Voting and candidacy rights of EU citizens - Elections Act 2022 changes
Changes effective after 7 May 2024
Changes to voting rights
In England, the general right of European Union (EU) citizens to register, vote, and stand in UK elections will be removed, except for certain groups:
- qualifying EU citizens' - Citizens from EU countries with reciprocal agreements with the UK, currently Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, and Spain
- 'EU citizens with retained rights' - EU citizens from other EU countries ( with which there isn’t a reciprocal agreement ) who were legally resident in the UK before 31 December 2020
Note: Citizens from Ireland, Malta, or Cyprus will retain their voting rights in all UK elections while resident in the UK.
The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will:
- review the eligibility of EU citizens as part of an Eligibility Confirmation and Review (ECR) process
- inform 'Qualifying EU citizens' and 'EU citizens with retained rights' of their continued eligibility to remain registered, requiring no action from them
- update application processes for EU citizens to meet the new eligibility criteria
Changes to candidacy rights
- changes to candidacy rights for EU citizens will be effective from 7 May 2024. EU citizens elected before this date can remain in office for their full term
- after this date, EU citizens standing as candidates must have been legally resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, or be from an EU5 country, to be eligible