the parents are not married or in a civil partnership

If the parents are not married or in a civil partnership

If the parents are not married or not in a civil partnership and they both want to be named on the stillbirth certificate, both parents need to attend the appointment at the office or over the phone.

Otherwise, the mother must register the stillbirth , but the other parent will not be named on the certificate.

If the father or other parent cannot attend the appointment, they can complete a declaration of parentage and sign it in the presence of a local councillor, justice of the peace or notary public.  

The registrar can provide you with the relevant form.

If the mother cannot register the birth

In exceptional circumstances – for example, if the mother is ill – we can arrange a short postponement.  

Contact us by email at registrar.cs@renfrewshire.gov.uk or phone us on 0300 300 0310 if you need to postpone the registration.

You'll need these documents and information with you for your appointment:

• the certificate of stillbirth (Form 6)
• your marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate (if this applies).
• your child’s first names and surname  , if you wish
• sex, date, place and exact time of stillbirth of the child
• mother's full name, maiden surname (if this applies), occupation, and date of birth.
• father or other parent's full name, occupation, and date of birth (if this applies)
• place and date of your marriage or civil partnership (if this applies).

If you do not have the certificate of stillbirth (Form 6), we’ll ask you to sign a form of declaration as to stillbirth (Form 7).

To register a stillbirth at our registrar office, you can make an appointment by:

• email at registrar.cs@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone at 0300 300 0310 [link]

Your appointment can be over the phone or in person.

We’re available by phone: 

• Mondays to Thursdays from 8:45am to 4:45pm
• Fridays from 8:45am to 3:55pm.

This does not include public holidays.

Following the registration, we’ll give you a Certificate of Registration of Stillbirth (Form 8). We can send this form to the funeral director or directly to you. 

You can also ask for an extract (certificate) of the stillbirth, which is free of charge.

We’ll send you the Certificate of Registration of Stillbirth (Form 8) by first class royal mail within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays).

There are no costs for registering a stillbirth or getting a stillbirth certificate.

If your baby was born in Scotland, you should register the birth within 21 days if you can, or at the next available date after that. 

You can register by phone or in person at our registration office in Paisley, or in any other registration office in Scotland.  

You'll need to book an appointment to register the birth. 

Your appointment can be over the phone or in person.
If your baby was born outside of Scotland, you'll need to register the birth in that country instead.

If the parents are married or in a civil partnership

If the parents are married or in a civil partnership, only 1 parent has to register the birth.

This can be the mother, father, or other parent.

Both parents can attend the appointment at the registrar's office or over the phone if they wish. 

If the parents are not married or in a civil partnership

If the parents are not married or in a civil partnership and they both want to be named on the birth certificate, both parents need to attend the appointment at the office or over the phone.

Otherwise, the mother must register the birth , but the other parent will not be named on the birth certificate.

If this is not possible, please contact the registrar for advice on 0300 300 0310.

If the father or other parent has not been included

You can re-register a birth to include the father or other parent if:

• the parents' marriage or civil partnership took place after the birth was originally registered
• paternity or parentage has been shown in the Register of Corrections Etc. or granted by a court.

Re-register a birth.

Parental responsibilities

If both parents' names appear on the child's birth registration, they are both given equal parental responsibilities and rights.

You'll need these documents and information with you for your appointment:

• first names and surname of the child
• sex, date, place, and exact time of birth
• the birth registration card issued from the hospital or midwife
• mother's full name, maiden surname (if this applies), occupation, and date of birth
• father's or other parent's full name, occupation, and date of birth (if this applies)
• place and date of your marriage or civil partnership (if this applies)
• your marriage or civil partnership certificate (if this applies)
• your birth certificates, if you have them.

You'll need to have these whether your appointment is in person or over the phone.

Book an appointment online

If you cannot book an appointment online, phone us on 0300 300 0310.

We’re available by phone: 

• Mondays to Thursdays from 8:45am to 4:45pm
• Fridays from 8:45am to 3:55pm.

This does not include public holidays.

Your appointment

Appointments usually take about 30 minutes.

