Postal voting
On 31 October 2023 the way you apply for a postal vote changed. You are now required to make separate applications to vote by post in both UK Parliament and Scottish Parliament and council elections.
- For UK Parliament Elections: the easiest way is to apply online at gov.uk/apply-postal-vote. You are required to upload a clear photo of your signature to complete your application.
- For Scottish Elections: you will need to complete a paper form (please use the link below to download a form).
Application to vote by post in Scottish Parliament and council elections
If you are unable to go online to apply for a UK Parliament postal vote, you can use a paper form to apply for a UK Parliament postal vote (please use the link below to download a form).
Application to vote by post in UK Parliament elections in Scotland
It is important that you read the guidance on application forms before completing and returning to us. For ways to return your application form, please see our ‘How to return your application form to us’ section at the bottom of this page.
You can find more information about postal voting at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter You will need to change your location to Scotland.
How long does my postal vote last?
For UK Parliamentary elections your postal vote can last no longer than 3 years before you need to reapply.
For Scottish Parliamentary and local council elections, you can have a postal vote for an indefinite period but you need to refresh your signature after 5 years. We will write to you when your signature requires to be refreshed.
IMPORTANT: You will need to consider if there would be time for you to receive and return your ballot papers by polling day. If you have been sent a postal vote, you cannot vote in person at a polling station.
Cancelling your postal vote
If you wish to cancel your postal vote, we will require a letter from you with a penned signature asking for this to be carried out. During an election period, postal votes can be cancelled up to 11 working days before the poll.
How to return your application form to us
You can return completed application forms to any of our offices by post or by email to [email protected] – we can only accept black & white clear scanned images under 50MB (51200kB). We cannot accept photographs of application forms. Address details can be found on our forms or here
If you are having any difficulties with the completion of the form or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the Electoral Registration Officer on 0800 393 783 or e-mail [email protected]
UK Parliamentary elections – Reserved postal vote reapplication process
Between March 2025 and September 2025, we wrote to electors who had to renew their UK postal vote to advise that if they didn’t reapply their postal vote would expire on 31 January 2026. Reminder letters or e-mails were issued between November 2025 and January 2026. Anyone who did not reapply by 31 January 2026 will have had their postal vote for UK elections cancelled.
Received a cancellation notice from us?
If you have received a cancellation notice from us, and you wish to reapply for a postal vote for UK elections you can:
- Complete the paper application that we sent to you. If you don’t have the paper form, you can contact us to request another form
- Apply online by visiting gov.uk/apply-postal-vote – you will need your date of birth and national insurance number
Does this affect my postal vote for Scottish elections?
If you have a postal vote for Scottish elections, including the Scottish Parliamentary election scheduled to take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, this will not be affected. You will receive a poll letter in March 2026 which will confirm your voting preference. Should you wish to change your voting preference, details on how to do this will be available on your poll letter.
If you have any questions, please call us on 0800 393783 or email [email protected]
