How to get ID to vote in the 2024 General Election and what is accepted

The general election was announced for July 4 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Not only will it be the first July general election since 1945, but it will also be the first where voters have to show ID when they arrive at a polling station to cast their vote.

According to gov.uk, voters must show photo ID when voting in person in some UK elections or referendums. This is in force from May 2023 and has already been tested in various local elections, including earlier this month.

You will need it to vote:

• Parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom, including general elections and by-elections
• recalling the petitions of the deputies of England, Scotland, and Wales
• local elections in England (including councils, mayors, Greater London Authority and parishes)
• Police and Crime Commissioner Elections in England and Wales
• neighborhood planning referendums in England
• local authority referendums in England (including referendums on raising Council Tax)

There are different rules if you are voting in Northern Ireland.

Forms of photo ID accepted for voting

The good news is that the list of IDs accepted for voting is long, which means the vast majority of people will already have something they can use. You will need one of the following types of photo ID to vote:

• a UK or Northern Ireland photo driving license (full or provisional)
• a driving license issued by an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
• a British passport
• a passport issued by an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country
• a PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
• a blue badge
• a biometric residence permit (BRP)
• a defense identity card (MOD 90 form)
• a national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• a Northern Ireland electoral ID card
• a certificate of electoral authority
• an anonymous voter document

You can also use one of the following travel permits as photo ID when you vote:

The ID photo must look like you. You can use your ID even if it has expired.

If you are voting as someone’s proxy, you will need to take your own ID when you go to vote on their behalf. You don’t have to take theirs.

If you have changed your name, the name on your ID must match your name on the electoral register. If not, you will need to:

• register to vote again with your new details
• take a document with you to vote that proves you have changed your name (for example, a marriage certificate)

Small differences don’t matter. For example, if your ID says “Jim Smith” instead of “James Smith.”

What to do if you don’t have photo ID for the general election

If you don’t have a type of photo ID that allows you to vote, you can apply for a certificate of election authority.

You can use it to vote in person in some UK (England, Scotland and Wales) elections and referendums. You cannot use it as proof of identification for any other reason. You cannot use a voter authority certificate in Northern Ireland. Find out what ID you can use to vote in Northern Ireland.

You only need to apply for an electoral authority certificate if:

• you do not have an accepted photo ID
• you no longer look like your ID photo
• the name on the photo ID is different from your name on the electoral register

If the name on your photo ID is different, you can register to vote again or take a document with you to vote that proves you changed your name.

ID is not required if you vote by mail.