If your appointment is by phone, please be ready 5 minutes before we call you. If you're not able to take the call, you'll probably have to reschedule your appointment.

If your appointment is at one of our registration offices, please come to our registration office 5 minutes before your meeting time.

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you can:

• log in to MyAccount and change it online, if you booked your appointment online
• phone 0300 300 0310 if you booked your appointment over the phone.

If you have any other questions about your appointment, you can:

• email registrar.cs@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone 0300 300 0310.

After you’ve registered the birth, you’ll get:

• an abbreviated (short) birth certificate
• a form (EC58) to register your child with a doctor.

If you’ve registered the birth over the phone, we’ll send you the abbreviated birth certificate and EC58 form by post.  

If you’ve registered the birth in person, we’ll give you the abbreviated birth certificate at your appointment.

If you want a full birth certificate more than 1 month after the registration, you’ll need to order a full birth certificate.

We’ll give you an abbreviated (short) birth certificate when you register the birth, which is free of charge. This only includes the child’s full name, date and place of birth.

If you want a full birth certificate, you can pay for one by debit or credit card for £10 when you book your appointment to register.

A full birth certificate includes the:

• child’s full name, date and place of birth
• parent’s names, occupations, and address.

If you want a full birth certificate more than 1 month after the registration, it will cost £15.

Order a full birth certificate.

How to apply

Scottish Parliamentary and local government (council) elections

To apply for a proxy vote, download and fill in the 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

UK Parliamentary elections

Online   

Apply for a proxy vote online (GOV.UK).

Paper form

If you cannot apply online, you can download and fill in the 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

After you’ve applied

The Electoral Registration Office will confirm to you and your proxy that your proxy arrangement is in place.

We'll send a proxy poll card to the person you’ve chosen with details of how to vote.

Your proxy will have to go to your allocated polling station to cast your vote on polling day. 

They cannot cast their own vote at your allocated polling station, unless you both have the same polling station. They must cast their own vote at their allocated polling station.

If you appoint a proxy, you can still vote at your polling station as long as your proxy has not already voted on your behalf or arranged a postal vote.

Postal proxy vote

If your proxy wishes to vote by post, they’ll need to request a postal proxy application form.

They must apply for a postal proxy vote by 5pm at least 11 working days before an election polling day.

They’ll need to contact the Electoral Registration Office to request a further application form by: 

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

Change your proxy

If you want to change the person who’ll cast your proxy vote for an election, you'll need to apply for a new proxy vote before 5pm at least 6 working days before an election polling day.

Apply for an emergency proxy vote

If the proxy vote deadline has passed, you may be able to apply for an emergency proxy vote if:

• you cannot vote in person because of a medical emergency or disability
• you're not able to vote in person because of work or military service
• you’re accompanying someone who is receiving medical treatment
• you’re detained in prison
• if your existing proxy cannot attend the polling station
• your postal vote won’t arrive in time
• the photo ID you were planning on using to vote has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed (UK Parliamentary elections only)
• you've not received a new or replacement photo ID you've ordered (UK Parliamentary elections only).

More information

For any questions, contact the Electoral Registration Office by:

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

If you are not able to get to your allocated polling station on the day of an election (‘polling day’), you can ask someone you trust to cast your vote on your behalf. 

This is called a proxy vote. The person voting on your behalf is called your proxy.

You need to apply for a proxy vote in advance of polling day. 

After you’ve confirmed your proxy, you’ll need to tell them which candidate or party you want to vote for.

The person will go to your polling station to cast your vote on polling day. 

They can also apply to vote on your behalf by post. This is called a postal proxy.

You can only apply for a proxy vote under certain circumstances, such as:   

• if you’re away on holiday on polling day
• if you’re registered as an overseas voter
• if you have a disability
• if you’re not able to vote in person because of work or military service
• if you’re registered as an overseas voter
• if you’re a prisoner convicted for under 12 months.

To apply for a proxy vote, both you and your proxy must be registered to vote.

You must apply by 5pm at least 6 working days before an election polling day.

You must ask for your trusted person’s permission before you apply for a proxy vote.

