Register to Vote in Wales (Senedd and Local Elections)

Step-by-Step

1. 1

   Open the Register-to-Vote Service

   1. Go to gov.uk/register-to-vote in any modern browser.
   2. If you live in Northern Ireland, the gov.uk service routes you to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland; follow the on-screen link to the EONI service rather than continuing on gov.uk.
   3. If you prefer Welsh, use the bilingual wrapper gov.uk/cofrestru-i-bleidleisio (the underlying service is the same).

   💡 Tip: The service is run by the Cabinet Office on behalf of all four UK administrations; the single front door covers England, Scotland and Wales directly.

   gov.uk — Register to vote (gov.uk ↗)
2. 2

   Complete the Online Form

   1. Enter your full legal name, date of birth, and declared nationality.
   2. Enter your current UK address (or, if you are an overseas voter, the postcode of your last UK address).
   3. Enter your National Insurance number when prompted. You can still proceed if you do not have one.
   4. Decide whether to opt out of the open register; opting out does not remove you from the full electoral register.

   💡 Tip: The gov.uk service page states the form usually takes about five minutes.

3. 3

   Submit the Application

   1. Review the summary screen for typos in your name and address before submitting.
   2. On submission, the application is routed automatically to the Electoral Registration Officer for the local council covering the address you supplied.
4. 4

   Wait While the Electoral Registration Officer Verifies Your Identity

   1. The Electoral Registration Officer checks your National Insurance number against Department for Work and Pensions records.
   2. If verification fails — or if no National Insurance number was given — the officer writes to you and asks for alternative documents (birth certificate, bank statement, or utility bill).

   ⚠️ Watch out: If you receive a letter requesting alternative documents, post or upload the requested items promptly. Your registration is not complete until identity is verified; missing this step before an election deadline means you cannot vote at that election.

5. 5

   Receive Confirmation of Registration

   1. The Electoral Registration Officer adds your name and address to the full electoral register, and to the open register unless you opted out.
   2. You receive a confirmation letter or email from the officer, depending on local practice.
   3. You remain registered at this address until you move, change name, or change nationality.

   💡 Tip: Keep a note of which local council holds your registration; before any election, that council's officer is the point of contact for queries about your polling station, postal-vote arrangements, or accepted photo-ID.

6. 6

   Alternative: Use a Paper Registration Form

   If you cannot or prefer not to use the online service

   1. Download the paper registration form from gov.uk and post it to the Electoral Registration Officer for your local council in England, Scotland, or Wales.
   2. Northern Ireland uses a different paper form which is returned to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.
   3. The paper route reaches the same Electoral Registration Officer as the online form and produces the same entry on the electoral register.
7. 7

   Choose the English or Welsh version of the registration form

   cofrestru i bleidleisio

   1. Open gov.uk/register-to-vote for the English form, or gov.uk/cofrestru-i-bleidleisio for the Welsh form.
   2. Both forms submit to the same backend and reach the same council Electoral Registration Officer.
   3. The Welsh form carries an English cross-link: "Mae'r gwasanaeth hwn hefyd ar gael yn Saesneg (English)."

   💡 Tip: The Welsh slug cofrestru-i-bleidleisio literally renders as "register to vote" — the two URLs are linguistic mirrors of a single gov.uk service.

   gov.uk — Register to vote (English) (gov.uk ↗) gov.uk — Cofrestru i bleidleisio (Welsh) (gov.uk ↗)
8. 8

   Submit declared identity attributes to the gov.uk form

   1. Enter full name, date of birth (dyddiad geni), current Wales address (cyfeiriad), and nationality (cenedligrwydd).
   2. Enter your National Insurance number (rhif Yswiriant Gwladol) if you hold one.
   3. Typical completion is approximately 5 minutes — the Welsh form states: "Mae'n cymryd tua 5 munud fel arfer."

   💬 Say:

   Rwy'n dymuno cofrestru i bleidleisio.

   "I would like to register to vote."

   📋 Use when: Contacting your council Electoral Registration Office in person or by phone.

9. 9

   Council Electoral Registration Officer receives the submission

   Swyddfa Cofrestru Etholiadol

   1. The form transmits to the Electoral Registration Officer of the resident's local authority — each of the 22 Welsh principal-area councils operates its own ERO.
   2. The council-level ERO is the statutory officer of record under section 8 of the Representation of the People Act 1983.
   3. Find your council's ERO contact via the gov.uk postcode-based lookup at gov.uk/get-on-electoral-register.

   💡 Tip: Per the Welsh form: "Cysylltwch â'ch Swyddfa Cofrestru Etholiadol" ("Contact your Electoral Registration Office") for follow-up after submission.

   gov.uk — Find your council's Electoral Registration Office (gov.uk ↗)
10. 10

    Use the paper-form fallback if you cannot register online

    1. Download or request a printable paper form (ffurflen bapur) via the gov.uk Welsh-language pathway.
    2. Complete and post the form to the relevant council Electoral Registration Office.
    3. The Welsh form provides this route under "Cofrestru gan ddefnyddio ffurflen bapur" ("Register using a paper form").

    ⚠️ Watch out: If the automatic National Insurance number check does not match, the council ERO may follow up by post or email for documentary verification (passport, birth certificate, utility bill, or signed attestor declaration). Respond promptly to keep the application progressing.

11. 11

    Confirmation of entry onto the electoral register

    1. The ERO adds the registrant to the full electoral register and, by default, also to the open register (y gofrestr agored), which is sold commercially.
    2. Registrants may opt out of the open register at form submission — per the Welsh form: "optio allan o'r gofrestr 'agored'".
    3. Pre-election registration deadline is typically 12 working days before polling day; specific cut-offs for the 7 May 2026 Senedd Cymru election are published ahead of poll by Welsh Government and the Electoral Commission.

    💡 Tip: A 14- or 15-year-old Welsh resident is pre-registered: the register entry pre-exists, and ballot eligibility activates at 16 for Senedd Cymru and Welsh local elections, or at 18 for UK Parliament elections held in Wales.

12. 12

    Receive a bilingual ballot at Senedd Cymru and Welsh local elections

    1. Ballot papers, poll cards, and ERO correspondence are issued in Welsh and English per the equal-treatment principle of the Welsh Language Act 1993.
    2. The bilingual ballot applies to Senedd Cymru and Welsh local elections; UK Parliament elections held in Wales follow the federal frame.
    3. From the 7 May 2026 Senedd Cymru election, 96 Members are elected from 16 constituencies under a closed-list D'Hondt system, per the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024.

    💡 Tip: Senedd Cymru is the Welsh Parliament; the institution is referred to as both Senedd Cymru and Senedd in Welsh-language electoral materials.