Photographic voter ID

Voting in person in a polling station

You will need to show photo ID when you vote at a polling station for local elections and general by-elections. This new rule was put in place by the government, and came into force in May 2023.

Voters at polling stations will have to show one of the forms of ID accepted under the law. These include:

  • British, EEA (European Economic Area) or Commonwealth passport
  • A driving licence issued in the UK, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state
  • Older person's bus pass
  • Disabled bus pass
  • Blue parking badge
  • ID with a PASS mark
  • MoD defence identity card
  • Biometric immigration document
  • ID card issued by an EEA state

For more information and the full list of acceptable forms of photo ID, please see :

Expired forms of identification can still be used in a polling station as long as it is still a good likeness of yourself.

If you do not have the relevant ID, then you'll need to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate instead:

Anyone who cannot apply online can contact us to organise completing a paper form and arrange an appointment with a member of our team to take a photograph to be used for a temporary voter authority certificate:

You will not be able to vote at a Polling Station without the relevant photo ID.

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Voting by post

People choosing to vote by post will not need a photo ID.

Anyone can apply to vote by post - no special reason is needed.

For more information, and to apply for a postal vote, please see:

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Voting by proxy

Voters will not need to show photo ID in order to apply or vote by proxy.

However, the person who is your proxy will need to show their photo ID at the polling station.

For more information, and to apply for a proxy vote, please see:

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For more information regarding Voter ID

Why are these changes are happening?

The requirement to show photograph identity documents was included in the Elections Act 2022. The legislation requires polling station electors to show identification at all elections in England.

For more information regarding Voter ID, please see:

Photo ID needed to vote (730x485px)

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Page last updated: 20 June 2023

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