Elections Act

EU Citizens' Voting and Candidacy Rights

Changes you’ll see: 

EU citizens will no longer automatically be entitled to register, vote or stand for election. 

Two groups of EU citizens will retain their rights: 

Qualifying EU Citizens 

  • These are citizens from countries with reciprocal agreements who have ‘leave to remain’ in the UK or who do not need ‘leave to remain’ in the UK. These are currently Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain. 

EU Citizens with Retained Rights 

  • These are EU citizens who were living in the UK before 1 January 2021 (the date when the UK left the EU). 

These changes will apply to: 

  • All local elections and referendums in England. 

  • Mayor of London and London Assembly elections.

These changes are expected to come into force after the 2024 Mayor of London and London Assembly elections.

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