To apply for a proxy vote, you’ll need:

• your National Insurance number or another form of identification, such as a birth certificate
• your proxy’s address
• contact details for your proxy.

How to cancel your postal vote

If you want to cancel your postal vote, contact your local electoral registration office by:

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

You must do this by 5pm at least 11 working days before the election polling day.   

If you’ve already sent your postal vote, you will not be able to cancel it for that election.

Change your postal vote to a proxy vote

If you have a postal vote and want to change it to a proxy vote, you must cancel your postal vote by 5pm at least 11 working days before polling day.

You can then submit a proxy vote application by 5pm at least 6 working days before polling day.

More information

For any questions, contact the Electoral Registration Office by:

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

If you’re not able to get to your allocated polling station on the day of an election (‘polling day’), you can vote by post. 

You need to apply for a postal vote in advance of polling day.

You must be registered to vote to apply for a postal vote.

You can apply for a postal vote for reasons including:

• you’re away on holiday on polling day
• you’re not able to vote in person because of work
• it would be more convenient for you than going to your polling station
• you have been chosen as a proxy voter for someone else and you want to vote by post.

You must apply by 5pm at least 11 working days before an election polling day. 

To apply for a postal vote, you’ll need to provide:

• your full name
• the address at which you are registered to vote
• your National Insurance number or another form of identification, such as a passport (for UK Parliamentary elections only)
• the date of the election or the specific time period you want to make a postal vote.
• the address you wish your ballot pack to be issued to, if this is different from your registered address
• the reason for requesting the ballot paper to go to an alternative address.

For UK Parliamentary elections, you’ll also need to upload a photo of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.

To apply for a postal vote, download and fill in the paper form (Electoral Commission)

Post the form to your Electoral Registration Office at:

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

UK Parliamentary elections

Online

Apply for a postal vote online (GOV.UK)   

Paper form

If you cannot apply online, you can download and fill in the paper form (Electoral Commission).

Post the form to your Electoral Registration Office at:

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

Your local Electoral Registration Office will confirm by post or email when your postal vote is in place.

We'll send you a postal vote ballot pack before the election polling day with information on how and when to post your 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

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 watch a British Sign Language (BSL) video on how to register to vote from the Electoral Commission (Vimeo).

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). 

All private landlords, with some limited exceptions, have to apply for registration in the register of landlords.

The aim of landlord registration is to make sure that all private landlords in Scotland are 'fit and proper' people to be letting residential property.

The requirement to register helps councils to remove disreputable landlords from the market and protect tenants and the wider community from the impact of antisocial behaviour and mismanaged property.

Most private landlords need to register. There are a few exceptions, including:

• live-in landlords – where a landlord lives in the same property as their tenant(s)
• letting to a close family member – where a landlord lets a property to their mother,
  father, sister, brother, daughter, or son
• short-term holiday lets.

If you're not sure if you need to register or not, ask by emailing us at privatelandlordteam@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

See a list of what information you'll need to provide (Scottish Landlord Register website).

Register online (Scottish Landlord Register website)

If you do not want to apply online, you can download and fill in the application form:

Once you've filled in the form, email it to us at privatelandlordteam@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

How long it takes to get your registration confirmed

We usually take about 18 weeks to process applications.

Because we are currently handling a high number of applications, these times are an estimate and your application may take longer.

Renew every 3 years

You must renew your registration every 3 years if you wish to continue to act as a landlord. Your registration lasts 3 years from its approval date.

If you do not renew your registration before it expires, you'll be charged a late fee of £170.

You can renew up to 3 months in advance of your current registration expiring.

The Scottish Government will send you a reminder by email, if you've provided an email address.

If you do not renew following the 2 reminders, you'll automatically incur a late payment fee of £170 for your registration.

Tell us if you stop being a landlord

If you're no longer acting as a landlord, you must contact us at privatelandlordteam@renfrewshire.gov.uk so that our records are kept up to date.

The principal registration fee is £85.

The late registration fee is £170.

There is also a fee of £20 for each property you're registering.

If you're making 2 or more applications with different local authorities, the fee is £42.50 per local authority.